Humanities 115 - World Mythology » Winter 2024 » Test 2

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Question #1
In The Aeneid, a priest named Laocoon suspects the Trojan Horse is a trick, saying “I fear the Greeks even when they are bearing gifts.” Serpents strangle Laocoon and his two sons, sent by:
A.   Odysseus
B.   the goddess Athena
C.   the god Poseidon
D.   Virgil does not say
Question #2
Two people who were important to the early spread of Christianity were Peter, a disciple of Jesus, and Paul, who converted to the faith.  Paul's writings make up much of the New Testament in the bible, and are in the form of:
A.   Oaths
B.   Analysis
C.   Epistles
D.   Poetry
Question #3
According to Christian mythology, Jesus is “Christos,” which means “savior,” and a reliever of suffering from Hebrew mythology called the:
A.   Mahatma
B.   Rabbi
C.   Messiah
D.   Epistle
Question #4
In Greek mythology, the goddess Hera is angry that Zeus has had a child with another woman and sends two snakes to kill baby Herakles in his crib. Herakles lives because:
A.   he drinks the blood of Hydra
B.   he strangles the snakes
C.   Zeus stops them
D.   Apollo twines the snakes around a staff
Question #5
The Roman Republic grew strong by defeating the Carthaginians and taking control of the Mediterranean. The Roman general who ended the Punic Wars was:
A.   Julius Ceasar
B.   Marc Antony
C.   Ceasar Augustus
D.   Scipio Africanus
Question #6
What is known of the life of Jesus is found in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Many biblical scholars agree that there was once a fifth biography Jesus that is called the:
A.   Apocrypha
B.   Sanhedrin
C.   Nicaean Creed
D.   Q Source
Question #7
The cause of the Trojan War was the abduction of Helen, Queen of Sparta. The reason the men of Greece fight to get her back is because:
A.   Zeus's law against abduction
B.   the goddess Aphrodite decrees it
C.   they all took an oath to rescue her
D.   her wealthy husband pays them
Question #8
In The Aeneid of Virgil, the harpy predicts that Aeneas will not triumph until he has become so hungry he "eats his tables." What do the "tables" turn out to be?
A.   mathematical equations
B.   a shield provided by Venus
C.   honeycakes topped with fruit
D.   his own words, written down
Question #9
The early Greek civilization was the Minoan, established on the island of Crete. The was named for the mythical King Minos who supposedly kept a terrible creature in a labyrinth called the:
A.   Scylla
B.   Laocoon
C.   Minotaur
D.   Hydra
Question #10
In Islamic mythology, Hagar is considered equal to Sarah because the faith allows polygamy. Hagar’s son Ishmael is considered superior to Isaac, however, because he is:
A.   not circumcised
B.   from Egypt
C.   born first
D.   from an Arabic mother
Question #11
Numerous writers have told the Greek myths at different times in history. One Roman writer translated many myths into Latin in a single work. It is called:
A.   The Bibliotecha of Apollodorus
B.   The Metamorphoses of Ovid
C.   The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius
D.   The Theogony of Hesiod
Question #12
There is a substantial record of Hebrew mythology because that culture created the oldest written language still in use today. The basis of Hebrew is a language group called:
A.   Cuneiform
B.   Bedouin
C.   Torah
D.   Semite
Question #13
In The Iliad of Homer, the goddess Thetis asks the god Hephaestus to make armor for her son Achilles.  This same thing happens with the goddess Venus and the god Vulcan in:
A.   The Odyssey of Homer
B.   The Theogony of Hesiod
C.   the myth of Romulus and Remus
D.   The Aeneid of Virgil
Question #14
Islam has sacred writings in addition to The Qu'ran, written by many authors at different times. Collectively, these other writings are called:
A.   The Apocalypse
B.   The Torah
C.   The Apocrypha
D.   The Hadith
Question #15
The primal elements of Greek mythology include Gaia, the earth, Tartarus, the underworld, and Eros, which is:
A.   brotherly love
B.   the sky
C.   familial love
D.   the sexual urge
Question #16
Catholicism was the only type of Christianity in the world for over 1,000 years until a new type was created by a monk named Martin Luther.  This new type of Christianity is called:
A.   Protestantism
B.   Eastern Orthodox
C.   Deism
D.   Polytheism
Question #17
The goddess Athena was born in an unusual way, wearing full armor and springing up fully-grown from:
A.   the earth
B.   her mother's womb
C.   the head of Zeus
D.   an egg
Question #18
The two primal elements that exist at the beginning of the Hebrew creation myth are:
A.   light and air
B.   water and darkness
C.   heaven and earth
D.   day and night
Question #19
One of the labors of Heracles was to clean the Augean stables. He accomplishes this in one day with help from:
A.   a river, which he diverts
B.   his father Zeus
C.   Iolaus, his companion
D.   the goddess Athena
Question #20
The Torah is the oldest writing of the Hebrews, consisting of five scrolls. In addition to Hebrew literature, the text of these five scrolls can be found in:
A.   The first books of the Old Testament in the bible
B.   the Qu'ran
C.   the first books of the New Testament in the bible
D.   The Metamorphoses of Ovid
Question #21
One of the Twelve Titans of Greek mythology is:
A.   Atlas, who holds creation on his shoulders
B.   Hestia, protector of home and hearth
C.   Hercules, hero of the Twelve Labors
D.   Gaia, the Mother Goddess
Question #22
Both Odysseus and Achilles attempt to avoid fighting in the Trojan War. Achilles’ mother hides her son by disguising him as a:
A.   woman
B.   god
C.   rock
D.   old beggar
Question #23
In The Aeneid of Virgil, the priestess Cassandra warns the Trojans that the Trojan Horse is dangerous.  Although she has the gift of prophecy, no one believes her because: 
A.   they fear the wrath of Poseidon
B.   the god Apollo has cursed her
C.   the goddess Athena did not give her wisdom
D.   her prophecies have been wrong before
Question #24
In The Iliad of Homer, Paris, prince of Troy, battles one-on-one with Menelaus, husband of Helen. In the fight, Menelaus drags Paris around by the helmet strap. Paris escapes because the goddess Aphrodite:
A.   breaks the helmet strap
B.   asks Zeus to save him
C.   hands him a sword
D.   throws a mist over Menelaus's eyes
Question #25
According to Hebrew mythology, Yahweh commands Abram to circumcise all males in his household, including boys at the age of:
A.   puberty
B.   eight years
C.   eight days
D.   eight months

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