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Humanities 115 - World Mythology » Winter 2024 » Final Exam

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Question #1

Archetypes are common in the mythologies of many cultures, like The Hero or The Mother Goddess. One archetype is often cunning and mischievous, like Set in Egyptian mythology or Loki in Norse mythology. This archetype is called:

A. magician

B. avenger

C. trickster

D. mentor

Question #2

Through an act of deception, Rama is banished from the kingdom he should rule. His brother Bharta agrees to rule until Rama’s exile is complete. To show that he is only ruling in the true king’s absence, Bharta places something beside the throne:

A. Rama's sandals

B. a bow that only Rama can string

C. his sword

D. the empty crown

Question #3

Christianity, one of the Abrahamic faiths, is based in the teachings of Jesus. The books of Matthew,Mark, Luke and John are the four biographies of Jesus from which his teachings are known. There may have been a fifth biography, known to scholars as the:

A. Q Source

B. Apocrypha

C. Behistun Inscription

D. Heresy

Question #4

Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to become a Christian. He ordered a gathering of Christian leaders to compile a holy book, write an oath for Christians stating the tenets of the faith, and establish other sacred principles. That meeting is known as the:

A. Council of Nicaea

B. Council of Trent

C. Protestant Reformation

D. Great Schism

Question #5

Three gods of Egyptian mythology are Osiris, god of fertility and ruler of the underworld, Isis, his sister and wife, a goddess of the sky, and their son:

A. Anubus

B. Tut

C. Horus

D. Set

Question #6

The epic poet of Greece wrote The Iliad, The Odyssey, and hymns to the gods, which established many of the Greek myths. That poet was:

A. Hesiod

B. Ovid

C. Homer

D. Apollodorus

Question #7

Marduk and the other gods of Babylonian mythology create a magnificent palace, and creatures to serve the gods at ease. What are the creatures they create to serve the gods?

A. Demons

B. Mortal humans

C. Angels

D. Demigods

Question #8

The Mayan civilization declined because deforestation and a prolonged drought reduce their ability to grow enough food. Refugees from Mayan cities joined those from Teotihuacan and Tula to form a new culture called:

A. Mexica

B. Aztec

C. Aztlan

D. Inca

Question #9

The goddess Ishtar proposes that Gilgamesh marry her, but he refuses because she abuses her lovers. To get revenge, Ishtar asks her father Anu to give her something to destroy Gilgamesh. What is it?

A. the Scorpion Man

B. the Bull of Heaven

C. a hundred-handed giant

D. Enkidu, the wild man

Question #10

Early Chinese people believed in divination, or the ability to predict future events. They would throw a handful of sticks, stones, or coin-like tokens on the ground, and then find the corresponding pattern in the:

A. Dao De Jing

B. I Ching

C. Analects of Confucius

D. Lao Tzu

Question #11

In the Greek creation myth, the Mother Goddess Rhea first creates to races of beings, the Cyclopes and the:

A. Frost Giants

B. Gorgons

C. Hundred-Handed Giants

D. Furies

Question #12

The goddess Hera despised Heracles because he was the son of Zeus by another woman. To appease her, Zeus commands that when grown Heracles will perform 12 labors. One of those labors is to:

A. cut off Medusa's head

B. strangle two snakes

C. kill the many-headed Hydra

D. kill his wife and children

Question #13

In the Yoruba creation myth, the young god Obatala creates humans out of clay. Some are well formed, but others are deformed because Obatala:

A. grew bored and let his mind wander

B. spun them off a rope

C. sneezed

D. was drunk on palm wine

Question #14

In Mayan mythology, a god saves two humans from a flood. He also orders them to eat only an ear of corn, but they disobey by eating fish. These similarities to the Abrahamic myths may be because:

A. a Catholic priest and Mayan Christian translated them

B. the Abrahamic myths are true

C. the Garden of Eden was in the Americas

D. all cultures have flood myths

Question #15

In the final battle of The Aeneid, Aeneas fights King Turnus. Aeneas gets the upper hand, and is about to let Turnus live when he sees Turnus wearing something. What is he wearing?

A. the belt of Prince Pallas

B. the face of Gorgon Medusa

C. Lavinia's garter

D. the armor of Achilles

Question #16

In Chinese mythology, the Mother Goddess Nu Kua makes people out of clay by hand. They are the high-born. She drags an object through the clay, shakes it, and the drops that fall become common folks. What is that object?

A. a lotus blossom

B. a rope

C. river reeds

D. a tortoise shell

Question #17

The oldest writing of the Hebrews is a collection of five scrolls that include their history, mythology and law called the Torah. This writing can also be found in the:

A. first four books of the New Testament

B. first five books of the Old Testament

C. the Qur'an

D. decalogue

Question #18

Julius Caesar was a Roman general who overthrew an oppressive dictator and restored order to the government. His friends Brutus and Cassius joined with others to:

A. assassinate him

B. name him the first emperor

C. help Julius conquer Egypt

D. establish the Pax Romana

Question #19

In Islam, Abraham visits Hagar and her son Ishmael often in Arabia. One one of his visits, Abraham and Ishmael build the first shrine called:

A. Hadith

B. Dome of the Rock

C. Ka'bah

D. Mecca

Question #20

Mythology is stories that reflect the beliefs of a culture, often including tales of gods and goddesses. The purpose of mythology is to ennoble the human experience, symbolize the values of a culture, and to:

A. define civil laws

B. record historical events

C. inspire scientific advancement

D. explain natural occurances

Question #21

In the Japanese myth, Inzanagi travels to the underworld to bring back Inzanami, his wife. In darkness, she tells him to not look at her until she knows if she can return. When Inzanagi lights a fire, he sees Inzanami:

A. encased in carbonite

B. as a corpse covered in maggots

C. imprisoned in rock

D. consumed in fire

Question #22

Tiamat was the Mother Goddess of Babylonian mythology. Marduk overthrows her, and makes her body into:

A. human beings

B. the earth

C. the morning star

D. the many forms of love

Question #23

In The Aeneid of Virgil, Aeneas is a hero of Troy who escapes the destruction of the city with his household gods, his son by the hand, and carrying:

A. his father on his back

B. his wealth in a basket

C. a copy of The Iliad

D. an offering to Jupiter

Question #24

In Japanese Shintoism, there are many spiritual beings represented by physical objects like a rocks or trees. These spiritual beings are called:

A. meoto iwa

B. Torii

C. Kami

D. kokun

Question #25

God tests Abraham by ordering him to sacrifice his son. Abraham attempts the sacrifice, but there are two different versions of how God stops him. In Islam:

A. a tribe of people convince him he has passed the test

B. Abraham chooses to deny the request

C. an angel stops him

D. He hears the voice of God from a whirlwind

Question #26

In Egyptian mythology, Set locks his brother Osiris in a chest and throws it into the Nile. Isis searches for it, and find it:

A. in the underworld

B. hidden in the desert sands

C. transformed into a sarcophagus

D. in a tree trunk

Question #27

In Norse mythology, the tree of creation holds the Nine Worlds, including Midgard, home of humans, and Asgard, home of the gods. The tree itself is called:

A. Ragnarok

B. Jorgmungandr

C. Ymir

D. Yggdrasil

Question #28

In The Aeneid, Aeneas stays in Carthage making love to Dido until a messenger appears to tell him that he must set sail for Italy. The messenger is:

A. Iris

B. Mercury

C. Apollo

D. Hermes

Question #29

In The Labors and Death of Hercules, the goddess Hera is angry that Zeus has had a child with another woman and attempts to kill baby Hercules by sending snakes to his crib. What happens to the snakes?

A. the slither out of their skins

B. Hercules strangles them

C. the goddess Athena kills them

D. they entwine around Hermes' staff

Question #30

In The Iliad, Paris meets King Menelaus in battle. Menelaus gets the better of him, and drags Paris around by the helmet. What happens next?

A. Aphrodite breaks the helmet strap

B. Paris wounds Menelaus

C. Menelaus wears his armor

D. Hector rescues him

Question #31

After the Greeks win the Trojan War, it takes Odysseus ten years to find his way home. Along the way he is seduced by a witch, captured by a Cyclops, and is the only man to hear the song of the:

A. whales

B. Furies

C. Suitors

D. Sirens

Question #32

Achilles, the hero of The Iliad, kills Hector, prince of Troy, with a spear thrust to the throat because he knows the weak point in his armor. Why does Achilles know this?

A. Helen has told him

B. all Trojan armor is exposed at the throat

C. Hector is wearing Achilles' armor

D. the goddess Athena shows him

Question #33

Civilization is a state of human existence in which people live together for mutual benefit. One civilization began in ancient Greece, was copied and improved by ancient Rome and is the foundation of our own civilization. It is known as:

A. Classical Civilization

B. Far Eastern Civilization

C. Western Civilization

D. Humanist Civilization

Question #34

Hinduism is the ancient religion of India. Hindus believe that Brahman is eternal, formless, unknowable. Through meditation, a person can connect to the Brahman and achieve a higher state of spiritual awareness called:

A. Karma

B. Mata Yuga

C. Atman

D. Nirvana

Question #35

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story ever written, found on hundreds of pieces of clay tablets. One of the oldest tablets includes a battle with Humbaba, a monster in the:

A. cedar forest

B. charybdis

C. oblivion

D. battle chasm

Question #36

The story of the Trojan War begins with the birth of Helen of Troy. She was the daughter of Leda, whom Zeus raped while he was in the form of a:

A. ray of light

B. white bull

C. shepherd

D. swan

Question #37

In Norse culture, a dead king was buried in an elaborate, grass-covered tomb with treasure and weapons. This kind of tomb is called a:

A. clan

B. barrow

C. stonehenge

D. weregild

Question #38

In Greek mythology, Zeus became god of the sky, Poseidon god of the sea, and Hades god of the underworld. Because no goddess wanted to live in the underworld, Hades was given Demeter’s daughter:

A. Hestia

B. Penelope

C. Artemis

D. Persephone

Question #39

A single prophet, Muhammad, founded the religion of Islam. The things he said were written down by his followers, and later complied into a book called The Qur’an. Other stories of Islam, created in oral tradition, have been written in a collection called:

A. The Hadith

B. The Pillars of Islam

C. The Ka'bah

D. Ramadan

Question #40

Hebrew, the language of the Jews, is based in an ancient language that is also the root of Philistine and Arabic. That language is:

A. Phoenician

B. Nomadic

C. Semitic

D. Bedouin

Question #41

Many Egyptian myths were written on papyrus scrolls and placed in the coffin with the mummy. The scrolls include hymns, prayers, and instructions for the deceased and is called:

A. Rosetta Stone

B. Papyrus of Osiris

C. Ode to Aten

D. Book of the Dead

Question #42

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, for Gilgamesh to travel enter the dark land he must first pass a gate guarded by:

A. Siduri the Alewife

B. the Scorpion Man and his mate

C. Shamash, the Judge and Law-Giver

D. a ring of fire

Question #43

Like Katness Everdeen in The Hunger Games, Chi-Li volunteers to be the sacrifice for a giant serpent that devours a maiden once a year. Why does she do this:

A. to bring honor to her family

B. he father has died

C. to marry a prince

D. to save her younger sister

Question #44

The hero of The Ramayana is Rama, who is the god Vishnu on earth in human form. The appearance of a god in physical form is called:

A. avatar

B. rakshasa

C. valmiki

D. upinshad

Question #45

Gilgamesh finds a plant that will give him eternal life. Before he can eat the plant, a snake swallows it. Gilgamesh knows the snake will live forever because he sees it:

A. has a phallic shape

B. swim in water

C. in the Garden of Eden

D. shed its skin

Question #46

There are two possible after-lives in Norse mythology. Brave warriors who die in battle are carried to Valhalla by Valkyries. Everyone who does not die in battle dwell in Nifelhiem, which is ruled by:

A. Baldur

B. Loki

C. Frigg

D. Hel

Question #47

Shi Huangti, the first emperor of China, standardized public services and built the Long Wall, an early version of the Great Wall. In an attempt to establish his own legal authority and to reform the writing system he also:

A. wrote the Five Classics

B. outlawed prophecy

C. burned almost all books

D. built the Terracotta Army

Question #48

Christianity became the dominant faith in Europe during the Middle Ages. Eventually Martin Luther created a different form of Christianity called Protestantism. Among other things, Protestant Christians do not recognize the authority of:

A. The Ten Commandments

B. The Bible

C. The Pope

D. earthly government

Question #49

In the Hindu creation myth, the universe begins in water. From it rises a many-headed cobra. Brahma, the creator, emerges from the cobra’s navel on:

A. an egg

B. a lotus blossom

C. a magic carpet

D. a wave

Question #50

In the Greek creation myth, the Earth Mother Gaia forms spontaneously out of chaos along with the Underworld and one of the five forms of love:

A. Agape, love for mankind

B. Philia, or affection

C. Xenia, concern for strangers

D. Eros, the sexual urge

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