Glendale Community College » Humanities » Humanities 115 - World Mythology » Spring 2020

Humanities 115 - World Mythology » Spring 2020 » Final Exam

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Question #1

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. Humanist Civilization

B. Western Civilization

C. Classical Civilization

D. Far Eastern Civilization

Question #2

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. record historical events

B. define civil laws

C. explain natural occurances

D. inspire scientific advancement

Question #3

A poem that has great length, a central hero, and includes the history and mythology of a culture is called:

A. dramatic

B. epic

C. lyric

D. animistic

Question #4

Babylonian mythology begins with Apsu, Tiamat, and Mummu, three forms of a primal element. The element is present in the creation myth of most cultures. It is:

A. water

B. light

C. air

D. God

Question #5

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

A. the many forms of love

B. the morning star

C. human beings

D. the earth

Question #6

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. Ode to Aten

C. Book of the Dead

D. Papyrus of Osiris

Question #7

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. Horus

B. Set

C. Tut

D. Anubus

Question #8

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. trickster

B. magician

C. avenger

D. mentor

Question #9

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. oblivion

B. battle chasm

C. charybdis

D. cedar forest

Question #10

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. Enkidu, the wild man

B. a hundred-handed giant

C. the Scorpion Man

D. the Bull of Heaven

Question #11

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. in the Garden of Eden

B. has a phallic shape

C. shed its skin

D. swim in water

Question #12

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. Nomadic

B. Phoenician

C. Semitic

D. Bedouin

Question #13

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. decalogue

B. first five books of the Old Testament

C. the Qur'an

D. first four books of the New Testament

Question #14

According to the Abrahamic myths, Abraham’s wife Sarah could not have children. She asks Abraham to sleep with her handmaid Hagar, who gives birth to:

A. Yahweh

B. Ishmael

C. Isaac

D. Abram

Question #15

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. He hears the voice of God from a whirlwind

B. Abraham chooses to deny the request

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

D. an angel stops him

Question #16

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. Heresy

B. Apocrypha

C. Behistun Inscription

D. Q Source

Question #17

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 #18

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 Ka'bah

B. The Pillars of Islam

C. Ramadan

D. The Hadith

Question #19

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. Homer

B. Ovid

C. Apollodorus

D. Hesiod

Question #20

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. Eros, the sexual urge

B. Philia, or affection

C. Xenia, concern for strangers

D. Agape, love for mankind

Question #21

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. Persephone

C. Penelope

D. Artemis

Question #22

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. kill his wife and children

C. kill the many-headed Hydra

D. strangle two snakes

Question #23

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. swan

D. shepherd

Question #24

The Greek kings take an oath to rescue Helen if she is ever abducted. After Paris takes her to Troy, the kings assemble but Achilles does not come. They find him:

A. sowing his field with salt

B. disguised as a woman

C. inside a wooden horse

D. sulking in his tent

Question #25

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. Menelaus wears his armor

B. Aphrodite breaks the helmet strap

C. Paris wounds Menelaus

D. Hector rescues him

Question #26

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. the goddess Athena shows him

D. Hector is wearing Achilles' armor

Question #27

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. Furies

B. whales

C. Sirens

D. Suitors

Question #28

Rome’s legendary founders were the twins Romulus and Remus. Abandoned in the wilderness as babies, they survived:

A. the goddess Minerva rescues them

B. eating nuts and berries

C. taken in by shepherds

D. suckled by a she-wolf

Question #29

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. name him the first emperor

B. assassinate him

C. help Julius conquer Egypt

D. establish the Pax Romana

Question #30

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. a copy of The Iliad

C. an offering to Jupiter

D. his wealth in a basket

Question #31

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. Apollo

B. Hermes

C. Mercury

D. Iris

Question #32

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. Mata Yuga

B. Nirvana

C. Atman

D. Karma

Question #33

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 magic carpet

C. a lotus blossom

D. a wave

Question #34

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. rakshasa

B. upinshad

C. valmiki

D. avatar

Question #35

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. the empty crown

B. Rama's sandals

C. his sword

D. a bow that only Rama can string

Question #36

In The Ramayana, the Princess Sita is abducted by the demon King Ravanna. As he carries her off his flying chariot, she drops her veil and jewels, which are found by:

A. harpies

B. three goddesses

C. sages

D. monkeys

Question #37

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. Analects of Confucius

B. Dao De Jing

C. Lao Tzu

D. I Ching

Question #38

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. outlawed prophecy

B. wrote the Five Classics

C. built the Terracotta Army

D. burned almost all books

Question #39

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 save her younger sister

B. to bring honor to her family

C. to marry a prince

D. he father has died

Question #40

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. a tortoise shell

D. river reeds

Question #41

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. kokun

D. Kami

Question #42

In the Japanese creation myth, Inzanagi and Inzanami go behind the Pillar of Heaven, say “You are a fine man” and “You are a fine woman,” and then make love. Their first child is a leech baby because:

A. the gods had fallen asleep

B. they forgot the jewel-tipped spear

C. Inzanagi was crude in his speech

D. Inzanami spoke first

Question #43

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. consumed in fire

C. imprisoned in rock

D. as a corpse covered in maggots

Question #44

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. stonehenge

C. weregild

D. barrow

Question #45

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. Yggdrasil

B. Ragnarok

C. Ymir

D. Jorgmungandr

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. Frigg

B. Baldur

C. Hel

D. Loki

Question #47

The center of African tribal culture was the storyteller, who also served as a holy man and source of knowledge. This important figure is called a:

A. Nganaba

B. Griot

C. Fetish

D. Shaman

Question #48

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. was drunk on palm wine

B. grew bored and let his mind wander

C. spun them off a rope

D. sneezed

Question #49

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. the Garden of Eden was in the Americas

B. a Catholic priest and Mayan Christian translated them

C. the Abrahamic myths are true

D. all cultures have flood myths

Question #50

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

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