Greek Mythology and Zeus

Exam Three
Mythology
Fall 2013
LaFray

Multiple Choice: Choose the response that best answers the question. 2 points each.

1. This type of analysis was pioneered by French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss
a. Theoretical analysis
b. Liminal analysis
c. Structural analysis
d. None of the above
2. This term refers to the many Greek gods
a. Pantheon
b. Tetrarchy
c. Tritopatores
d. All of the above
3. Kronos and Rhea were the parents of:
a. Zeus
b. Poseidon
c. Hades
d. All of the above
4. Known for his lightning bolt, this god was often called the king of the gods in the ancient Greek tradition
a. Poseidon
b. Odin
c. Jesus
d. Zeus
5. __________ is our oldest written source of information about the Greek gods
a. Hesiod
b. Homer
c. Apollodorus
d. None of the above
6. Poseidon was called the “earth-shaker” because:
a. He could gather clouds and call forth storms
b. He could grant a successful voyage to sailors
c. The sea, his domain, surrounded the earth, and thus he who held the earth could shake it.
d. His weapon was a massive pitchfork that split the earth
7. Hades was:
a. Both a place and a god
b. A lifeless realm of shadows and gloom
c. The place where psychai went after death
d. All of the above
8. This god raped his sister Demeter as she roamed Earth looking for Persephone.
a. Hades
b. Zeus
c. Poseidon
d. Ares
9. The winged horse Pegasus is the son of:
a. Zeus
b. Aphrodite
c. Cyclops
d. Poseidon
10. By the classical period, Hades feature three main levels:
a. Tartarus, Elysium, Erebus
b. Erebus, Fields of Asphodel, Elysium
c. Tartarus, Fields of Asphodel, Elysium
d. None of the above
11. Charon immediately ferried passengers into the underworld as long as they:
a. Asked nicely
b. Carried a gold coin to pay their way
c. Prayed to Zeus for help
d. Obeyed Hades’ every command
12. Objects destined for Hades were buried with the bodies of the dead, however they were:
a. Burned or broken as a symbol of their belonging to the realm of the dead
b. Coated in gold to please Hades
c. Buried with the spouse of the deceased
d. None of the above
13. Rhea saved Zeus from his father Kronos by:
a. Feeding him another woman’s child
b. Engaging in a conspiracy with her brothers and sisters to imprison him
c. Feeding him a rock disguised as a baby
d. All of the above
14. These ancestor gods were considered to be beneficent dead:
a. Forefathers
b. Aorai
c. Restless dead
d. Tritopatores
15. This goddess is known as the goddess of wild animals and carried a silver bow.
a. Athena
b. Hippodomeia
c. Hera
d. Artemis
16. As the goddess of virginal women and women in childbirth, Artemis could:
a. Determine how much pain a woman experienced during labor
b. Decide who a woman could marry
c. Prevent infants from being exposed
d. None of the above
17. This goddess waged a contest with Poseidon over a major city in ancient Greece.
a. Artemis
b. Aphrodite
c. Athena
d. Hera
18. Athena is called a “motherless child” because:
a. She was born when Kronos vomited up all of his children
b. She was born from Zeus’s forehead after he swallowed Metis
c. She killed her mother moments after she was born
d. None of the above
19. The aegis was:
a. A symbol of Zeus’ favoritism
b. Athena’s protective garment
c. Crafted from the hide of Amalthea
d. All of the above
20. This was the god of war:
a. Nike
b. Zeus
c. Ares
d. Apollo
21. Ares was despised by his fellow Olympian deities because he was known as:
a. Rude, crude and maniacal
b. The favorite of Zeus
c. The true king of the Olympians
d. None of the above
22. The Romans viewed Mars positively because:
a. He married a mortal woman and became the first king of Rome
b. He raped a Vestal Virgin, fathering Romulus and Remus in the process
c. He fought off an attack of the Titans on Rome
d. All of the above
23. This god was “either thrown out of Olympus because he was lame, or lame because he was thrown out of Olympus.”
a. Hermes
b. Apollo
c. Hephaestus
d. Remus
24. Hephaestus was known for his many inventions. He used a golden net to:
a. Capture the Phoenix
b. Prevent the Medusa from escaping Okeanos
c. Capture his wife Aphrodite and Ares in their adulterous affair
d. Build the walls of Troy
25. This god was known for his licentious behavior and intoxicating drink:
a. Hephaestus
b. Ares
c. Dionysus
d. Hermes

Short answer: Answer briefly in written prose. 4 points each.

1. Explain why Prometheus is a liminal figure.
2. Discuss the nature of Zeus’ relationship with Hera.
3. Describe the rites of Dionysus.
4. Describe what makes Prometheus a “culture giver.”
5. Describe Hestia’s central role in Greek culture.

Essay Question. Respond in formal prose. 30 points.

1. Considering all of the material we covered in class regarding the Greek gods, Greek culture and structural analysis, compare and contrast major elements of the stories of Greek myth and the modern film Clash of the Titans. What aspects of Greek mythology are retained in the film? Which ones are not? In terms of cultural values, what does the story of Perseus and his adventures reveal about ancient Greek culture? What does the film reveal about modern viewers’ ideas about Greek mythology—i.e. how are the gods depicted differently from the way ancient Greeks conceived of them and what is the relationship between humans and gods? Be sure to cite specific examples. Use the textbook and our close study of the Greek tragedies read in class for “Greek” examples. Use the film as evidence of “modern” examples.