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The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Quiz Example

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Oedipus condemns himself early in the play when he states:

x		the murderer of Laius is the cause of the plague
		that his true parents live in the city of Corinth
		that his children will one day be the greatest of all men

Tiresias tires of Oedipus’ accusations and finally tells Oedipus:

		to kill him, that he will say nothing
		that he is leaving no matter what Oedipus does
x		the complete truth about Oedipus’ past

Creon’s attitude toward being king is:

		he would love the role
		he would makes changes to improve the lives of all
x		he would prefer the power without the responsibility

Oedipus begins to truly fear his self-guilt when he hears:

x		the story of the death of Laius
		that Polybos is dead
		that Tiresias is never wrong

The true cathartic event for Oedipus is when he:

		finds his beloved Jocasta has committed suicide
		learns that Merope was not really his mother
x		blinds himself with the pins from Jocasta’s clothes

The truth about Athens’ wish for Socrates is for him to:

		go to prison to suffer for his crimes
x		quit teaching the youth to think for themselves
		die and go to the underworld to suffer for his crimes

Plato states that cities have no chance of success unless:

		god smiles upon the leader’s decisions
x		the rulers become philosophers
		love is more important than money

Socrates compares a man to a horse in order to:

x		show that man can be trained as easily as an animal
		show that the absence of intelligence equals contentment
		show that it is impossible to teach human and political virtue

Socrates states that wisdom is possessed only by:

x		god
		politicians
		poets and artisans

In the literature of India’s classical age, Sanskrit was the language of choice because:

		it was flexible and still undergoing change
x		it was codified and frozen and had a solidified grammar
		it was the language understood by the majority of the inhabitants

Ovid’s influence on writers from his time to the Renaissance:

x		is second only to Plato
		is the greatest of any writer of the time
		is second only to Virgil

In Rome, rape is viewed as:

x		a symbol of control of the strong over the weak
		a symbol of the inherently destructive nature of the gods
		a symbol of the inherently destructive nature of man

Daphne agrees that Apollo may continue to express his love for her by:

		using the laurel to construct his bows and arrow shafts
x		using the laurel as a symbol of victory and achievement
		using the laurel as the first log in a sacrificial flame

Juno makes Argus the guardian of Io because:

x		he has one-hundred eyes, and some are always awake
		he has one-hundred eyes and has all-encompassing vision
		she is rewarding him for an act he performed in the past

Cyane makes Ceres aware of Proserpina’s location by:

		calling to her in prayer
		showing her the path Pluto took to his home
x		making sure Ceres sees Proserpina’s girdle

Jove responds to Ceres’ anger concerning the kidnapping of Proserpina by:

		condemning Pluto to Jove’s eternal anger
x		reminding her that Pluto is acting out of love
		plotting with Ceres a great punishment for Pluto

Telethusa’s prayers to Isis are answered because Iphis undergoes:

		a transformation from a cat to a god
x		the first transsexual metamorphosis
		a transformation from a suffering human to a constellation

Cinryas allows his daughter into his bed because:

x		he is drunk and deprived of his wife’s affections
		he is curious after being hit by Cupid’s arrow of love
		he is depraved and is acting out of complete submission to lust

The unusual thing about the birth of Adonis is:

		he is immediately able to dance and play music
		he is born from the forehead of Jove dressed in full armor
x		he is born, through the grace of Lucina, from a tree

Venus gives Hippomenes the three golden apples to:

		tempt Atalanta into willingly allowing him to win the race
x		get Atalanta to stop to pick up the apples so that he may win the race
		show Atalanta the kind of wealth he is able to provide for her

In the discussion of the following quotes, include: a) the importance of the quote in context, including speaker and events both before and after b) the importance of the quote in the entire work Answers must be in complete sentences, inclusive and specific.

Love could have overcome his shame, but if
he should refuse so slight, so poor a gift
to one who was his sister and his wife,
he’d have to run a disconcerting risk,
since Juno could conclude that, after all,
this heifer was no cow. (1143)

This quotation from Ovid tells of Jove getting caught by his wife in the act of adultery. In order to cover up what he was doing, he turns his lover, Io, into a lovely cow and eventually gives the cow to his wife to prove it means nothing to him. This incident reflects the recurrence in Ovid of the gods acting like humans. Even though he is the king of the gods, Jove acts like any other guilty husband and Juna acts like a jealous wife. Not only do the gods commit “sins,” they can lie and can be tricked, just like mortals.

A man cannot escape the force
of action by abstaining from actions;
he does not attain success
just by renunciation.
No one exists for even an instant
without performing action;
however unwilling, every being is forced
to act by the qualities of nature. (1020)

This selection is from a lesson given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna. It is part of his instructions as to the best way to live. He suggests that philosophers and regular men have different virtues. For regular men, action is a virtue, so long as it is untaken indifferently. The whole book imparts instructions for living, but this section in particular showcases the pervasive virtue of becoming unattached to this world while simultaneously participating in it so that one’s actions can serve not oneself, but the good of the world. This section also illustrates the importance of Krishna in the book as a whole, since he is the source of wisdom for man. (Arjuna serves as an Everyman figure.)

Then let the lady stay in our house until her child is born. If you ask why: the wise men predict that your first son will be born with the marks of a king who turns the wheel of empire. If the child of the sage’s daughter bears the mark, congratulate her and welcome her into your palace chambers. Otherwise, send her back to her father. (1310)

In this selection from Sakuntala and the Ring of Recognition, the king is trying to decided if he is being played on by a conniving woman or if he really has forgotten his wife as she says. Sakuntala’s dilemma illustrates how easily life can change from a single moment of inattention, such as when she provoked the curse, or when she failed to safeguard the ring while on her way to the king.

When Menaka took her bewildered daughter from the steps of the nymph’s shrine and brought her to my wife, I knew through meditation that you had rejected this girl as your lawful wife because of Durvasas’ curse, and that the curse would end when you saw the ring. (1331)

Here we see the happy ending of the story of Sakuntala. The king has seen the ring and remembered his beloved wife. The story follows the template that still serves for romance stories today. The lovers become separated due to some accident, but in the end everything turns out well for both of them (and, in this case, for their child).