Homer — Questions and answers

Read the full story

What kind of tradition did Homer's existence embody, according to the text?

Choices

  1. The written tradition
  2. The archaic Greek oral tradition ✓
  3. The scholarly tradition
  4. The Ionian artistic tradition

Answer: The archaic Greek oral tradition

From page 2

Who began the effort to write down Homer's oral stories in 6th-century BCE Athens?

Choices

  1. Cynaethus
  2. A rhapsode
  3. The tyrant Pisistratus ✓
  4. Plato

Answer: The tyrant Pisistratus

From page 3

What material were the Homeric epics committed to when they were written down?

Choices

  1. Stone tablets
  2. Papyrus ✓
  3. Clay tablets
  4. Wooden scrolls

Answer: Papyrus

From page 4

Which famous philosopher is mentioned as possibly critiquing Homer's poetic license?

Choices

  1. Heraclitus
  2. Pisistratus
  3. Plato ✓
  4. Odysseus

Answer: Plato

From page 5

What did schoolboys and girls do with Homeric epics as part of their education?

Choices

  1. They drew pictures of the heroes.
  2. They wrote new stories based on them.
  3. They committed lengthy passages to memory. ✓
  4. They debated their historical accuracy.

Answer: They committed lengthy passages to memory.

From page 6

Besides education, in what other areas of public life did Homer's influence spread?

Choices

  1. Only in private homes
  2. In political discourse and artistic expression ✓
  3. Just among philosophers
  4. Only in other countries

Answer: In political discourse and artistic expression

From page 7

Who was the foremost Roman epic poet who engaged with Homer's work in his Aeneid?

Choices

  1. Aeneid
  2. Virgil ✓
  3. Caesar
  4. Romulus

Answer: Virgil

From page 8

During which historical period did Homer's influence experience a resurgence after the Middle Ages?

Choices

  1. The Enlightenment
  2. The Renaissance ✓
  3. The Roman Empire
  4. The Dark Ages

Answer: The Renaissance

From page 9

Into how many languages have Homer's epics been translated?

Choices

  1. Only Greek and Latin
  2. Just a few major languages
  3. Nearly every language ✓
  4. Only English and French

Answer: Nearly every language

From page 10