The Odyssey: Part One Test Review – Answer Guide
After completing the review guide, use these answers to check for understanding. If
there are any questions you are uncertain of, review the reading guide questions,
HSPA quizzes, and the textbook.
1) The Odyssey is considered to be what type of literary work?
An epic poem
2) Who is the narrator for the majority of Part 1 of The Odyssey?
Odysseus
3) Who are the muses? Why does Homer pray to the muses?
The nine daughters of Zeus; he prays to them so he can have inspiration to
tell the story of Odysseus and his travels
4) Where is Odysseus trying to go? Where is he coming from?
He’s trying to go home to Ithaca; he is coming from Troy where he fought a
10 year war
5) What did Odysseus and his men do on Ismarus?
They raided the land, stole from the people, killed the men, and enslaved
the women.
6) Why did Odysseus’ men treat the people from Ismarus so badly?
They were still feeling very confident and entitled from winning the Trojan
War.
7) What does the Lotus flower do to people who eat it? What theme does the lotus
flower represent?
They forget about wanting to leave and just want to eat the flower; it
represents the theme temptation
8) What does the description of the Cyclops land shows about the Cyclopes?
They are uncivilized and have no laws or formal society
9) What do the men want to do when they first entered the Cyclops’ cave? What
does Odysseus want to do?
The men want to steal food and leave; Odysseus wants to explore
10) Why didn’t Odysseus kill the Cyclops when he fell asleep? What does this show
about him?
He knew if they killed the Cyclops they wouldn’t be able to move the door.
This shows he is clever and smart.
11) What do Odysseus and his men do to the Cyclops?
They get the Cyclops drunk and then blind him by stabbing him in the eye.
12) What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops his name? What quality is shown when
Odysseus tells the Cyclops his real name?
Nohbody; cleverness/craftiness/cunning
13) How do Odysseus and his men escape the cave?
Odysseus ties three sheep together and ties one man under each middle
sheep belly; Odysseus hangs on to the bottom of the biggest ram’s belly
14) Who is the Cyclops’ father and what role does he play in Odysseus' adventure?
Poseidon; the Cyclops asks Poseidon to curse Odysseus; Poseidon controls
the sea that Odysseus is traveling on
15) To whom does the Cyclops pray? What does he pray for?
Poseidon; He prays Odysseus never makes it home, and if it is his fate to
make it home, then all of his men die and it takes him a long time to get
home
16) Why does Odysseus have to go to the Land of the Dead? Who tells him to go
there?
He has to see Tiresias about his fate; Circe told him to go there
17) Who is Tiresias and where can he be found? Explain in detail what Tiresias tells
Odysseus.
Tiresias is found in the Land of the Dead; he tells Odysseus not to eat Helios’
cattle so he and all his men can get home safely. If they eat the cattle, all of
the men will die, Odysseus will be lost at sea for a long time, and when he
comes home, he will find men trying to marry his wife. He will have to kill all
of those men and then make a sacrifice to Poseidon and all of the gods.
18) What does Elpanor want Odysseus to do?
Go back to Circe’s island and give him a proper burial
19) While in The Land of the Dead, Odysseus sees a vision that is difficult for him
to witness. Who is in this vision? Why is it so difficult to see?
He sees his mother, Anticlea; it’s hard to see because he didn’t know she
was dead
20) How do the men resist the Siren’s song? How does Odysseus resist the song?
Odysseus puts beeswax in the men’s ears; Odysseus is tied down to the boat
and tells the men not to let him down
21) What do the Sirens represent?
Temptation and desire
22) What is Charybdis? What is Scylla?
Charybdis is a whirlpool sea monster; Scylla is a 6-headed sea monster
23) How does Eurylochus’ convince the men to eat the cattle?
He tells them that they have fought too hard to die of starvation because it is
a pitiful way to die. He says they should eat the cattle because if the gods
want to kill them there is no stopping it, so they might as well have full
stomachs. He also says they can build a temple to Helios if the gods let them
leave the island
24) Who does Odysseus blame for him falling asleep while the men at the cattle?
The gods
25) What does Helios threaten to do if Zeus does not punish Odysseus’ men?
To take the sun down to the land of the dead and never shine for men
26) What happens to Odysseus’ ship?
Zeus sends a storm that wrecks the ship
27) Which aspect of Odysseus’ character keeps him from giving his heart to Calypso
or to Circe?
His love and loyalty to Penelope
28) Name THREE qualities that a hero must possess. Explain why.
Answers will vary – explanation must clearly support the qualities. Examples:
leadership, loyalty, determination, sacrifice, selflessness
29) Explain whether or not Odysseus exhibits each quality you listed above. Give
examples from the text to support your answer.
Answers will vary – be sure to give specific episodes and details about when
Odysseus shows or lacks these qualities
30) Name one internal conflict (character vs. self) Odysseus faces and explain it
thoroughly.
Answers will vary; examples: Odysseus seeing his mom or staying with the
sacrifice; Odysseus letting his pride take over during the Cyclops scene;
Odysseus staying faithful to Penelope; Odysseus determined to go home
31) Name one external conflict (character vs. character, character vs. nature/fate,
character vs. society) Odysseus faces and explain it thoroughly.
Answers will vary; examples: Odysseus fighting any of the monsters or men;
Odysseus sailing in the storm; The men going against Odysseus’ warning not
to eat the cattle; Odysseus going against the men and staying in the
Cyclops’ cave
Identify the following characters:
1. Odysseus – hero from the Trojan
war; lost at sea for 10 years
2. Telemachus – Odysseus’ son
3. Penelope – Odysseus’ wife
4. Ithaca – Odysseus’ home
5. Polyphemus – the Cyclops;
Poseidon’s son
6. Circe – enchantress; kept
Odysseus for 1 year; turned
men into pigs
7. Calypso – enchantress; kept
Odysseus for 7 years
8. Tiresias – blind prophet in the
underworld; predicts Odysseus’
fate
9. Athena – goddess of war and
wisdom; supports Odysseus
10. Hermes – messenger god
11. Zeus – god of all gods
12. Helios – god of the sun; has
cattle on Thrinacia
13. Aeolus – god of the winds
14. Poseidon – god of the sea and
earthquakes; angry with
Odysseus for blinding his sun
Put the following places in order based on when Odysseus visited them:
1. Ithaca
2. Troy
3. Ismarus
4. Land of the Lotus Eaters
5. Cyclops Island
6. Aeolus’ Island
7. Aeolus’ Island
8. Land of the Laestrygones
9. Aeaea (Circe’s Island)
10. Region of the Men of Winter (entrance to the Land of the Dead)
11. Land of the Dead
12. Aeaea (Circe’s Island)
13. Siren’s Island
14. Charybdis/Scylla
15. Thrinacia
16. Charybdis/Scylla
17. Calypso’s Island
18. Phaecia
On a separate sheet of paper, write a 3-sentence summary of each section in part 1.
Use your reading guide questions to help summarize the events of each episode.
Opening Lines
Land of the Dead
Sailing from Troy
Sirens
Lotus Eaters
Scylla & Charybdis
Cyclops
Cattle of the Sun God
Theme Journal: Complete a theme journal entry for the following theme indicators.
Fate
Freewill
Temptation
Answers will vary; know at least three examples from the text for each indicator,
such as:
 Fate – the Cyclops was told he’d be blinded; Odysseus and his men could
eat the cattle or not; the Cyclops praying to Poseidon to curse Odysseus
 Freewill – they raided Ismarus; the men ate the cattle; Odysseus’ freewill is
taken away by Circe and Calypso
 Temptation – Sirens; lotus flowers; Helio’s cattle