CLCS 335: Classical Mythology
Sample Test 1

A. Mark the following statements as T(rue) or F(alse).

 1. "Cosmogonic" myths describe the origin of important ritual practices. T / F
 2. The hero of ainos is severely limited by the power of fate and the gods. T / F
 3. The content of myths tends to remain relatively stable over time. T / F
 4. In immanent cosmogonies, the world is created by a detached deity  T / F
 5. Greek myth chiefly distinguishes animals from humans by the fact that animals do not cook their meat.  T / F
 6. The story of Prometheus’ trick is an instance of an aetiological myth.  T / F
 7. According to Jung, archetypes symbolize repressed sexual impulses.  T / F
 8. The story of Achilles is an example of what Greeks would call hieros mythos. T / F
 9. "Parthenogenesis" is the name for the act by which ancestors are said to spring from rocks or trees.  T / F
 10. The worldview expressed in folktales tends to encourage absolute resignation to the way things are. T / F

B. Circle the best answer.

11. According to Hesiod, which of the following beings is childless?
 (A) Chaos (B) Cronus (C) Eros (D) Uranus
12. The birth of Athena solves a problem in the Theogony because she
 (A) is born from a castrated male (B) never becomes sexually active (C) is swallowed by her father (D) provides Zeus with an important weapon
13. The older Olympians are offspring of
 (A) Gaea & Tartarus (B) Zeus & Hera (C) Uranus & Gaea (D) Cronus & Rhea
14. In terms of function, Zeus bears the closest resemblance to the Near Eastern god
 (A) Enuma  (B) Prometheus (C) Marduk  (D) Apsu
 15. In Mesopotamian myths, the primal gods regret creating the world because
 (A) it has become morally corrupt (B) the younger gods are too noisy (C) their offspring are at war with one another (D) human beings are defective servants
 16. To say that myths are "homeostatic" means that they
 (A) remain constant over time  (B) mirror the expectations of each new audience (C) flourish only in preliterate societies  (D) transmit traditional beliefs
 17. Euhemerist interpretations of myths attempt to uncover their
 (A) psychological significance (B) moral message (C) hidden structure (D) historical basis
 18. The major focus of Kingship in Heaven and The Song of Ullikummi is
 (A) father/son conflict (B) female reproductive powers (C) separation of a primal pair (D) categorization of things in the world
 19. Uranus bears the closest resemblance to which of the following deities?
 (A) Marduk (B) Tiamat (C) Apsu (D) Cronus
 20. In Hesiod’s account of origins, the principal function of Eros is to:
 (A) mate with Chaos  (B) encourage sexual desire  (C) mate with Gaea   (D) give birth to Uranus

Answers