Chapter 01
Introduction to Greek Myth

 True / False Questions 
 
1. The goddess Athene burst from Zeus's thigh, wearing a warrior's spear and shield. 
FALSE
 
2. The birth of Athene illustrates a mythical paradox: a male creating new life without the participation of a mother. 
TRUE
 
3. In Greek myth, supernatural beings are almost always present. 
TRUE
 
4. Metis, the goddess of music and dance, was the first wife of Zeus. 
FALSE
 
5. Scholars recognize that myth may have a truth of its own that transcends mere fact. 
TRUE
 
6. The City Dionysia was a dramatic festival dedicated to worship of Athene. 
FALSE

7. According to Herodotus, Homer and Hesiod stabilized the popular conceptions of the gods' personalities, relationships, and functions. 
TRUE
 
8. It appears that the Minoans worshiped the feminine aspect of deity, while the Mycenaeans' chief god was Zeus. 
TRUE
 
9. Anthropomorphic means "gods who can change their shape." 
FALSE
 
10. Virgil, the author of the Metamorphoses of the Gods, is generally thought to be a staunch supporter of Roman imperialism. 
FALSE
 
11. The Metamorphoses of the Gods was written by the Roman poet Ovid during the reign of Augustus. 
TRUE
 
12. The archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann excavated the traditional site of Mount Olympus. 
FALSE
 
13. The Mycenaean civilization was strongly influenced by an even older civilization, the Minoan civilization. 
TRUE

14. According to Hesiod, Zeus created the first human being. 
FALSE
 
15. It is possible for literary works of myth to contain elements of folklore. 
TRUE
 
16. The Greek poets reinterpreted Greek mythology with an orientation toward humanistic values. 
TRUE
 
17. The hero in Greek myth is usually assertive, noble, and invulnerable. 
FALSE
 
18. Greek myth typically emphasizes competitiveness and individual achievement. 
TRUE
 
19. Since Greek myth was so closely related to Greek religion, it never served any social or political functions. 
FALSE
 
20. Athena, though always a virgin goddess, could be the "founding mother" of Athens because she gave birth without any interaction with a male. 
FALSE
 
21. Roman mythology really is just a retelling of the old Greek mythological tales with different names. 
FALSE

22. Aphrodite was the mother of Paris, who took Helen to Troy and started a great war. 
FALSE

 Multiple Choice Questions 
 
23. The images of Athene and Dionysus suggest 
A. that myth has power to integrate polar opposites, illustrating contrarieties and conflicts inherent in existence.
B. that knowledge of procreation and genetics was beyond the scope of Greek mythology.
C. that myth has the capacity to illustrate problematic relationships in dysfunctional families.
D. that myth, essentially, makes very little sense.
 
24. The east frieze of the Parthenon depicts the Panathenaic procession, in which 
A. a shepherd carries a lamb to Athena.
B. young girls carry a decorated robe called a peplos to the goddess.
C. young men and women leap over the back of the sacrificial victim.
D. only Athenian men participate.
 
25. Most scholars currently agree that 
A. the Trojan War had absolutely no basis in fact.
B. Homer was the author of all of the Homeric Hymns.
C. Greeks committed large portions of their sacred writings to memory.
D. the worship of a male sky/weather deity was brought into Greece by immigrants near the end of the third millennium b.c.
 
26. Three key names are associated with the preservation of Greek mythology in the first centuries b.c. and a.d. Choose the one that does not belong on the list. 
A. Apollodorus of Athens
B. Pausanias
C. Plutarch
D. Julius Caesar

27. Scholars agree that most Greek myths originated 
A. between about 1600 and 1100 b.c.
B. between about 700 and 500 b.c.
C. between about 140 b.c. and 160 a.d.
D. at least 10,000 years ago.
 
28. What kind of stories do typical sagas deal with? 
A. Stories about a particular city or family
B. Stories about the origin of the world
C. Stories about the experiences of the common folk
D. Stories about gods in disguise interacting with heroes
 
29. The typical Greek emphasis on individualism is evident in which hero? 
A. Herodotus
B. Achilles
C. Apollodorus
D. Virgil
 
30. Ovid's epic Metamorphoses begins with a story of the creation or beginning of things and ends with 
A. the foundation of Rome.
B. the establishment of the Roman Empire.
C. the death and deification of Julius Caesar.
D. the marriage of Cadmus and Harmony.