“Calypso, The Sweet Nymph” (pg. 652)
1. At whose home do we find Odysseus trapped?
2. What god is there on the island also?
3. What is Odysseus doing when we first meet him?
4. Why does Calypso think Odysseus should stay with her instead of going home?
5. Who is at home that Odysseus wants to see?
6. Who sabotages Odysseus’ sea travel?
7. Which goddess protects Odysseus on his journey?
“The Cyclops” (pg. 660)
8. Why do Odysseus and his men enter the Cyclops’ cave in the first place?
9. What sort of things do they observe the Cyclops doing? What does this tell us about the Cyclops?
10. How does the Cyclops treat Odysseus after Odysseus tells him where he’s been and where he’s
going?
11. Why do you think Odysseus lies to the Cyclops about where his ship is?
12. What does Cyclops do after hearing Odysseus’ tale about their ship?
13. Why does Odysseus not kill the Cyclops when he has the chance?
14. Who does Odysseus pray to for help escaping the Cyclops?
15. What does Odysseus fashion for a weapon to use against the Cyclops? What does he plan to do
with it?
16. What does Odysseus give the Cyclops as the first part of his plan?
17. What does Odysseus tell the Cyclops that his name is?
18. What does Cyclops do with the great stone guarding his doorway after he’s been injured?
19. What did Odysseus steal from Cyclops once he was injured?
20. What did he put underneath these items?
21. How did Odysseus and his men escape the Cyclops?
22. Why does Odysseus come close to being captured?
23. What is ironic about Polyphemus saying “Nohbdy will not get out alive”?
24. What did Odysseus put on his boat as they escaped?
25. In your own words, what did Odysseus say to Polyphemus as he was sailing away?
26. What did Polyphemus throw at Odysseus and his men?
27. What does Odysseus tell Polyphemus to tell people if they ask how he was blinded?
28. In your own words, what does Polyphemus reply?
29. Who does Odysseus taunt at the end of this section? What does he say?
“The Enchantress Circe” (pg. 673)
30. What do Odysseus and his men find in Circe’s palace?
31. What was strange about them?
32. Who is the only of Odysseus’ men to stay back from meeting Circe?
33. What happened to the men?
“The Land of the Dead” (pg. 675)
34. Where does Odysseus have to go to find Teiresias?
35. What does Odysseus sacrifice for the dead? What does he sacrifice for Tiresias?
36. Name two things Teiresias tells Odysseus that he must do or face on his way home to Ithica.
37. At line 620, Teiresias says, “But anguish lies ahead; the god who thunders on the land prepares it,
not to be shaken from your track, implacable, in rancor for the son whose eye you blinded.” Who
is he talking about?
38. What does Teiresias tell Odysseus he will find when he returns home?
“The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis” (pg. 678)
39. Who are the Sirens that Circe warns Odysseus of?
40. What must Odysseus do to help them avoid being drawn in by the Sirens’ song?
41. Describe the sea monster Scylla.
42. Describe the sea monster Charybdis.
43. Which monster does Circe tell Odysseus to stay closer to? Why?
44. What will happen to Odysseus if he and his men “raid the beeves”?
45. What does Odysseus do to his men to prevent them from hearing the Siren song?
46. While the men are trying to navigate safely around Charybdis, how many men does Scylla steal
from the ship?
“The Cattle of the Sun God” (pg. 684)
47. At line 837, Odysseus describes the god Helios as “lord of noon, who rides high heaven.” What is
Helios the god of?
48. What does Odysseus tell his men about the cattle that live on the island?
49. Which of Odysseus’ men convinces the crew to kill one of the cattle as a sacrifice?
50. What does Helios pray to Zeus for? What does he threaten to do if his request isn’t granted?
“The Meeting of Father and Son” (pg. 691)
51. In lines 980-990, how do you know that Telemachus and Eumaeus are being hospitable to
Odysseus?
52. How has Athena disguised Odysseus?
53. Who does Telemachus think Odysseus is when Athena changes him from his disguise?
54. To what are Odysseus’s and Telemachus’s cries compared in lines 1031 to 1035?
“The Beggar and the Faithful Dog” (pg. 694)
55. How can we infer that Argos has been treated based on his description from line 1044 to line
1050?
56. What does Odysseus’ reaction to the dog show you about his character in lines 1053-1055?
57. In the first two paragraphs of page 696, what do we learn about Penelope through her actions?
“The Test of the Great Bow” (pg. 698)
58. What is the test that Penelope has devised for the suitors to complete so that she can decide which
one to marry?
59. In lines 1096-1099, why is Penelope crying?
60. What does Odysseus ask the cowherd and swineherd before revealing to the cowherd that he is in
fact Odysseus?
61. What physical attribute does Odysseus show the cowherd and swineherd to prove that he is who
he says he is?
62. What does Odysseus promise the herdsman and the swineherd if they help him?
63. What ends up happening when Odysseus tries to shoot the bow?
64. How many suitors have gathered at this point in Penelope’s house?
“Death at the Palace” (pg. 703)
65. Who does Odysseus pray to for accuracy with his bow? Why does he pray to this god?
66. What did Telemachus remove from the hall?
67. Who is the first of the suitors to die?
68. What does Eurymachus try to tell Odysseus about the true reason that they were in his home?
Who does he say was the ringleader?
69. What gift from the gods appears in the great hall?
70. What does Odysseus demand of the maidens who have betrayed his household?
71. What punishment does Telemachus then deal out?
“Odysseus and Penelope” (pg. 706)
72. What is Penelope’s reaction to Telemachus’ accusations that she is cold and doesn’t want to
approach her husband?
73. What did Athena lend to Odysseus for his homecoming?
74. Where does Penelope tell Eurycleia to place Odysseus’ bed?
75. What is Odysseus’ reaction to this?
76. What is Penelope’s reasoning for testing him like that?