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NAME
CLASS
SELECTION TEST
DATE
SCORE
LITERARY RESPONSE AND ANALYSIS
from the Odyssey, Part One: The Wanderings
Homer translated by Robert Fitzgerald
COMPREHENSION (40 points; 4 points each)
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.
______ 1. Calypso allows Odysseus to leave her island because —
A she understands his grief and cannot bear to see him suffer
B Hermes has told her that Zeus has ordered it
C Hermes thinks that Odysseus has spent enough time in exile
D Penelope is growing old and needs his assistance
______ 2. Odysseus tells Calypso that he wishes to return to Penelope because —
F
he no longer finds Calypso attractive
G he is a sailor and sailors love the sea
H he longs to see his home again
J
Penelope is the only woman who interests him
______ 3. Odysseus’s encounter with the Cicones after the Greeks leave Troy indicates that
the Greeks —
A seem to be victims everywhere they go
B obey every command Odysseus gives them
C love to drink and make merry
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
D are violent warriors and plunderers
______ 4. After Odysseus’s men eat the lotus plant, they —
F
fall ill and die
G are captured by the Lotus Eaters
H are thrown into the sea
J
forget their homeland
______ 5. Why does Odysseus blind Polyphemus rather than kill him?
A Teiresias and Circe have advised him to do so.
B Odysseus takes pity on the Cyclops.
C Only Polyphemus can move the boulder blocking the cave’s entrance.
D Odysseus knows that killing Polyphemus will anger Poseidon.
the Odyssey, Part One: The Wanderings
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______ 6. From what we discover about Circe, we can assume that her tame wolves and
mountains lions are —
F
constantly drugged into a stupor
G men transformed into animals
H trained to attack on command
J
gods in animal disguise
______ 7. What does the shade of Teiresias require in order to provide Odysseus with a
prophecy?
A Light
B Payment
C A taste of blood
D Permission
______ 8. Odysseus saves his crew from the Sirens’ song by —
F
plugging his men’s ears with beeswax
G tying his men to their rowing stations
H sailing away from the coast
J
shouting to distract the Sirens
______ 9. Odysseus does not warn his crew about Scylla because he thinks they would —
A not believe what he says
B panic and endanger the entire ship
C insist on sailing closer to Charybdis
______ 10. What prophecy of Teiresias and Circe does Odysseus withhold from his men?
F
Odysseus and his crew will return triumphant to Ithaca.
G The sailors’ adventure will last another ten years.
H Only Odysseus will survive and return home.
J
Poseidon will capsize their ship near Charybdis.
LITERARY FOCUS (20 points; 5 point each)
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer to each of the following items.
______ 11. Which of the following formulas is not used by Homer to describe Odysseus?
A “master of landways and seaways”
B “raider of cities”
C “son of Laertes and the gods of old”
D “blue girdler of the islands”
236
Holt Assessment: Literature, Reading, and Vocabulary
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
D accuse him of being a coward
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______ 12. In epic poetry, the poet often begins by asking for assistance in telling the story. This
convention is known as the —
F
Homeric simile
G quest structure
H exposition
J
invocation
______ 13. One of the things that the Greeks regarded as most offensive to the gods was to —
A enslave women
B mistreat guests
C sack and burn cities
D wear sandals indoors
______ 14. To Homer and his listeners, the stories that we call myths primarily expressed —
F
sound morals that everyone agreed with
G the fundamental values of Greek society
H the ways that gods disguised themselves on earth
J
how men are influenced by the spiritual realm
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT (20 points; 2 points each)
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Match each definition on the right with a Vocabulary word on the left. On the line provided, write
the letter of the definition.
______ 15. formidable
a. abundance
______ 16. adversary
b. very unpleasantly
______ 17. restitution
c. destroy violently
______ 18. ardor
d. bitter hatred
______ 19. abominably
e. passion
______ 20. profusion
f. hardship
______ 21. ravage
g. awe-inspiring
______ 22. adversity
h. enemy
______ 23. tumult
i. commotion
______ 24. rancor
j. repayment
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CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE (20 points)
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
25. Odysseus does not tell his crew everything Teiresias and Circe predict will
happen to them as they get closer to home. Do you think Odysseus’s decision to withhold this information is a good one? On a separate sheet of
paper, explain your opinion. Support your ideas with at least two details
from the selection.
238
Holt Assessment: Literature, Reading, and Vocabulary
8996-6_315-356_AK 10/13/05 9:43 PM Page 348
Answer Key
Biographical influence: The theme of the
play indicates that Rose believed in
integration.
The conflict shows that Rose was against
discrimination.
Arthur’s lone voice against the neighborhood plan is Rose’s voice rising against
prejudice.
Rose used his play to point out an
important social issue in the United States
in 1956.
Vocabulary Development
15. g
16. h
17. j
18. e
19. b
F
D
G
A
J
A
G
C
H
from the Odyssey, Part One:
The Wanderings
by Homer
translated by Robert Fitzgerald
Selection Test, page 235
B
H
D
J
C
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
from the Odyssey, Part Two:
Coming Home
C
Comprehension
F
B
H
13. B
14. J
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
C
J
B
H
B
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
G
D
F
C
H
Literary Focus
11. A
12. F
348
d
G
Literary Focus
11. D
12. J
i
by Homer
translated by Robert Fitzgerald
Selection Test, page 239
Comprehension
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
f
Circe reveals that Scylla takes six men
from every ship that passes her. Also,
Teiresias and Circe prophesize that the crew
will die if they raid the cattle of Helios and
that Odysseus will return to Ithaca alone.
Given the Greek view of fate, Odysseus
may believe that losing six men to Scylla is
inevitable and, more logically, that telling
them so would cause panic. It could also be
argued that Odysseus, always a clever
strategist, realizes that he needs his crew’s
labor more than they need his leadership. If
Odysseus is right about his crew’s attitude,
his decision is certainly pragmatic, if not
morally sound. If he had not withheld
information, the fate of his crew would not
have changed, but he would have joined
them at the bottom of the ocean, never to
see home again.
Literature, Informational Text,
Vocabulary, page 233
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
c
25. Students’ responses will vary. A sample
response follows:
Collection 10 Diagnostic Test
B
a
Constructed Response
Collection 10
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
13. B
14. F
Holt Assessment: Literature, Reading, and Vocabulary
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Frank feels free to act on his feelings of
prejudice and bar the family from his
neighborhood.
Arthur is a lone voice for fairness.