IN-CLASS READING
PIN-B GROUP
READING 7
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
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SFL/METU
Dept. of B.E.
Spring 2017
PIN-B GROUP
READING 7
Instructor’s Copy
Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
1 Greek mythology is the collection of stories originally belonging to the Ancient Greeks, concerning their
gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own religious practices.
Modern scholars refer to the myths and study them in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political
institutions of Ancient Greece and on the Ancient Greek civilization, and to gain understanding of how
myth-making happens.
2 Greek mythology is embodied in a large collection of stories and in representational arts, such as vasepaintings and votive gifts, which were gifts offered to please the gods. Greek myths explain the origins of
the world, and describe the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and
other mythological creatures. These accounts were initially disseminated in an oral tradition, which is to
say that they were spread by word of mouth; the Greek myths are known today primarily from Greek
literature. The oldest known literary sources, the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey, focus on events surrounding
the battles of the Trojan War, and the behaviour of heroes such as Achilles and Hector. It is commonly said
that they were written by Homer. The Greek beliefs about how the world was created can be found in the
writings of Hesiod. His books, the Theogony and the Works and Days, contain accounts of the genesis of
the world and describe other aspects of Greek religious belief. Myths are also preserved in the works of
poets and dramatists from across the Greek Empire, and even writers of the time of the Roman Empire, such
as Plutarch and Pausanias.
3 Archaeological evidence at Mycenaean and Minoan sites helped to explain many of the questions about
Homer's epics, and provided evidence of many of the mythological details about gods and heroes. Greek
mythology was also depicted in artefacts; geometric designs on handmade items such as plates, bowls and
cups of the 8th century BC depict scenes from the Trojan War, as well as the adventures of Heracles. In
later periods, Homeric and other mythological scenes appear in these decorations; this adds to the existing
literary evidence. None of this can be accepted as absolute historical proof that any of these events actually
happened, but such details certainly tell us about what the Greeks believed.
4 Greek mythology has had extensive influence on the culture, arts and literature of Western civilization, and
remains part of Western heritage and language. It has been a part of the educational fabric from childhood,
while poets and artists from ancient times to the present have derived inspiration from Greek mythology,
and have discovered contemporary significance in ancient mythological themes. From the early years of the
Renaissance, southern European artists such as
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael,
painted the pagan subjects of Greek mythology in the
same works as Christian themes. In northern Europe,
Greek mythology never took the same hold of the
visual arts, but its effect was very obvious on
literature. The English imagination was fired by
Greek mythology, starting with Chaucer and John
Milton and continuing through Shakespeare to Robert
Bridges in the 20th century. Racine in France and
Goethe in Germany revived Greek drama, reworking
the ancient myths. In more recent times, classical
themes have been reinterpreted by dramatists Jean
Cocteau in France and T.S. Eliot in Britain, and by
novelists such as James Joyce and André Gide.
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PART A. What do the following refer to?
1. their (para. 1): ____the Ancient Greeks’______
2. they (para. 2): ____ (the epic poems) Iliad and Odyssey _____
3. It (para. 4)
: ____Greek mythology____
PART B. Find words in the text that mean the same as the following. Write ONE WORD ONLY. Do not
change the forms of the words.
1. spread (para. 2)
: _________disseminated_______________
2. origin/creation (para. 2) : _________genesis____________________
3. inspired/excited (para. 4) : _________fired______________________
PART C. Circle the best choice.
1.
embodied in para. 2 means
a) approached
b) represented
.
c) elevated
d) compelled
PART D. Fill in the blanks with suitable information from para. 3.
Questions about Homer’s epics (1) __are explained__ by archaeological evidence from Mycenae and
Minoa. Pictures of (2) __The Trojan War_ and (3) __the adventures of Heracles__ are shown on
ceramic objects from the (4) __8th century BC__. Later, pictures showing (5) ___Homeric and other
mythical scenes__ are seen in such decorations, which supplement or add to (6) __the existing literary
evidence___. This does not provide (7) ___absolute historical proof___ that such events occurred, but it
helps us to understand (8) ___what Greeks believed_________.
PART E. Answer the following question.
(Pls. accept any answer that comes to the same effect.)
1. What branches of art has Greek mythology influenced in southern and northern Europe?
It’s painting and visual arts in the south, and literature in the north.
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COLLOCATIONAL VOCABULARY
 to concern (v): a) if a story, book, report etc. concerns * The report concerns the drug traffic on the Mexican-US
border.
someone or something, it is about them. b) if an activity,
*
Environmental
issues concern us all.
situation, rule etc. concerns you, it affects you or involves
you
 account (n): a written or spoken description that says * They gave conflicting accounts of the events.
* Jason was too shocked to give an account of what had
what has happened / happens in an event or process
happened.
 to give an account of sth.
 initially (adv): at the beginning
 initial (adj): happening at the beginning [= first]
 initial stage / phase / period / response / reaction etc.
* Stan initially wanted to go to medical school.
* Initially, I thought I would only stay there a year.
* The initial response of the government to the proposal
has been encouraging.
 to preserve (v): a) to save something or someone from * We must encourage the planting of new trees and
preserve our existing woodlands.
being harmed or destroyed b) to make something
* Norma tried to preserve a normal family life in difficult
continue without changing
circumstances.
 preservation (n): a) when something is kept in its
*
We
are working for the preservation of the environment.
original state or in good condition b) the act of making
*
The
government should work hard for the preservation of
sure that a situation continues without changing
peace
in the region.
 the preservation of peace / environment etc.
 to depict (v): to describe/represent sth. or smo. in writing * The cartoon depicts the president as a vampire
* The Egyptian god Ra is depicted as a human with a bird
or speech, or to show them in a painting, picture etc.
head.
 depiction (n): a graphic or rich verbal description of sth.;
*
The
vase has a depiction of a man playing the flute.
illustration
 absolute (adj): a) complete, total b) definite, not likely * I have absolute confidence in her.
* We need absolute proof that he took the money.
* The food was absolutely delicious.
to change
 absolutely (adv): completely and in every way
 extensive (adj): a) large in size, amount, or degree * Fire has caused extensive damage to the island's forests.
b) containing or dealing with a lot of information and * Extensive research is being done into the connection
between the disease and poor living conditions.
details
*
As
a student, he travelled extensively in the Middle East.
 extensively (adv): in a widespread way
* The beaches were extensively damaged by the hurricane.
 to derive sth. from sth. else (v): a) to get sth., especially * Medically, we’ll derive great benefit from this technique.
an advantage or a pleasant feeling, from sth. b) to * The word “villa” is derived from Latin.
* “Childish” was formed by derivation from “child.”
develop or come from something else
* Heroin is a derivative of morphine.
 to be derived from sth.
 derivation (from) (n): the origin of sth., such as a word,
from which another form has developed
 derivative (of) (n): sth. that has developed or been
produced from sth. else
 inspiration (n): smo. or sth. that gives you ideas for * Gandhi has always been a source of inspiration for me.
* Many actors draw inspiration from real life.
doing, writing or saying sth.
 to inspire (v): to encourage smo. by making them feel * He inspired many young people to take up the sport.
confident and eager to do sth.
 to inspire smo. to do sth
 to revive (v): a) to bring sth. back after it has not been * A lot of traditional skills are currently being revived.
used or existed for a period of time b) to become healthy * The economy is beginning to revive.
* There has been a revival of interest in Picasso's work.
and strong again [↪ recover]
 revival (n): a process in which sth. becomes active,
strong or popular again
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/
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VOCABULARY PRACTICE
A. Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the words in italics. Pay attention to the tense or the
form of the verbs when necessary.
1.
inspire; inspiration
a) She inspired her students to do the best they could.
b) Some contemporary singers find their inspiration in popular songs of the 1920s.
2.
revive; revival
a) Fashions from the 1970s are enjoying a revival.
b) Local people have decided to revive this centuries-old tradition.
3.
depict; depiction
a) The wall was painted with a large picture depicting famous scenes from history.
b) Each page in the book has a depiction of the farm animals at the bottom.
4.
initial; initially
a) She failed her driving test on the initial try, but passed the next time.
b) The ceremony, which was initially planned for this month, was postponed.
5.
derive; derivation; derivative
a) Petroleum is a derivative of coal tar.
b) Scientists are debating the possible derivation of birds from dinosaurs.
c) The river derives its name from a Native American tribe.
B. Study the following sentences. Decide if the underlined words are verbs, nouns, or adjectives. Then
match them with their synonyms.
1.
2.
3.
4.
____b_____ Foster did extensive research on electromagnetic fields.
____d_____ We don't know with absolute certainty that the project will succeed.
____c_____ This conversation doesn’t concern you.
____a_____ This book gives the full account of the World War I.
a)
b)
c)
d)
story
detailed
involve
complete
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C. Below is another text on mythology. Read it and fill in the blanks with an appropriate word from the
box. Use each word ONCE. Be careful there are more words than you need.
absolutely
revival
initial
innovations
accounts
derived
adverse
inspiration
concern
depicted
extensively
preserve
Mythology is an organized collection of myths, or stories, 1) derived from the oral
histories of ancient cultures. Most of the myths 2) concern natural or historical events.
There are also a lot of myths where universal themes such as love, hate, friendship,
revenge, courage and loyalty are 3) extensively used. One of the most popular sources
of these stories is Greek myths. However, the stories or characters don’t have many
written descriptions. Most of the 4) accounts are in oral tradition. The characters are
various gods and goddesses such as Zeus, the king of the gods, Aphrodite, the goddess
of love and beauty, Artemis, the goddess of the moon, Hercules, the strongest man on
earth, magical beasts like Centaurs, half-man, half- horse creatures, the Sirens, half-bird,
half-woman creatures, giants and men with no special powers at all.
Although myths are very old, it is 5) absolutely clear that they
have had a great influence on the literature, art and architecture
of many societies. The effects of mythology are still seen in
modern times. If you are careful and if you know even a little
about the Greek myths, it’s very easy to observe the 6) initial
effects even in the 21st century. There are many examples; most
people are familiar with the Nike Company. In Greek mythology
‘Nike’ is the winged goddess of victory, who can run and fly at
great speeds. Another example is the Pegasus Delivery Company, which has taken its name from the winged
horse, ‘Pegasus.’ The symbol of Pegasus is 7) depicted on the logo of the company. It is possible to give
other examples from the world of TV. The popular TV show Xena: Warrior Princess also takes its
8) inspiration from the brave woman warriors called ‘Amazons’, who come from Greek mythology. What’s
more, another TV show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, as the name suggests, is about the adventures
of one of the most popular Greek heroes.
Most people think that myths are only silly fantasy stories because of their unbelievable
features. However, mythology’s continuing importance is not in its specific accuracy;
instead, myths are important because they are metaphors, or descriptions. They represent
the real life. Therefore, we shouldn’t allow myths to be forgotten. They have to be kept
alive. With the 9) revival of the myths, we can learn about life, people, values and moral
lessons better than we do in a dry history lesson. For example, when we read myths about
the gods, goddesses and heroic warriors, we realize society’s expectations from us and
remember the importance of love, friendship and loyalty. Therefore, myths try to show us
what is good and what is bad. So, it’s not surprising that even in this age, myths are still
very much a part of our lives and we should 10) preserve them.
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LOGICAL SEQUENCE
Mark the alternative which best completes the statements.
1. Over the last few years, the fastest growing area of book production has been the materials for teaching
English to foreign students _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
because all over the world there has been a growing interest in learning English
although learning other European languages are not as widespread as learning English
since such kinds of materials cost their publishers a lot of time and energy
so people all around the world find it necessary to learn English
2. Parents are not necessarily the best people to judge which school will be the best for their children. _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
As a result, some schools are much more popular and thus more crowded than others
However, most would refuse any advice, claiming they know best for their children
In spite of this, many parents approve of the decisions of educational authorities
Consequently, it is the parents who should choose the best school for their children
3. For some families, living in a small town does not bring relief or peace of mind. On the contrary, _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
they prefer to spend their holidays in such places
it certainly gives them the opportunity of a healthier and quieter life
in such places there aren't many educational or entertainment facilities
it makes them worried about such things as the education of their children
4. In most countries, manufacturers obviously spend a lot of money on advertising their goods. It is true that
many people think too much money is spent on advertising. Nevertheless, _______.
a) it is obvious that they do not spend much money on it
b) advertising is essential for a manufacturer's survival
c) these people are right
d) they should stop advertising
PARAGRAPH COMPLETION
Mark the alternative which best completes each paragraph.
1. Robinson Crusoe (1719) was based on the story of William Selkirk. He went to sea in 1704 under Captain
William Dampier. _______. Now he was in an uninhabited place, but he survived there until his rescue by
the same captain. Selkirk claimed to have become a ‘better Christian’ and that it was a positive experience
for him.
a) He was put ashore at his own request on the island of Juan Fernandez in the Pacific
b) William dismissed Selkirk from the ship two miles off the coast of Italy
c) He suffered a number of misfortunes at the hands of Barbary pirates
d) This person is not mentioned in the original story of Robinson Crusoe
2. Many characteristics are influenced by environment and genes. It might run in your family that the
members tend to be tall, but unless you eat correctly when you are growing, you will not become tall even
though genetically you have the tendency to be so. _______. It is unclear which of the two – environment or
genes – has more influence on it.
a) The environment has so much effect on personality that it overshadows genes
b) If you had carried bulky weights all your life, you would be a short person now
c) There are other examples that are more controversial, such as intelligence
d) Genes are known for sure to direct the processes which go on inside cells
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