The Penelopiad Quizzes

The Penelopiad Quiz 1

By Alessandra Allen · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed January 15, 2022

1 How long was Odysseus away from Ithaca?

2 years

20 years

2 and a half years

25 years
2 Where does the story of Odysseus and Penelope come from?

The Trojan War by Homer

Aneid by Vergil

Odyssey by Homer

Iliad by Homer
3 Who is Odysseus's divine helper?

Venus

Zeus

Athena

Artemis
4 Who is Penelope's father?

Telemachus

Melenaus

Icarius

Odysseus
5 What has Penelope been most famous for throughout Western history?

being the quintessential faithful wife

being physically strong

being beautiful but cruel

being emotionally strong
6 How does Penelope describe being dead?

she says that she still feels feelings in her bodily flesh

she emphasizes that she no longer has a body

she says that it is a lot like the court when she was young

she describes how she knows everything
7 What does everyone arrive to the underworld with?

a sack filled with wind

bunches of asphodel to give as offering to Hades

their loved ones

a sack filled with all the words everyone has said about you
8 What happens when Penelope tries to speak to the living?

No sound comes out of her mouth

She sounds like a crow

She sounds like an owl

She sounds like the wind
9 Why is it hard for Penelope to tell her story now that she is dead?

She has no mouth through which to speak

She is being followed around by the group of twelve maids who will not give her any peace

She is being followed by her cousin Helen who always speaks over her

No one wants to listen to her
10 What happened to the 12 maids?

Penelope killed them because she was jealous of the attention Odysseus was giving them

Telemachus killed them to show his father how much of a man he has become

Odysseus killed them because they were accused of sleeping with Penelope's suitors

Penelope killed them because they were being insolent
11 What is Penelope's mother like?

extremely funny but not very bright

loving and beautiful

flighty, cold, and emotionally distant

not very pretty to look at but attentive and kind
12 Where can Penelope choose to walk if she so wishes?

In Ithaca, which has greatly changed

The internet

Anywhere in the living world, but no one can see her

The fields of asphodel
13 Who is Penelope's famous cousin?

Achilles

Patroklos

Melenaus

Helen
14 Where does Penelope get information?

The maids' gossip

Odysseus

Her father and mother

Helen
15 How did Odysseus win Penelope's hand in marriage?

He won a foot race by drugging the other contestants

He proved that he was stronger than all the other suitors in a wrestling contest

He sang the most beautiful song in praise of Penelope

He asked the god Hermes to help him out
16 Who is Helen's husband?

Achilles

Paris

Menelaus

Patroklos
17 How does Penelope describe the way she was "handed off" to Odysseus?

Like a package of meat in a wrapping of gold

Like a precious swan in a cage

Like a sack of potatoes with a gilded mesh casing

Like an ornate urn made out of the finest clay
18 What was Penelope's mother's advice for her on the day of her wedding?

To be obedient always

To stay clever and sharpen her mind

To be a good wife

To be like water
19 What do Odysseus and Penelope talk about during their first night together as a married couple?

Helen's beauty

The ways they will grow Odysseus's kingdom

How happy Penelope was to finally be away from home

Penelope's childhood trauma and Odysseus's scar
20 How does Penelope feel after her first night with Odysseus?

She has developed love for him

She fears and resents him

She sees him as a good friend

She still feels a bit uneasy about him but warms towards him slowly
21 What did Penelope do during most of the voyage to Ithaca?

Sitting at the mast, amazed at the power of the wind

Weeping or bonding with her new family members

Lying down or throwing up

Spend time in bed with Odysseus
22 What does Penelope wear to her welcome feast in Ithaca?

Her mother-in-law's hand-me-downs

A scrappy dress that makes her feel exposed

A shining veil and an embroidered robe

Nothing—it is Ithacan custom to new wives to feast naked
23 Whose death leaves Penelope feeling completely alone in Ithaca?

Anticleia

Odysseus

Eurycleia

Actoris
24 Who does Helen run off with?

Paris

Odysseus

Agamemnon

Melenaus
25 What is a source of pride for Eurycleia?

That Laertes, the king, never tried to sleep with her

That Anticleia hates her

That she is the only woman to truly love Odysseus

That Odysseus loves her more than anyone else

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