The Iliad (Homer) practice questions and exam guide

The night before his final day, Hector overrules Polydamas's advice to:

1. Attack the wall
2. Surrender Helen
3. Burn the ships
4. Withdraw inside Troy now that Achilles has returned

Answer: D — Withdraw inside Troy now that Achilles has returned

A) Already done. D) Correct — and the Trojans pay for the decision. C/B) Not the advice.

Odysseus's chief contributions in the Iliad are:

1. Solo combat exploits
2. Sailing scenes
3. Building the horse
4. Speech in council, the embassy, and the night raid

Answer: D — Speech in council, the embassy, and the night raid

A) Wrong emphasis. D) Correct — his words save situations more than his sword. C) Not in the Iliad. B) Odyssey.

Agamemnon's strange test of the army in Book 2 is:

1. A pretend retreat order, which the soldiers nearly accept
2. A drinking contest
3. A footrace
4. A sacrifice

Answer: A — A pretend retreat order, which the soldiers nearly accept

A) Correct — Odysseus must rally them back. B/C/D) Not part of the test.

When Patroclus first sees the wounded healer Machaon, what does Achilles ask him to do?

1. Stay with Achilles
2. Fetch armor
3. Go to Nestor's tent to confirm whose healer the wounded man is
4. Speak with Agamemnon

Answer: C — Go to Nestor's tent to confirm whose healer the wounded man is

A/B/D) Wrong. C) Correct — and Nestor's plea there sets the chain of doom in motion.

Divine intervention as a literary device in the Iliad most often functions to:

1. Replace mortal agency entirely
2. Externalize and intensify mortal psychology and decisions
3. Provide comic relief only
4. Show off the gods

Answer: B — Externalize and intensify mortal psychology and decisions

A) Wrong. B) Correct — Athena's restraint of Achilles in Book 1 is the model. C/D) Reductive.

Ajax the Greater is best described as:

1. The trickster
2. The strategist
3. The wall — a massive defensive fighter, second only to Achilles
4. The seer

Answer: C — The wall — a massive defensive fighter, second only to Achilles

A) Odysseus. C) Correct — his epithet 'bulwark of the Greeks' captures the role. B/D) Wrong.

Who brings the news of Patroclus's death to Achilles?

1. Agamemnon
2. Odysseus
3. Phoenix
4. Antilochus, Nestor's son

Answer: D — Antilochus, Nestor's son

D) Correct — and he must hold Achilles's hands to keep him from suicide. B/C/A) Wrong messengers.

Apollo sends his plague onto the Greeks via:

1. Fire
2. Silver-arrow shafts striking pack animals first, then men
3. A flood
4. Earthquake

Answer: B — Silver-arrow shafts striking pack animals first, then men

A/C/D) Wrong. B) Correct — the iconic image of the angry archer god.

Helen in the Iliad is depicted as:

1. Self-blaming and aware of the destruction her presence causes
2. Innocent of all knowledge of her situation
3. Triumphant
4. Silent throughout

Answer: A — Self-blaming and aware of the destruction her presence causes

B) Wrong. A) Correct — her self-reproach gives her unusual psychological depth. C/D) Wrong.

The theme of 'menis' (wrath) in the Iliad is treated as:

1. Wholly admirable
2. Destructive to the wrathful man as well as his enemies
3. Comic
4. Brief

Answer: B — Destructive to the wrathful man as well as his enemies

A) Wrong. B) Correct — Achilles loses Patroclus to his own withdrawal. C/D) Wrong.

Disguised as a young Greek warrior, Hermes leads Priam past:

1. The Greek sentries
2. The walls of Troy
3. The river
4. Achilles

Answer: A — The Greek sentries

A) Correct — and reveals his identity at Achilles's tent door. B/C/D) Wrong.

Hera's hatred of Troy traces back to:

1. The Judgement of Paris, in which he chose Aphrodite over her
2. Priam's offense
3. Hector's birth
4. A prophecy

Answer: A — The Judgement of Paris, in which he chose Aphrodite over her

B) Wrong. A) Correct — the same reason Athena hates Troy. C/D) Wrong.

Who is Patroclus?

Achilles's dearest companion + close friend (read by many as lover). His death drives Achilles back to battle.

Who is Hecuba?

Queen of Troy. Mother of Hector + Paris. Pleads with Hector not to fight Achilles alone.

Who is Priam?

Aged king of Troy. Hector's father. Comes alone in the final book to ransom Hector's body.

Pro-Trojan gods?

Apollo, Aphrodite, Ares. Support Troy. Apollo most active — sends the plague + helps kill Patroclus.

The desecration of Hector's body?

Achilles drags Hector's corpse behind his chariot around Patroclus's tomb for days. The gods preserve the body.

Priam's ransom (Book 24)?

Old Priam comes alone to Achilles's tent, guided by Hermes. Kisses the hands that killed his sons. The two men weep together. Achilles releases the body.