Deck 2: Ways of Understanding Myth

Question 1

Myths passed on orally would NOT include ________________________.

A) an abundance of names or titles
B) information aimed at drawing the attention of the audience
C) a new story being created on the spot
D) extensive repetition of words or phrases

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Paratactic composition in oral storytelling is ______________________.

A) OK, because the audience doesn't expect logical connections
B) not OK, because the audience becomes confused when there are contradictions
C) OK, because the audience also thinks paratactically
D) not OK, because the audience cannot compare facts or versions

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Hesiod's explanation of the creation of humans ___________________.

A) is a syntactic fusion of two accounts
B) shows that he sees women as a great evil
C) does not yet involve the gods
D) is not very different from the Bible

Answer 3

B

Question 4

One factor likely to influence a written (literary) myth is that ____________________________:

A) the author may shape characters and stories to fit artistic goals
B) written myths are always less reliable than oral
C) oral myths are always less reliable than written
D) most written versions preserve the paratactic nature of the oral

Question 5

Ovid lived and wrote in ________________________.

A) Greece
B) Rome
C) Phrygia
D) Thrace

Question 6

A major example of rationalization in the Prose Edda is that Snorri__________________________:

A) was writing at a time when Christianity was replacing paganism.
B) was bringing the stories of the old gods to his contemporaries.
C) was trying to convince readers that they should continue the old ways.
D) links the ancient Icelandic gods with Troy and Christianity in the Prologue.

Question 7

An example of why historians might study myth is _____________________________________________________________.

Question 8

Because of what happened to Enkidu, Gilgamesh is afraid of __________________.

Question 9

A type of storytelling that represents ideas and events in a sequence without paying attention to making logical connections is _____________________.

Question 10

Changing shape is a motif in all of the stories in ______________________.

Question 11

When an author rationalizes the presentation of a story, it can then be termed ______________________________.

Question 12

The Odyssey is a major literary work by ____________________________.

Question 13

The fact that Metamorphoses emphasizes abrupt, radical, irreversible change at the hands of strange, impetuous divinities could be the result of the uncertain times in which ____________________________ wrote.

Question 14

_________________________ often use information provided by archeologists to provide information about the past.