Epic Heroes & War
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, why was Enkidu created?
A. To serve as a slave to the gods
B. To destroy the wall of Uruk
C. To be a match for Gilgamesh
D. To kill the monster Humbaba
To be a match for Gilgamesh
Why does Odysseus reveal his real name to Polyphemus after escaping?
A. “Nobody” is no longer believable.
B. His pride demands the Cyclops know who defeated him.
C. He wants Polyphemus to bless him.
D. He believes the gods will protect him from retaliation.
His pride demands the Cyclops know who defeated him.
According to the Panchatantra, what is the purpose of compiling the animal fables and magic tales?
A. To document the history of Kashmir
B. To educate the sons of royalty
C. To provide religious scripture
D. To preserve Sanskrit grammar
To educate the sons of royalty
In the Kokin Wakashū, how is emotion typically communicated by poets such as Ono no Komachi and Ariwara no Narihira?
A. Through direct and explicit declarations of heartbreak or joy
B. By focusing on political reputation rather than personal love
C. By using natural imagery like fading light and blossoms to suggest feelings
D. Through lengthy narrative descriptions of courtly events
By using natural imagery like fading light and blossoms to suggest feelings
What “test” did Oedipus pass to become savior of Thebes?
A. Winning a noble lottery.
B. Finding water to end a famine.
C. Solving the Sphinx’s riddle.
D. Defeating King Laius in ritual combat.
Solving the Sphinx’s riddle.
In Iliad Book 1, what action by Agamemnon triggers the plague sent by Apollo?
A. Stealing Apollo’s sacred staff.
B. Refusing to return Chryses’s daughter and insulting him.
C. Failing to offer a hecatomb.
D. Executing Trojan prisoners in a holy grove.
Refusing to return Chryses’s daughter and insulting him.
What omen convinces the Trojans to bring the horse into the city in Aeneid Book 2?
A. The horse bleeds when struck.
B. Hector’s ghost appears.
C. Two sea serpents kill Laocoön and his sons.
D. A lightning bolt strikes the horse.
Two sea serpents kill Laocoön and his sons.
In Admonitions for Women, why does Ban Zhao argue girls should be educated?
A. So they can enter government service
B. To display intellectual superiority
C. To serve husbands and maintain rites properly
D. To defeat men in legal disputes
To serve husbands and maintain rites properly
In The Tale of Genji, why was Genji’s mother (the Kiri‑Tsubo lady) treated cruelly by other women at court?
A. She deliberately insulted the other ladies
B. She refused visits from the Emperor
C. She was widely suspected of treason
D. She received exceptional imperial favor despite her low rank
She received exceptional imperial favor despite her low rank
What prophecy caused Oedipus to flee Corinth?
A. He would cause a plague.
B. He would kill his father and marry his mother.
C. He would go blind and wander as a beggar.
D. He would be betrayed by his children.
He would kill his father and marry his mother.
Why do Diomedes and Glaucus decide not to fight in Iliad Book 6?
A. They are working secretly to end the war.
B. Athena commands them to stop.
C. Glaucus reveals he is a god.
D. Their grandfathers shared a bond of guest‑friendship.
Their grandfathers shared a bond of guest‑friendship.
Why does Zeus say it's “disgraceful” for humans to blame gods in Odyssey Book 1?
A. The gods work for human benefit.
B. Fate is fixed.
C. Humans worsen their problems through foolishness.
D. Gods only intervene when insulted.
Humans worsen their problems through foolishness.
In the Chinese origin story, what did the fleas and lice on Pan Gu’s body eventually become?
A. The stars in the sky
B. The ancestors of humanity
C. The fertile land and soil
D. The birds and forest animals
The ancestors of humanity
What best describes the structure of a traditional Korean sijo poem?
A. Four lines of equal length
B. A lengthy epic poem
C. Three lines, with a twist and resolution in the final line
D. A single line of thirty-one syllables
Three lines, with a twist and resolution in the final line
In Dante's Inferno, what is the primary significance of the three beasts (the Leopard, the Lion, and the She-Wolf) that block the protagonist's path in the dark wood?
A. They symbolize the three ladies in Heaven who sent Virgil to rescue Dante.
B. They represent different categories of sin that prevent the soul from reaching salvation.
C. They are the transformed souls of the three traitors being chewed by Lucifer.
D. They are literal guardians of the gate to the city of Dis in the Sixth Circle.
They represent different categories of sin that prevent the soul from reaching salvation.
Who does Aeneas carry and who does he lead when fleeing Troy in Aeneid Book 2?
A. Carries his son, Ascanius, leads the priest, Pantheus.
B. Carries his father, Anchises, leads his son, Ascanius.
C. Carries the household gods, leads his wife, Creusa.
D. Carries his wife, Creusa, leads his father, Anchises.
Carries his father, Anchises, leads his son, Ascanius.
How is Gilgamesh described in terms of his divine and human nature?
A. One‑half god and one‑half human
B. Two‑thirds god and one‑third human
C. Three‑quarters god and one‑quarter human
D. Entirely divine in spirit but human in body
Two‑thirds god and one‑third human
In the Genesis account, what did God create on the first day to address the darkness over the surface of the deep?
A. The Sun and Moon
B. Vegetation and plants
C. Light
D. The sky
Light
In The Tale of Hong Gil‑Dong, why does Gil‑Dong first leave home?
A. He is sent on a royal mission
B. He seeks religious training
C. His father banishes him
D. He protests laws denying rights to sons of concubines
He protests laws denying rights to sons of concubines
Why did Dante choose the title “The Comedy” (La Commedia) for his masterwork?
A. It is filled with satirical humor
B. Many characters are portrayed comically
C. It was written in Italian rather than Latin
D. The narrative moves from misery to happiness
The narrative moves from misery to happiness
Why does Achilles agree to surrender Briseis in Iliad Book 1?
A. The heralds cannot be harmed.
B. His pride is less important than the army.
C. Agamemnon threatens Patroclus.
D. Athena advises him to avoid violence.
Athena advises him to avoid violence.
What is Arjuna’s central conflict at the beginning of The Bhagavad Gita?
A. Doubting Krishna’s divinity
B. Fear of dying in battle
C. Fighting against his own relatives
D. Losing his weapons
Fighting against his own relatives
What physical challenge did Sunjata Keita have to overcome in his childhood?
A. He was blinded by a spell cast by his stepmother
B. He suffered from a hunchback
C. He was unable to walk for seven years
D. He was born unable to speak
He was unable to walk for seven years
Why was the Lady Bedr-el-Budur willing to exchange the old copper lamp for a new one?
A. She wanted to punish Aladdin for neglecting her while hunting.
B. She was unaware of the Lamp's magical properties and history.
C. The Moorish sorcerer used a spell to cloud her judgment.
D. She believed the old lamp was a source of bad luck for the palace.
She was unaware of the Lamp's magical properties and history
According to the Analects, what is the “root of Humanity” (Ren)?
A. The mastery of complex doctrines
B. Honoring parents and elders
C. The accumulation of wealth
D. Strict adherence to law and punishment
Honoring parents and elders