Skip to content
Richer Resources Publications

THE ODYSSEY • QUIZ

The Odyssey — Pre-Reading / Background Quiz

A ready-to-use 10-question pre-reading quiz covering the essential background students need before beginning Homer’s Odyssey, including the Trojan War, Ithaca, key characters, xenia, and in medias res.

By Richer Resources Publications — Classroom Resource

 
Name: ________________________________ Date: _______________ 

Directions: Choose the best answer for each question. 

1. The Odyssey is traditionally attributed to which ancient Greek poet?
A. Sophocles
B. Homer
C. Virgil
D. Hesiod 

2. The Odyssey is best described as which type of work?
A. A historical chronicle
B. A tragedy written for the stage
C. An epic poem
D. A philosophical dialogue 

3. The events of the Odyssey take place primarily after which major conflict?
A. The Persian Wars
B. The Peloponnesian War
C. The Trojan War
D. The Punic Wars 

4. Odysseus is trying to return to which homeland?
A. Athens
B. Sparta
C. Thebes
D. Ithaca 

5. Who is Penelope?
A. Odysseus’s wife
B. Odysseus’s sister
C. A Trojan princess
D. A goddess who protects sailors 

6. Who is Telemachus?
A. Odysseus’s father
B. Odysseus’s son
C. The king of Troy
D. Penelope’s brother 

7. Which goddess is especially associated with helping Odysseus and Telemachus?
A. Athena
B. Aphrodite
C. Hera
D. Artemis 

8. In ancient Greek culture, the concept of xenia refers primarily to:
A. Military loyalty between soldiers
B. The customs and obligations of hospitality between hosts and guests
C. Competition between rival kings
D. Worship of the gods through athletic contests 

9. What does it mean when an epic begins in medias res?
A. It begins with the hero’s birth
B. It begins with a formal history of Greece
C. It begins in the middle of the larger sequence of events
D. It begins after all the major action has ended 

10. What problem exists in Odysseus’s household while he remains away from Ithaca?
A. His palace has been abandoned completely.
B. Trojan soldiers have occupied Ithaca.
C. Suitors are occupying his household and competing to marry Penelope.
D. Telemachus has already taken his father’s place as king. 

Teacher Answer Key 

1. B — Homer
2. C — An epic poem
3. C — The Trojan War
4. D — Ithaca
5. A — Odysseus’s wife
6. B — Odysseus’s son
7. A — Athena
8. B — Hospitality between hosts and guests
9. C — It begins in the middle of the larger sequence of events
10. C — Suitors are occupying the household and seeking to marry Penelope 

Filed under

Teaching the Classics The Odyssey Greek Mythology Quizzes

More from the Reference Library

You may also be interested in…

TEACHING THE CLASSICS

Character Guide to Homer’s Odyssey

A classroom-oriented guide to the major characters in Homer’s Odyssey, with explanations of their roles in the story, traits and relationships to watch, and questions that help students consider why each character matters.

Read resource →

TEACHING THE CLASSICS

Major Themes in Homer’s Odyssey

A guide to the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey, including homecoming, identity, hospitality, loyalty, temptation, leadership, mortality, divine intervention, and justice, with questions to help students connect these ideas across the poem.

Read resource →