The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

Selected Response Questions

There are 20 selected response questions in the first part of the exam.
Check with your teacher to see how much time you have to complete this portion of the
exam. Definitions for the underlined Reveal words can be found in the glossary at the end
of each excerpt.

Directions
Read each passage and answer the questions that follow.

“Prometheus”
from Heroes, Gods and Monsters
by Bernard Evslin

1 Prometheus was a young Titan, no great admirer of Zeus. Although he knew the great
lord of the sky hated explicit questions, he did not hesitate to beard him when there was
something he wanted to know.

2 One morning he came to Zeus, and said, “O Thunderer, I do not understand your design.
You have caused the race of man to appear on earth, but you keep him in ignorance and
darkness.”

3 “Perhaps you had better leave the race of man to me,” said Zeus. “What you call
ignorance is innocence. What you call darkness is the shadow of my decree. Man is happy
now. And he is so framed that he will remain happy unless someone persuades him that he
is unhappy. Let us not speak of this again.”

4 But Prometheus said, “Look at him. Look below. He crouches in caves. He is at the mercy
of beast and weather. He eats his meat raw. If you mean something by this, enlighten me
with your wisdom. Tell me why you refuse to give man the gift of fire.”

5 Zeus answered, “Do you not know, Prometheus, that every gift brings a penalty? This
is the way the Fates weave destiny—by which gods also must abide. Man does not have fire,
true, nor the crafts which fire teaches. On the other hand, he does not know disease, warfare,
old age, or that inward pest called worry. He is happy, I say, happy without fire. And so he
shall remain.”

6 “Happy as beasts are happy,” said Prometheus. “Of what use to make a separate
race called man and endow him with little fur, some wit, and a curious charm of
unpredictability? If he must live like this, why separate him from the beasts at all?”

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

7 “He has another quality,” said Zeus, “the capacity for worship. An aptitude for admiring
our power, being puzzled by our riddles and amazed by our caprice. That is why he
was made.”

8 “Would not fire, and the graces he can put on with fire, make him more interesting?”

9 “More interesting, perhaps, but infinitely more dangerous. For there is this in man too:
a vaunting pride that needs little sustenance to make it swell to giant size. Improve his lot,
and he will forget that which makes him pleasing—his sense of worship, his humility. He
will grow big and poisoned with pride and fancy himself a god, and before we know it, we
shall see him storming Olympus. Enough, Prometheus! I have been patient with you, but do
not try me too far. Go now and trouble me no more with your speculations.”

10 Prometheus was not satisfied. All that night he lay awake making plans. Then he
left his couch at dawn, and standing tiptoe on Olympus, stretched his arm to the eastern
horizon where the first faint flames of the sun were flickering. In his hand he held a reed
filled with a dry fiber; he thrust it into the sunrise until a spark smoldered. Then he put the
reed in his tunic and came down from the mountain.

11 At first men were frightened by the gift. It was so hot, so quick; it bit sharply when
you touched it, and for pure spite, made the shadows dance. They thanked Prometheus and
asked him to take it away. But he took the haunch of a newly killed deer and held it over the
fire. And when the meat began to sear and sputter, filling the cave with its rich smells, the
people felt themselves melting with hunger and flung themselves on the meat and devoured
it greedily, burning their tongues.

12 “This that I have brought you is called ‘fire,’” Prometheus said. “It is an ill-natured spirit,
a little brother of the sun, but if you handle it carefully, it can change your whole life. It is
very greedy; you must feed it twigs, but only until it becomes a proper size. Then you must
stop, or it will eat everything in sight—and you too. If it escapes, use this magic: water. It
fears the water spirit, and if you touch it with water, it will fly away until you need it again.”

13 He left the fire burning in the first cave, with children staring at it wide-eyed, and then
went to every cave in the land.

14 Then one day Zeus looked down from the mountain and was amazed. Everything had
changed. Man had come out of his cave. Zeus saw woodmen’s huts, farm houses, villages,
walled towns, even a castle or two. He saw men cooking their food, carrying torches to light
their way at night. He saw forges blazing, men beating out ploughs, keels, swords, spears.
They were making ships and raising white wings of sails and daring to use the fury of the
winds for their journeys. They were wearing helmets, riding out in chariots to do battle, like
the gods themselves.

15 Zeus was full of rage. He seized his largest thunderbolt. “So they want fire,” he said to
himself. “I’ll give them fire—more than they can use. I’ll turn their miserable little ball of
earth into a cinder.” But then another thought came to him, and he lowered his arm. “No,”
he said to himself, “I shall have vengeance—and entertainment too. Let them destroy

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

themselves with their new skills. This will make a long twisted game, interesting to watch.
I’ll attend to them later. My first business is with Prometheus.”

16 He called his giant guards and had them seize Prometheus, drag him off to the
Caucasus, and there bind him to a mountain peak with great chains specially forged by
Hephaestus—chains which even a Titan in agony could not break. And when the friend of
man was bound to the mountain, Zeus sent two vultures to hover about him forever, tearing
at his belly and eating his liver.

17 Men knew a terrible thing was happening on the mountain, but they did not know what.
But the wind shrieked like a giant in torment and sometimes like fierce birds.

18 Many centuries he lay there—until another hero was born brave enough to defy the
gods. He climbed to the peak in the Caucasus and struck the shackles from Prometheus and
killed the vultures. His name was Heracles.

Glossary
abide–obey enlighten–teach reed–long thin hollow plant
agony–extreme pain fierce–wild and harsh satisfied–pleased
aptitude–skill flickering–shining unsteadily sear–burn
beard–challenge forges–ovens, fireplaces, or seized–grabbed
beast–wild animal furnaces for heating metal shackles–chains
bind–tie framed–formed shrieked–cried out
capacity–ability fury–wild force smoldered–burned or smoked
caprice–tendency to have graces–elegant ways without flame
suddenly changing moods haunch–rump speculations–questioning
chariots–wagons horizon–line where the earth and thoughts

cinder–ash the sky meet spite–ill-will

crouches–kneels or squats hover–hang in the air sputter–sizzle

curious–strange humility–lack of self- sustenance–fuel

importance swell–become larger
decree–command
infinitely–endlessly torment–great suffering
defy–oppose
keels–long pieces used in the tunic–long, loose-fitting shirt
design–plan
building of boats
destiny–events that must vaunting–strutting
penalty–cost
happen weave–twist together
pest–annoyance
devoured–hungrily ate wit–intelligence
ploughs–plows
endow–provide

Excerpt from “Prometheus” from Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin. Copyright © 1966 by Scholastic Magazines, Inc. Reprinted by permission of
Writers House, LLC.

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

1. Which lines from the story BEST convey Prometheus’s belief that man should have
fire? Choose THREE answers.

a. “He eats his meat raw.” (4)

b. “If you mean something by this, enlighten me with your wisdom.” (4)
c. “Man does not have fire, true, nor the crafts which fire teaches.” (5)
d. “Happy as beasts are happy.” (6)
e. “Would not fire, and the graces he can put on with fire, make him more
interesting?” (8)

2. This question has two parts.

Part 1: How would Zeus describe man’s life without knowledge of fire?

a. Man is happier without knowledge of fire.

b. Man is limited without knowledge of fire.
c. Man is like a wild animal without knowledge of fire.
d. Man has more pride without knowledge of fire.

Part 2: Which quote from the story BEST supports the correct answer to Part 1?

a. “What you call ignorance is innocence.” (3)

b. “Man does not have fire, true, nor the crafts which fire teaches.” (5)
c. “An aptitude for admiring our power, being puzzled by our riddles and
amazed by our caprice. That is why he was made.” (7)
d. “He will grow big and poisoned with pride and fancy himself a god, and
before we know it, we shall see him storming Olympus.” (9)

3. Which choice BEST describes how paragraph 5 contributes to the theme

of the myth?

a. It shows Prometheus’s belief that man deserves knowledge of fire.

b. It shows Zeus’s belief that knowledge comes with a price.
c. It indicates that knowing about fire does not have many benefits.
d. It indicates that no one can change their fate—even the gods.

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

4. Reread paragraph 9. Which sentence from the paragraph BEST explains the danger
Zeus sees in man becoming too proud?
a. More interesting, perhaps, but infinitely more dangerous. b. For there is this in

man too: a vaunting pride that needs little sustenance to make it swell to giant
size. c. Improve his lot, and he will forget that which makes him pleasing—his
sense of worship, his humility. d. He will grow big and poisoned with pride and
fancy himself a god, and before we know it, we shall see him storming Olympus.
e. Enough, Prometheus! f. I have been patient with you, but do not try me too far.
g. Go now and trouble me no more with your speculations.

5. Read this quote from paragraph 11:

“It was so hot, so quick; it bit sharply when you touched it, and for pure spite, made
the shadows dance.”

What does the underlined phrase mean?

a. The gift would bite people who touched it with its sharp teeth.
b. The gift would burn people who touched it.
c. The gift would stab people who touched it with something sharp.
d. The gift would move quickly away from people who touched it.

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

6. Prometheus uses personification in paragraph 12 when he describes fire as having

human qualities:

It is an ill-natured spirit, a little brother of the sun, but if you handle it carefully, it
can change your whole life. It is very greedy; you must feed it twigs, but only until it
becomes a proper size. Then you must stop, or it will eat everything in sight—and
you too. If it escapes, use this magic: water. It fears the water spirit, and if you
touch it with water, it will fly away until you need it again.

Which statement BEST explains why Prometheus uses personification when

describing fire?

a. When Prometheus uses personification, he makes it easier for man to

understand fire by comparing fire’s qualities to a person’s.
b. When Prometheus uses personification, he explains that fire is literally
a person who is unpredictable and needs to be managed well.
c. When Prometheus uses personification, he shows how fire represents
the strong feelings man will experience after he loses his ignorance.
d. When Prometheus uses personification, he shows that he wants man
to understand fire’s relationship to the sun.

7. How does paragraph 14 contribute to the development of the plot?

a. It describes how Prometheus challenged Zeus’s authority.

b. It tells how Zeus will punish Prometheus.
c. It reveals that knowledge of fire does come with a price.
d. It shows how people changed after Prometheus gave them
knowledge of fire.

8. Select the paragraph that shows that the narrator of the myth is telling this story
long after it happened.

a. Paragraph 15
b. Paragraph 16
c. Paragraph 17
d. Paragraph 18

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

9. Imagine that this myth will be given a new title. Which choice BEST reflects the
central idea of the story?

a. A Titan in Agony
b. Man Is a Beast-Like Creature
c. Angry Birds Make the Worst Punishment
d. The Gift of Knowledge Comes With a Price

10. In paragraph 15, Zeus considers destroying the humans with fire, but decides
instead to “Let them destroy themselves with their new skills.” Based on the events
leading up to this statement, the reader can infer that Zeus thinks that

a. humans will not be able to control fire and they will burn.
b. humans will forget to worship the gods, who will take vengeance.
c. humans will use their new tools to go to war.
d. humans will fight over who can control the fire.

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

Book 9
“The Cyclops,”
from The Odyssey by Homer

31 The Cyclops took the wine and drank it up. And the delicious drink gave him such
exquisite pleasure that he asked me for another bowlful. “Give me more, please, and tell me
your name, here and now – I would like to make you a gift that will please you. We Cyclopes
have wine of our own made from the grapes that our rich soil and rains from Zeus produce.
But this vintage of yours is a drop of the real nectar and ambrosia.”

32 ‘So said the Cyclops, and I handed him another bowlful of the sparkling wine. Three
times I filled it for him; and three times the fool drained the bowl to the dregs. At last, when
the wine had fuddled his wits, I addressed him with soothing words.

33 ‘“Cyclops,” I said, “you ask me my name. I’ll tell it to you; and in return give me the gift
you promised me. My name is Nobody. That is what I am called by my mother and father and
by all my friends.”

34 34 ‘The Cyclops answered me from his cruel heart. “Of all his company I will eat Nobody
last and the rest before him. That shall be your gift.”

35 ‘He had hardly spoken before he toppled over and fell face upwards on the floor, where
he lay with his great neck twisted to one side, and all-compelling sleep overpowered him.
In his drunken stupor he vomited, and a stream of wine mixed with morsels of men’s flesh
poured from his throat. I went at once and thrust our pole deep under the ashes of the fire to
make it hot, and meanwhile gave a word of encouragement to all my men, to make sure that
no one would hang back through fear. When the fierce glow from the olive stake warned me
that it was about to catch alight in the flames, green as it was, I withdrew it from the fire and
my men gathered round. A god now inspired them with tremendous courage. Seizing the
olive pole, they drove its sharpened end into the Cyclops’ eye, while I used my weight from
above to twist it home, like a man boring a ship’s timber with a drill which his mates below
him twirl with a strap they hold at either end, so that it spins continuously. In much the
same way we handled our pole with its red-hot point and twisted it in his eye till the blood
boiled up round the burning wood. The scorching heat singed his lids and brow all round,
while his eyeball blazed and the very roots crackled in the flame. The Cyclops’ eye hissed
round the olive stake in the same way that an axe or adze hisses when a smith plunges it
into cold water to quench and strengthen the iron. He gave a dreadful shriek, which echoed
round the rocky walls, and we backed away from him in terror, while he pulled the stake
from his eye, streaming with blood. Then he hurled it away from him with frenzied hands
and raised a great shout to the other Cyclopes who lived in neighbouring caves along the
windy heights. Hearing his screams they came up from every quarter, and gathering
outside the cave asked him what the matter was.

36 ‘“What on earth is wrong with you, Polyphemus? Why must you disturb the peaceful
night and spoil our sleep with all this shouting? Is a robber driving off your sheep, or is
somebody trying by treachery or violence to kill you?”

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

37 ‘Out of the cave came mighty Polyphemus’ voice in reply: “O my friends, it’s Nobody’s
treachery, not violence, that is doing me to death.”

38 ‘“Well then,” came the immediate reply, “if you are alone and nobody is assaulting you,
you must be sick and sickness comes from almighty Zeus and cannot be helped. All you can
do is to pray to your father, the Lord Poseidon.”

39 ‘And off they went, while I laughed to myself at the way in which my cunning notion
of a false name had taken them in. The Cyclops, still moaning in agonies of pain, groped
about with his hands and pushed the rock away from the mouth of the cave. Then he sat
himself down in the doorway and stretched out both arms in the hope of catching us in the
act of slipping out among the sheep. What a fool he must have thought me! Meanwhile I was
cudgelling my brains for the best possible course, trying to hit on some way of saving my
friends as well as myself. I thought up plan after plan, scheme after scheme. It was a matter
of life or death: we were in mortal peril.

Glossary
adze–tool used for cutting and exquisite–intense quench–cool hot metal
shaping wood frenzied–wildly excited shriek–high-pitched cry
agonies–sufferings fuddled–confused stupor–confused state
all-compelling–irresistible groped–felt blindly toppled–fell
ambrosia–food of the gods inspired–excited treachery–betrayal through
boring–drilling morsels–bits of food trickiness
cudgelling–beating mortal–deadly tremendous–extraordinary
cunning–slyly intelligent nectar–drink of the gods vintage–wine
dregs–solid remains found in the notion–idea vomited–threw up
bottom of some drinks
peril–danger

Excerpt from pp. 110–124 from THE ODYSSEY by Homer, translated by E. V. Rieu, revised translation by D. C. H. Rieu, introduction by Peter Jones (Penguin Classics 1946,
Revised translation 1991), published by the Penguin Group, London. Copyright © 1946 by E. V. Rieu. Revised translation copyright © the Estate of the late E. V. Rieu, and
D. C. H. Rieu, 1991, 2003. Introduction and Index and Glossary copyright © Peter V. Jones, 1991. Reproduced by permission of Penguin Books, Ltd.

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

11. Reread paragraph 31. Which sentence BEST implies that the Cyclops is going to be
kinder to Odysseus and his men?
a. The Cyclops took the wine and drank it up. b. And the delicious drink gave him

such exquisite pleasure that he asked me for another bowlful. c. “Give me more,
please, and tell me your name, here and now—I would like to make you a gift that
will please you. d. We Cyclopes have wine of our own made from the grapes that
our rich soil and rains from Zeus produce. e. But this vintage of yours is a drop of
the real nectar and ambrosia.”

12. Which paragraph from the story BEST supports the idea that the Cyclops is
dangerous?

a. Paragraph 31
b. Paragraph 32
c. Paragraph 33
d. Paragraph 34

13. Reread paragraph 32:

So said the Cyclops, and I handed him another bowlful of the sparkling wine.
Three times I filled it for him; and three times the fool drained the bowl to
the dregs. At last, when the wine had fuddled his wits, I addressed him with
soothing words.

What does the underlined phrase mean?

a. The Cyclops poured the wine out onto the floor.

b. The Cyclops strained the wine to get rid of the solid parts.
c. The Cyclops drank the entire bowlful of wine.
d. The Cyclops took dainty sips from the bowl of wine.

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

14. Which choice BEST describes how paragraph 34 contributes to the development of
the story?

a. It shows that the Cyclops has decided not to eat anybody because
of the gift.
b. It indicates that the Cyclops has imprisoned men in this way before.
c. It shows how dangerous it is for Odysseus and his men to be trapped
by the Cyclops.
d. It shows how Odysseus’s relationship with the Cyclops is improving.

15. This question has two parts.

Part 1: Which of the following BEST describes what Odysseus expected to happen
after he gave the Cyclops a false name?

a. The Cyclops would try to fight Odysseus and his men, but he would be
too drunk to do any harm.
b. The Cyclops would ask his father, the god Poseidon, to help him
get revenge.
c. The Cyclops would call out for help, but he would not get help because
of the lie Odysseus told about his name.
d. The Cyclops would let his animals escape so that it would be easier to
hunt Odysseus inside his cave.

Part 2: What TWO sentences from the text BEST demonstrate this
expected outcome?

a. “Then he hurled it away from him with frenzied hands and raised a great
shout to the other Cyclopes who lived in neighbouring caves along the
windy heights.” (35)
b. “What on earth is wrong with you, Polyphemus? Why must you disturb
the peaceful night and spoil our sleep with all this shouting?” (36)
c. “‘Well then,’ came the immediate reply, ‘if you are alone and nobody is
assaulting you, you must be sick and sickness comes from almighty
Zeus and cannot be helped.’” (38)
d. “All you can do is to pray to your father, the Lord Poseidon.” (38)
e. “Then he sat himself down in the doorway and stretched out both
arms in the hope of catching us in the act of slipping out among the
sheep.” (39)

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

16. This question has two parts.

Part 1: How would Odysseus describe the Cyclops?

a. Vicious and clever

b. Vicious and overly confident
c. Generous and clever
d. Generous and foolish

Part 2: Which TWO sentences from the text BEST support the correct answer
to Part 1?

a. “And the delicious drink gave him such exquisite pleasure that he asked
me for another bowlful.” (31)
b. “The Cyclops answered me from his cruel heart.” (34)
c. “Then he hurled it away from him with frenzied hands and raised a great
shout to the other Cyclopes who lived in neighbouring caves along the
windy heights.” (35)
d. “The Cyclops, still moaning in agonies of pain, groped about with his
hands and pushed the rock away from the mouth of the cave.” (39)
e. “What a fool he must have thought me!” (39)

17. Which sentence from paragraph 39 BEST shows how proud Odysseus is of his
cleverness? Choose ONE.
a. And off they went, while I laughed to myself at the way in which my cunning
notion of a false name had taken them in. b. The Cyclops, still moaning in agonies
of pain, groped about with his hands and pushed the rock away from the mouth of
the cave. c. Then he sat himself down in the doorway and stretched out both arms
in the hope of catching us in the act of slipping out among the sheep. d. What a
fool he must have thought me! e. Meanwhile I was cudgelling my brains for the
best possible course, trying to hit on some way of saving my friends as well as
myself. f. I thought up plan after plan, scheme after scheme. g. It was a matter of
life or death: we were in mortal peril.

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

18. Choose the word from each set of options that BEST completes the sentence, so
that it summarizes a central idea of paragraphs 31–39.

The Cyclops plans to overpower and eat Odysseus and his men, but Odysseus
stops the Cyclops before he eats them all.

This episode demonstrates that, although the Cyclops is ___________

than Odysseus,

a. weaker
b. stronger
c. more clever

Odysseus is ______________ than the Cyclops.

a. weaker
b. stronger
c. more clever

19. Which answer choice BEST summarizes the text without personal opinions or
judgments?

a. The Cyclops has imprisoned Odysseus and his men. Odysseus plays a
couple of tricks on the Cyclops to stop the Cyclops from eating his men.
b. The Cyclops gets drunk on wine and Odysseus successfully tricks him.
It’s a bad idea to drink wine because it makes a person easy to trick.
c. The Cyclops realizes his neighbors won’t help him after he says
that “Nobody” is attacking him. He shouldn’t have fallen for such an
obvious trick.
d. Odysseus describes how he is able to encourage his men to stay brave
during a terrifying situation. Odysseus is a strong leader who will go
far in life.

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The Greeks Unit Reading Assessment

20. Consider the passages from The Odyssey and “Prometheus.” Which statement is
true about the settings and characters of these texts?

a. Both texts are set in Ancient Greece; both texts include characters that
are human and not human.
b. Both texts are set in caves; both texts are about men who don’t know
how to use fire.
c. “Prometheus” is set in a cave while the excerpt from The Odyssey is set
on a mountaintop; both texts include characters that are not human.
d. Both texts are set in Ancient Greece; “Prometheus” has only gods
for characters, while the excerpt from The Odyssey has only human
characters.

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