The Iliad

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What epithet is repeated to describe Achilles through The Iliad?

A) “the son of Thetis”

B) “the best of the Achaeans”

C) “the swiftest in battle”

D) “the destroyer of Troy”

2. What does it suggest about Priam that he does not blame Helen for the war?

A) That he is a kind and benevolent king

B) That he knows that it is his son’s fight

C) That he doesn’t see women as a factor in war

D) That he blames himself

3. Beyond being upset that Briseis was taken from home, why did Achilles stop fighting for Agamemnon?

A) Because he has been fighting for his whole life and is now tired of fighting

B) Because he is concerned that he may die, as according to legend he will only live a short life

C) Because he is such a strong fighter and does not wish to contribute to Greek victory and therefore Agamemnon’s honor

D) Because he is doing what Zeus has ordered him to do, and he defers to the king of the gods

4. What is implied by the fact that the war between the Trojans and the Achaeans is not portrayed as a battle between good and evil?

A) It implies that the speaker of the poem is split in their loyalty to either side.