Classic in Translation Broad Questions (2013 - 2017)

2013

      a.  Name the three great masters of Greek tragedy.

           Ans : The three great masters of Greek tragedy are Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides.

      b.  Between which countries was the Trojan War fought?

           Ans : The Trojan War was fought between Greece and the city of Troy in Anatolia. 

      c.  Who is Chrysies?

           Ans : Chrysies is the daughter of Chryses, a priest of Apollo.

      d.  Who is Calchas?

           Ans : In Greek mythology, Calchas is a soothsayer.

      e.  Name the plays of the Argive Trilogy.

           Ans : The plays of the Argive Trilogy are The Oresteia, Proteus, and Seven Against Thebes.

      f.  What happened to Iphigenia?

           Ans : Iphigenia was slaughtered by her father Agamemnon for national interest.

      g.  Where is Medea's house?

           Ans : Medea’s house is in Corinth.

      h.  What is Lethe?

           Ans : In classical mythology, Lethe is a river of forgetfulness in Hades.

      i.   Who is Apollo?

           Ans : Apollo, the son of Zeus and Leto, is the god of music, truth, and prophecy.

      j.  Name the two travelers in "The Frogs".

           Ans : The two travelers in The Frogs are Dionysus and Xanthias.

      k.  Who is Dionysus?

           Ans : In Greek mythology, Dionysus is the God of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, ritual madness, fertility, theatre, and religious ecstasy.

      l.   What does "Deus Ex Machina " mean?

           Ans : ‘Deus Ex Machina’ means "god from the machine".

2014

      a.  Who arranged the funeral games in Homer's lliad?

           Ans :  Achilles arranged the funeral games in Homer's ‘lliad’ in honor of Patroclus.

      b.  Who was Menelaus?

           Ans : In Greek mythology, Menelaus, son of Atreus, was a king of Mycenaean Sparta and the husband of Helen of Troy.

      c.  What was the name of King Priam's wife?

           Ans : The name of King Priam's wife is Hecuba.

      d.  Who is Xanthias?

           Ans : In ‘The Frogs’, Xanthias is Dionysus's slave.

      e.  Who was Clytemnestra?

           Ans : Clytemnstra was Helen's sister and the wife of Agamemnon.

      f.  What was Agamemnon's dilemma?

           Ans : Agamemnon's dilemma was that he was torn between his duty towards his nation and his duty towards his family.

      g.  Why did Theseus go to the underworld?

           Ans : Theseus went to the underworld to return a favour to Pirithous who helped him kidnap Helen.

      h.  Who was Pelias?

           Ans : In Greek mythology, Pelias, the king of Iolcus, was the son of the sea god Poseidon and Tyro.

      i.   Who was Seneca?

           Ans : Seneca was a Roman philosopher and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He served as a tutor to the emperor Nero and later became his advisor.

      j.  What suspicion did Creon have against Medea?

           Ans : Creon had a suspicion against Medea that she might do harm to her daughter.

      k.  Whom did Pluto marry?

           Ans : Pluto married Proserpine.

      l.   How did Phaedra die?

           Ans : Phaedra killed herself with the sword of Hippolytus,

2015

a) What is an epic?

     Ans : An epic is a long narrative poem in an elevated style recounting the deeds of a legendary or historical hero.

b) What was the most vulnerable part of Achilles' body?

     Ans : Achilles’ heel was the most vulnerable part of his body.

c) Why did Medea decide to kill her own children?

     Ans : Medea decided to kill her own children to take revenge on Jason.                                        

d) What type of comedy is The Frogs?

     Ans : The Frogs is a comedy of ideas.

e) What were Molossians?

     Ans : Molossians were Cretan and Spartan hounds.

f) What are the rules of the contest as announced by Dionysus?

Ans : Dionysus makes it clear that there will be no wastage of time, elegance and expression will be there. Pointless decoration and second-hand imagery should be discarded.

g) When did Phaedra confess her sin?

Ans : Seeing Hippolytus' mangled corpse, Phaedra confesses the truth to Theseus, then falls on her sword and dies.

h) Who guarded the “Golden Fleece”?

     Ans : A never-sleeping dragon guarded the Golden Fleece.

i) Why did Achilles withdraw himself from the battlefield?

     Ans : Achilles withdrew himself from the battlefield because he grew angry with Agamemnon who demanded Briseis, Achilles' battle prize.

j) Who is the paramour of Clytemnestra?

Ans: Aegisthus is the paramour of Clytemnestra.

k) Who made the shield for Achilles?

     Ans : Hephaestus made the shield for Achilles.

l) Who are the three masters of Greek tragedy?

     Ans : Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides are the three masters of Greek tragedy.                        

2016

      a.  Why did Thetis disguise her son Achilles?

           Ans : Thetis disguised her son Achilles to keep him away from the Trojan war where he was fated to die.

      b. Why did Hippolytus become a Misogynist? 

           Ans : Hippolytus became a Misogynist because of his wholehearted devotion to Artemis.

      c.  How does Media become the symbol of all suffering women of all ages?

           Ans : Media in her sufferings, transcends the personal level, and becomes the symbol of all suffering women of all ages

      d. Why was Phaedra angry with Theseus?

           Ans : Phaedra was angry with Theseus because he had broken his vow to give her regular company.

      e.  Who are the eminent Eleusinian deities?

           Ans : Persephone, Demeter, and Iacchus are the major Eleusinian deities.

      f.  Between which countries was the Trojan War fought?

           Ans : The Trojan War was fought between Greece and Troy.

      g.  What is Cassandra's belief about the fate of all men?

           Ans : Cassandra believes that all men inevitably are made to suffer at the hands of gods.

      h. What suspicion did Creon have against Media?

           Ans : Creon had a suspicion against Medea that she might do harm to her daughter.

      i.   What was Hippolytus's attitude towards women in the city?

           Ans : Hippolytus's attitude to women in the city is very negative. He considered them to be the cause of all wickedness. He also considered their adulteries to be the cause of the burning of the cities and the fighting between nations.

      j.  What is Lethe?

           Ans : In classical mythology, Lethe is a river of forgetfulness in Hades.

      k. Why did Clytemnestra kill Agamemnon?

           Ans : Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon with three blows of an axe.

      l.   Why did Dionysus decide to go to the Hades?

           Ans : Dionysus decided to go to Hades to bring a dead playwright back from the Underworld to restore quality to Greek drama and show beleaguered Athens how to become great again.

2017

a) How did Calchas advise Agamemnon?

Ans: Calcus advised Agamemnon to send back Chrysies without ransom and delay.

b) What was Hector’s last request to Achilles?

     Ans: Hector's last request to Achilles was to hand over his dead body to his kinsmen for proper burial.

c) What is the meaning of the word ‘Iliad’?

     Ans : The meaning of the word "lliad" is “The Tale of Troy”.

d) Why did Agamemnon refuse to walk on the red carpet?

     Ans : Agamemnon refused to walk on the Red Carpet because it was an act of pride to walk on something meant for the gods.

e) Who was Iphigenia?

     Ans : Iphigenia was Agamemnon's daughter. She was sacrificed to please Artemis to turn the wind to their favour while sailing to Troy.

f) Who are the three masters of Greek tragedy?

     Ans: Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides are the three masters of Greek tragedy.

g) Who is Dionysus?

     Ans : In Greek mythology, Dionysus is the god of the Grape Harvest, winemaking and wine, ritual madness, fertility, theatre, and religious ecstasy.

h) What is Leviathan?

     Ans : Leviathan is a sea monster referenced in the Old Testament.

i) How did Hippolytus feel at the proposal of love from Phaedra?

     Ans : Hippolytus was greatly shocked at Phaedra's proposal of love.

j) Why did Achilles withdraw himself from the battlefield?

     Ans : Achilles withdrew himself from the battlefield because he grew angry with Agamemnon who demanded Briseis, Achilles' battle prize.

k) Who was Xanthias?

     Ans : In The Frogs, Xanthias is Dionysus's slave.

l) Who is the boatman in The Frogs?

     Ans. Charon is the boatman in "The Frogs".