Oedipus the King
___D__1. Oedipus running from his fate, killing Laius in anger, not listening to the
prophet and his hubris are all examples of ____.
A. anagnorsis B. catharsis C. lamenting D. hamartia
___A__2. Eyes are symbolic in the play in that ____.
A. Oedipus has sight, but is blind to the truth
B. Tiresias is unable to understand, despite his wisdom
C. Jocasta knows the truth
D. all of these
___A__3. A crossroad symbolizes ___.
A. a decision that must be made
B. the act of killing the king
C. regret over bad decisions
D. none of these
___B__4. Which of the following is NOT a theme from the play?
A. fate vs. free will B. action vs. punishment
C. sight vs. blindness D. shame vs. reflection
___A__5. What are two examples of Oedipus trying to use his free will but
failing?
A. Oedipus leaving home to escape the prophecy; Oedipus gouging out his eyes.
B. Oedipus saying he will save the people; Oedipus refusing to see the truth.
C. Oedipus mocking Tiresias; Oedipus finally seeing the truth.
D. Oedipus disavowing his parents; Oedipus accusing Creon of plotting against
him.
___D__6. Which literary device is used in conjunction with the theme of sight vs.
blindness?
A. imagery B. personification C. metaphor D. irony
___B__7. Oedipus is king of _______.
A. Athens B. Thebes C. Thrace D. Ephesia
___A__8. What does Oedipus do when he finds the truth about his birth?
A. blinds himself B. kills his father C. kills his wife D. sets fire to city
___D__9. What does the oracle say must be done to save the city from the
plague?
A. Creon must murder his brother-in-law
B. Jocasta must be killed
C. Oedipus must sacrifice his daughter Antigone
D. The murderer of the past king must be punished
__A__10. What will bring Oedipus peace, according to the chorus?
A. death B. money C. a new start D. power
Matching
Match each term with the best definition.
A. chorus B. hubris C. fate D. comedy
E. tragedy F. hamartia G. anagnorsis H. catharsis
__E__11. A play with unhappy elements and the downfall of the hero
__G__12. The moment the tragic hero realizes the true nature of the situation
__H__13. The emotional reaction of the audience, from pity and fear to relief
__D__14. A play that mocks persons in power for their foolishness and vanity
__F__15. A hero’s tragic flaw that leads to catastrophe
__A__16. Comments on the play, informing the audience
__B__17. Excessive pride, often leading to the downfall of the hero
__C__18. Controlled by the gods and cannot be overcome
Multiple Choice
__D__19. The _____ included play productions in celebration of the god of wine
and living things.
A. Athenian Court B. March of Thebes
C. Apollo Temple Celebration D. Festival of Dionysus
__B__20. Greek theater had ____ take place off stage.
A. the chorus numbers B. violence
C. monologues D. all of these
__D__21. The wife of King Laius is _____.
A. Tieresias B. Antigone
C. Agamenon D. none of these
__A__22. The area in a Greek theater through which the chorus enters is the ___.
A. parados B. altar
C. theatron D. skene
__C__23. A play that ridicules or criticizes is a ____.
A. tragedy B. creon
C. lampoon D. none of these
__A__24. The killer of King Laius was ____.
A. Oedipus B. Tiresias
C. Creon D. Laius himself
Matching
A. dramatic irony B. situational irony C. verbal irony
__B___25. An unexpected event takes place
__C___26. When something is said, but something different if meant
__A___27. The audience knows information that a character does not
__B___28. Oedipus leaves his parents to avoid the prophecy
__C___29. Tieresias says “Reveal the troubling things inside me, which I can call
your grief as well.”
__A___30. The audience knows the killer of Laius, but Oedipus does not
Multiple Choice
__D___31. Greek theater developed religious rituals in celebration of ___.
A. Zeus B. Pandora C. Athena D. none of these
__B___32. A ____ is a celebration of life and has a happy ending.
A. lampoon B. comedy C. chorus D. none of these
__C___33. A group of actors who comment and give information in a play is
the ____.
A. cast B. thespian C. chorus D. all of these
__D___34. Considered the first actor, reciting a monologue in 534 B.C.
A. Dionysus B. Odysseus C. Sophocles D. none of these
__D___35. Actors performed with masks to ____.
A. portray different characters B. portray different emotions
C. help the audience see exaggerations D. all of these
True/False
__F___36. Oedipus killed himself.
__F___37. The author of Oedipus Rex is Aristotle.
__T___38. Oedipus believed free will could manage fate.
__T___39. Oedipus was raised as the prince of Corinth.
__T___40. Oedipus believed King Polybus was his father.
__F___41. Jocasta killed her two daughters.
