THE OEDIPUS TRILOGY

A STEP BEYOND

TESTS AND ANSWERS - MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ

TEST 1

_____ 1. Sophocles does not explain Oedipus' past in his plays because

A. his audience already knew it
B. he starts in the middle to confuse the audience
C. Oedipus should strike you as a man of mystery

_____ 2. The Chorus stands for

A. the conscience of the community
B. the common mob
C. the audience's reactions

_____ 3. An antistrophe is

A. the letdown after the climax
B. a character who contrasts to the main
C. a verse in the Chorus' chants

_____ 4. At the beginning of the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus appears to be

A. a harsh but effective tyrant
B. a popular ruler, concerned for his people
C. a king who has let his kingdom slide toward destruction

_____ 5. The oracles are at

A. Corinth
B. Colonus
C. Delphi

_____ 6. Oedipus was asked to be the king of Thebes because

A. he killed King Laios
B. he married Queen Iocaste
C. he solved the riddle of the Sphinx

_____ 7. Teiresias acts as

I. a fortune-teller
II. a spokesman for the gods
III. a trusted adviser
IV. a holy man

A. I and III only
B. I, II, and IV only
C. II and III only

_____ 8. Oedipus suspects that he is being plotted against by

A. Creon and Teiresias
B. the gods
C. his wife Iocaste and their sons

_____ 9. Oedipus left his childhood home in Corinth because

A. he murdered a traveler at the crossroads
B. he solved the riddle of the Sphinx
C. he was afraid he would kill Polybos and marry Merope

_____ 10. Oedipus is punished by the gods because

I. he denied the truth of the oracles
II. he was a bad king
III. he showed pride

A. I, II, and III
B. I and III only
C. II and III only

11. Discuss the skill with which Sophocles builds suspense and intrigue throughout his plays.

12. Discuss Sophocles' numerous references to sight as a symbol of seeing and knowing the truth.

13. Compare and contrast Oedipus and Creon as potential tragic heroes.

14. Discuss the role of the two messengers in Oedipus the King.

15. Interpret the following lines of dialogue by the Chorus as the final moral statement of Oedipus the King:

Let every man in mankind's frailty Consider his last day; and let none Presume on his good fortune until he find Life, at his death, a memory without pain.