Table of Contents
Previous Years: 2013-2020
2013
- Name the three great masters of Greek tragedy.
Ans: The three great masters of Greek tragedy are Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. - Between which countries was the Trojan War fought?
Ans: Between Greece and Troy - Who is Chrysies?
Ans: Chrysies is the daughter of Chryses, the priest of Apollo. - Who is Calchas?
Ans: Calchas is the Greek prophet who played a major part throughout the Trojan War. - Name the plays of the Argive Trilogy.
Ans: The Oresteria, Proteus, and Seven against Thebes. - What happened to Iphigenia?
Ans: Iphigenia was killed by her father, Agamemnon, leader of the Greek forces, in exchange for favorable wind from the gods. - Where is Medea’s house?
Ans: Medea’s house is in Corinth. - What is Lethe?
Ans: Lethe is the river of the underworld. - Who is Apollo?
Ans: Apollo is a god in Greek mythology and one of the Twelve Olympians. He was the god of music and poetry. - Name the two travellers in “The Frogs”.
Ans: The two travelers in “The Frogs” are Dionysus and his slave, Xanthias. - Who is Dionysus?
Ans: Dionysus is the God of fertility and wine and patron of the drama. - What does “Deus Ex Machina” mean?
Ans: Deus Ex Machina is a Latin expression meaning a god from a machine.
2014
- Who arranged the funeral games in Homer’s Iliad?
Ans: Achilles arranged the funeral games in Homer’s Iliad. - Who was Menelaus?
Ans: Menelaus was the king of Mycenaean Sparta, and the husband of Helen of Troy. - What was the name of King Priam’s wife?
Ans: Hecabe was the name of King Priam’s wife. - Who is Xanthias?
Ans: In the play “The Frogs”, Xanthias is the slave of Dionysus. - Who was Clytemnestra?
Ans: Clytemnestra was the queen of Argos and the wife of Agamemnon. - What was Agamemnon’s dilemma?
Ans: Agamemnon was in a terrible dilemma as he was torn between his obligation to his family and his army. - Why did Theseus go to the underworld?
Ans: Theseus went to the underworld to help his friend, Peirithus to carry off Persephone from Hades. - Who was Pelias?
Ans: Pelias was the bitterest enemy of Jason. He was killed by Medea. - Who was Seneca?
Ans: Seneca was a famous Roman philosopher and statesman. - What suspicion did Creon have against Medea?
Ans: Creon had a suspicion that Medea would do harm to his daughter, Glauce. - Whom did Pluto marry?
Ans: Pluto married Proserpina. - How did Phaedra die?
Ans: Phaedra committed suicide for what she had done.
2015
- What is an epic?
Ans: An epic is a long narrative poem that tells in grand style the history and aspirations of a national hero. - What was the most vulnerable part of Achilles body?
Ans: The most vulnerable part of Achilles’ body was his heel. - Why did Medea decide to kill her own children?
Ans: Medea thought her wronged children would be the fittest instruments of her vengeance. - What type of a comedy is The Frogs?
Ans: The Frogs is a comedy of ideas. - What were Molossians?
Ans: Molossians were fierce dogs of that place which was near Macedonia. - 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 of expression will be there. Pointless decoration and second-hand imagery should be discarded. - When did Phaedra confess her sin?
Ans: Phaedra confessed her sin when she saw the dead body of Hippolytus. - Who guarded the “Golden Fleece”?
Ans: The fiery dragon guarded the “Golden Fleece”. - Why did Achilles withdraw himself from the battlefield?
Ans: Achilles withdrew from the battlefield as a protest against Agamemnon’s taking of Brisies, his war prize. - Who is the paramour of Clytemnestra?
Ans: Aegistus is the paramour of Clytemnestra. - Who made the shield for Achilles?
Ans: Hephaestus made the shield of Achilles. - Who are the three masters of Greek tragedy?
Ans: The three masters of Greek tragedy are Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
2016
- Why did Thetis disguise her son Achilles?
Ans: Thetis disguised her son Achilles because she knew that her son could die young if he went to war. - Why did Hippolytus becomes a Misogynist?
Ans: Hippolytus hated and stunned all women after the death of his mother. There not a single woman left whom he could love. - How does Medea become the symbol of all suffering women of all ages?
Ans: Medea in her suffering transcends the personal level and becomes the symbol of the suffering women of all ages. - Why was Phaedra angry with Theseus?
Ans: Phaedra was angry with Theseus because her husband had not kept his vows by giving her regular company. - Who are the eminent Eleusinian deities?
Ans: Persephone, Demeter, and lacehus are the eminent Eleusinian deities. - Between which countries was the Trojan War fought?
Ans: The Trojan War was fought between Greece and Troy - 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. - What suspicion did Creon have against Medea?
Ans: See 2014 (j) num. - What was Hippolytus’s attitude towards women in the city?
Ans: Hippolytus considered women in the city to be the prime mover of all wickedness. For their adulteries cities had burnt and a nation had fought with another nation. - What is Lethe?
Ans: Lethe is the river of the underworld. - Why did Clytemnestra kill Agamemnon?
Ans: To take revenge upon Agamemnon for the sacrifice of her daughter Iphigenia, Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon. - Why did Dionysus decide to go to the Hades?
Ans: Dionysus decided to go to the Hades as he was dissatisfied with the new poets who had come to take their place at the festivals.
2017
- How did Calchas advise Agamemnon?
Ans: Calchas advised Agamemnon to send back Chryseis without ransom and delay. - What was Hector’s last request to Achilles?
Ans: Hector pleaded with Achilles to hand over his body to his kinsmen for a proper burial. - What is the meaning of the word ‘Iliad”?
Ans: The word comes from the word ‘Ilion’, an alternate name for Troy. Iliad means ‘the thing about Ilion’. - Why did Agamemnon refuse to walk on the red carpet?
Ans: Agamemnon refused to walk on the red carpet as it was only a privilege of God. - Who was Iphigenia?
Ans: Iphigenia was the daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. - Who are the three masters of Greek tragedy?
Ans: See 2015(1) num. - Who is Dionysus?
Ans: See 2013 (k) num. - What is Leviathan?
Ans: Leviathan was a large whale-like sea animal. - How did Hippolytus feel at the proposal of love from Phaedra?
Ans: Hippolytus was terribly shocked at the proposal of love from Phaedra but remained unmoved. - Why did Achilles withdraw himself from the battlefield?
Ans: See 2015 (i) num. - Who was Xanthias?
Ans: See 2014 (d) num. - Who is the boatman in The Frogs?
Ans: Charon is the boatman in “The Frogs”.
2018
- Who was Apollo?
Ans: See 2013 (i) num. - Why did Medea decide to kill her children?
Ans: See 2015 (c) num. - What was Agamemnon’s dilemma?
Ans: Agamemnon was in a terrible dilemma as he was torn between his obligation to his family and army. - What is the tradition in Hades?
Ans: It is a tradition in Hades that when a great artist dies, he sits next to Pluto at the Prytaneion. - Why did Dionysus decide to go to the Hades?
Ans: See 2016 (1) num. - Who made the shield of Achilles?
Ans: See 2015 (k) num. - What was Hippolytus’s attitude towards women in the city?
Ans: See 2016 (i) num. - What suspicion did Creon have against Medea?
Ans: See 2014 (j) num. - Name the two travelers in “The Frogs”.
Ans: See 2013 (j) num. - What is an epic?
Ans: See 2015 (a) num. - What does “Deus Ex Machina” mean?
Ans: See 2013 (1) num. - What was Eleusinia?
Ans: Eleusinia was the great festival observed by the Athenians every five years at Eleusis in Attica.
2019
- What is invocation?
Ans: Invocation is an address to a deity or muse at the beginning of an epic. - What incident led to the War of Troy?
Ans: The abduction of Helen by Trojan prince Paris was the cause of the War of Troy. - Who is Calchas?
Ans: Calchas is the Greek prophet who played a major part throughout the Trojan War. - Why was Agamemnon reluctant to walk on the red carpet?
Ans: Agamemnon was reluctant to walk on the red carpet as it was only a privilege of the gods. - Why did Jason betray Medea?
Ans: Jason betrayed Medea out of his greed for the political expediency of Corinth. - What does beacon fire suggest?
Ans: Beacon fire suggests the positive image of light from darkness. - What gift did Medea send to Glauce?
Ans: Medea gifted Glauce a poisoned golden robe. - What does Aristophanes mean by frogs?
Ans: Aristophanes means by frogs transformation. - Who is Xanthias?
Ans: Xanthias is the slave of Dionysus. - How many books are there in The Iliad?
Ans: There are 24 books in “The Iliad”. - Why did Theseus curse Hippolytus?
Ans: Theseus cursed Hippolytus because of Hippolytus’s trying to rape Phaedra as he was told so. - What was the cause of the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles?
Ans: Agamemnon’s taking of his war prize Briseis was the cause of the quarrel between Agamemnon and Achilles.
2020
- Who is the paramour of Clytemnestra?
Ans: Aegisthus. - How did Phaedra die?
Ans: Phaedra died by committing suicide. - Name the two travelers in The Frogs.
Ans: Dionysus and Xanthias. - Who made the shield for Achilles?
Ans: Hephaestus made the shield for Achilles. - Who was Nemesis?
Ans: Nemesis was the goddess of retribution. - Who are the three masters of Greek tragedy?
Ans: Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides. - Why did Achilles withdraw himself from the battlefield?
Ans: Achilles withdraws from the battlefield as a protest against Agamemnon’s taking of Briseis, his war prize. - Why did Medea decide to kill her own children?
Ans: To take revenge on Jason, Medea decided to kill her own children. - What did Athene offer Paris?
Ans: Athene offered Paris wisdom and success. - Who is Minotaur?
Ans: Minotaur is a half-man and half-bull monster. - When did Phaedra confess her sin?
Ans: When Phaedra saw the dead body of Hippolytus, Phaedra confessed her sin. - How was Achilles killed before the capture of Troy?
Ans: Paris gave a fatal blow to Achilles’ heel as it was the vulnerable part of his body.
2021
2022
