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CC 301

SAMPLE TEST #1

(25 ID's for 2 points each)


1.         The name of Odysseus' dog was

a.  Hannibal
b.  Spartacus
c.  Argos
d.  Checkers

2.          Which of the following statements about tyrannies is incorrect?

a. they usually were hereditary
b. they often championed the cause of new social classes
c. they promoted cultural activities
d. they were uniformly despised

3.          Shaft graves are typical of

a.  Minoan palaces
b.  Greek colonies
c. Spartan burials
d. Mycenean palace sites

4.          Polyphemus showed his appreciation to Odysseus by

a. letting him select the comrades whom Polyphemus was going to devour
b. promising him that he'd be eaten last
c.  letting him ride on his favorite ram
d.  not destroying his ship

5.         Xenophanes

a. threw his shield away
b. wrote love poems
c. challenged the anthropomorphic concept of the deities
d. urged the defeat of the Persians

6.        Timocracy means

a.  rule by the timid
b.  government on the basis of different classes of wealth
c.  rule by a powerful few
d.  a part of Spartan government

 

III. (50 points)  Write on ONE of the following.  Make a short plan or outline before you start writing.

1) "From Minoan times to the times of colonization, civilization in Greece did not stand still. There is constant evolution and change - sometimes, fast, sometimes gradual - in all major areas of human culture:  society and political organization, the arts, architecture, literature, and religion."

Discuss this statement by giving SPECIFIC examples from at least THREE of these five areas.

2)  "It's easy to see why Homer was used as a sort of Bible by the Greeks.  In the Odyssey in particular, he illustrates a variety of values, which can sometimes be in conflict.  At the same time, the characters of Odyssey are models, both positive and negative, of human conduct."

Again, discuss this statement by giving SPECIFIC examples and referring to SPECIFIC passages in the Odyssey.

Pointers:  "Essay" does not connote b.s. or a slew of generalizations.  Instead, you need to organize specific information from a chosen viewpoint.  State your argument, let the reader know where you are going.  Then use as many SPECIFIC examples as you have time for to support your argument and conclusions.  Factual info is what we're looking for.  Don't worry about misplaced commas, etc.  Instead, here is a chance to strut your stuff and show that you've done your homework.  One more time: specifics, specifics, specifics, held together by an argumentative thread.  And yes, you should look at both sides of an issue.        


modified Feb. 11, 2005
s_davies@mail.utexas.edu