Odyssey Book 19: Penelope, the beggar and the scar - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (The Homeric World) Exam Questions

Practise 35 exam-style questions on Odyssey Book 19: Penelope, the beggar and the scar for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (The Homeric World). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

35 questions
1–15 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 19. Eurycleia has just recognised Odysseus by his scar.

'So she spoke, and looked across at Penelope, wanting to tell her that her dear husband was at home. But Penelope could not meet her gaze or notice anything.'

Why did Penelope not notice what had happened?

Model answer

Athena had turned Penelope's mind away so that she would not notice.

Explanation

Athena protects Odysseus' plan by keeping Penelope unaware, so the reunion of husband and wife is saved for later (Book 23). The gods' help at key moments is a constant theme of the poem; here it lets Odysseus silence Eurycleia before anyone else learns who he is.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Athena had turned her mind / attention away
Accept 'a goddess / Athena distracted her'. Do not accept 'she was asleep' or 'she had left the room'.

Question 2

2 marks

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 19. Soon after Odysseus is born, his mother's father Autolycus visits Ithaca, and Eurycleia asks him to choose a name for the baby. Autolycus says to the baby's parents:

'My son-in-law and my daughter, give him the name I tell you. Since I have come here as one who has been angry with many people, men and women alike, across the fruitful earth, let his name be Odysseus.'

Why is the name 'Odysseus', as Autolycus explains it, appropriate for the hero of the Odyssey? Make two points.

Model answer

The name is linked to the idea of anger and hatred, which suits Odysseus because he is a man who brings anger and pain to many, such as Polyphemus, whom he blinds, and the suitors, whom he kills. It also suits him because he suffers the anger of the gods, especially Poseidon, who is furious after the blinding of his son and keeps Odysseus from home for years.

Explanation

Autolycus explains the name with the Greek verb odussomai, 'to be angry with' or 'to hate', so 'Odysseus' can mean both the man who angers others and the man who is the target of anger. Autolycus himself, a master of trickery and oaths, is a fitting grandfather for the cunning hero. Answers need to link the name to events in the poem.

Mark scheme

1 mark
A valid point linking the meaning of the name (anger / hatred / causing or suffering pain) to Odysseus' story or character
Two from: Odysseus causes anger / pain to many people (he blinds Polyphemus; he kills the suitors and the disloyal maids); he is the object of the gods' anger / is hated by gods - Poseidon's anger after the blinding of his son Polyphemus keeps him from home / Zeus and Helios are angry after his men eat the cattle of the Sun; he suffers much pain himself on his long journey; like his grandfather Autolycus, the master of trickery, he is a cunning trickster and liar (e.g. 'Nobody', the Aethon story) - accept as appropriateness of the family inheritance if linked to the name. Max 2. Each point needs a link to the poem.
1 mark
A second, different point
As above.

Question 3

4 marks

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 19. Penelope tells the beggar about the suitors.

'They are eager for the marriage, and I spin out tricks. First a god breathed into my mind the idea of setting up a great loom in my halls and weaving a robe, fine and very wide. At once I said to them: "Young men, my suitors, since noble Odysseus is dead, be patient, though you are eager to marry me, until I finish this robe, so that my threads are not wasted. It is a burial shroud for the hero Laertes, for the day when the deadly fate of death takes him; otherwise one of the Achaean women in the land might blame me if he lay without a shroud, a man who had won so much." So I spoke, and their proud hearts agreed. Then by day I would weave at the great loom, but by night I would unpick it by the light of torches. So for three years I kept my trick hidden and fooled the Achaeans.'

What impressions do you gain of Penelope in this passage? Make two points and support each with evidence from the passage.

Model answer

Penelope comes across as very clever: she says 'I spin out tricks', and she fools the suitors by weaving the shroud by day and unpicking it at night 'by the light of torches'. She is also loyal to Odysseus and determined, since she keeps the trick going 'for three years' to delay a marriage she does not want.

Explanation

The shroud trick is the clearest proof that Penelope is a match for her cunning husband, and her excuse (a shroud for Laertes) is cleverly chosen because no one could object to a daughter-in-law's duty. The trick only fails when her maids betray her in the fourth year. Good answers support each impression with a precise detail or quotation.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First impression of Penelope with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression, 1 mark for a relevant reference to or quotation from the passage that supports it. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
Two pairs from, e.g.: she is clever / cunning / resourceful (1) - 'I spin out tricks' / she weaves by day and unpicks by night (1); she is loyal / faithful to Odysseus and does not want to remarry (1) - the shroud delays the marriage the suitors 'are eager for' (1); she is persuasive / a skilful speaker (1) - 'their proud hearts agreed' (1); she is dutiful / respectful to her husband's family (1) - she claims to be making a shroud for 'the hero Laertes', her father-in-law (1); she cares about her reputation (1) - she fears 'one of the Achaean women' might blame her (1); she is patient / determined / hard-working (1) - she keeps up the trick 'for three years' / unpicks the work at night 'by the light of torches' (1); she is pious / believes the gods help her (1) - 'a god breathed into my mind' the idea (1); she is deceptive (1) - she tells the suitors 'noble Odysseus is dead' though she still hopes he lives (1). The second pair must make a different point. Points must come from the passage.
2 marks
Second, different impression of Penelope with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression, 1 mark for a relevant reference or quotation. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
As above; must be a different impression from the first point.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 19. The beggar has refused to let the young maids wash his feet. Penelope calls her old nurse.

'"Come now, wise Eurycleia, get up and wash the feet of this man, who is the same age as your master. Perhaps Odysseus too has feet and hands like his by now, for men grow old quickly when they suffer misfortune." So she spoke, and the old woman hid her face in her hands and shed hot tears.'

To what extent does Homer's use of dramatic irony make Odyssey 19 exciting for the audience? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Source A is full of dramatic irony. Penelope asks Eurycleia to wash a man 'the same age as your master' and imagines that Odysseus' feet and hands may now look like the beggar's, but the audience knows that the beggar is Odysseus. The irony is exciting because we also know about the scar on his leg, so as Eurycleia weeps and prepares to wash him, we fear that the disguise will be broken.

The same technique runs through the whole book. The beggar warns Melantho that Odysseus may return, and praises Penelope as like a blameless king while he is the king. When Penelope weeps at his false tale, Homer says she wept 'for her husband, who was sitting beside her'. She tests him on Odysseus' clothes, which he can describe because they are his own, and later tells her dream of the eagle to the eagle himself, fearing it came through the gate of ivory. This constant irony keeps the audience alert to the danger of discovery and makes the near-meetings of husband and wife both tense and painful.

However, dramatic irony is not the only source of excitement. The recognition scene works through delay (the long flashback), sudden action (the foot dropped, the basin crashing over) and violence (Odysseus gripping his nurse's throat). The boar hunt is exciting as a story of action in its own right. Some irony, such as Penelope's tears, is moving rather than exciting. Overall, dramatic irony is the main reason Book 19 is gripping, because it turns a long conversation into a dangerous game, but Homer combines it with suspense and action to reach the climax of the scar.

Explanation

Book 19 depends on the audience knowing who the beggar is while Penelope does not; Homer's original audience also knew the story, so the pleasure lay in how close she comes to the truth. A top answer uses several examples, explains their effect and weighs dramatic irony against other techniques. Answers that only define dramatic irony or retell the book stay in the lower levels.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of moments of dramatic irony and other techniques in Book 19, using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of how Homer's audience, who knew the story, would respond; a well-argued response with a clear judgement on how far dramatic irony makes the book exciting, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both the source and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis of dramatic irony and its effect, and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic of dramatic irony or excitement in Book 19; limited range of evidence; some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use the source given; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive or narrative answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - Penelope asks Eurycleia to wash a man 'the same age as your master' and imagines Odysseus' feet and hands looking like his; Eurycleia weeps; the audience knows the beggar is Odysseus and that the washing will reveal the scar. Own knowledge - the beggar warns Melantho that Odysseus may come home; he praises Penelope as like a good king while he is the king; Penelope weeps 'for her husband, who was sitting beside her' (snow simile); she tests him on Odysseus' clothes, which he describes from memory; he swears Odysseus will return this month; Eurycleia says the beggar is like Odysseus in build, voice and feet; Penelope tells the dream to Odysseus himself and fears it came through the gate of ivory; she announces the contest and he says Odysseus will string the bow first. Other sources of excitement - the recognition by the scar, the crash of the basin, Odysseus seizing Eurycleia's throat, the boar-hunt flashback, the suspense of the coming contest. AO2: for - dramatic irony runs through almost every exchange, creating tension (will he be found out?) and pathos (husband and wife so near and yet apart); the audience enjoys knowing more than Penelope. Against - much excitement comes from other techniques such as delay, physical action, similes and the risk of discovery; some irony creates sadness or reflection rather than excitement; a modern reader may find the long conversations slow. Judgement: dramatic irony is the main source of tension in Book 19, though it works together with suspense and action.

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