Odyssey Book 9: the Cicones, the Lotus-eaters and the Cyclops - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (The Homeric World) Exam Questions

Practise 38 exam-style questions on Odyssey Book 9: the Cicones, the Lotus-eaters and the Cyclops 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.

38 questions
1–15 marks each
Instant marking
No sign-up needed

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

In Book 9, how many companions did Odysseus choose to take with him to explore the Cyclops' cave?

Model answer

Twelve - the best of his companions.

Explanation

Odysseus left the rest of the crew to guard the ship and picked twelve of his best men. Six of them are later eaten by Polyphemus, two at a time over three meals, which shows the high cost of Odysseus' decision to wait in the cave for the owner.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Twelve
Accept 12 / 'twelve of his best men'. Do not accept 13 or 6.

Question 2

2 marks

On the first night in the Cyclops' cave, Odysseus thought about killing Polyphemus with his sword while he slept, but decided not to. Explain why he decided not to kill him. Give two details.

Model answer

Odysseus realised that if he killed Polyphemus, he and his men could never move the enormous stone that blocked the doorway. They would have been trapped inside the cave and would all have died there, so they needed Polyphemus alive to open it.

Explanation

Homer says that twenty-two four-wheeled wagons could not have shifted the door-stone, yet Polyphemus moves it easily. Odysseus' restraint shows him thinking ahead instead of acting in anger, and it forces him to devise a plan in which Polyphemus himself opens the cave.

Mark scheme

1 mark
They could not have moved the huge stone (placed by Polyphemus) that blocked the doorway of the cave
Accept 'the entrance was blocked by a rock too big for them to move', 'only Polyphemus was strong enough to move the door-stone'.
1 mark
So they would have been trapped in the cave and would have died there
Accept 'they would all have perished', 'they needed Polyphemus alive to open the cave'.

Question 3

4 marks

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 9

'Beyond the harbour there stretches an island, neither close to the land of the Cyclopes nor far from it, and covered in woods. Countless wild goats live on it, for no human footsteps scare them away, and no hunters go there ... For the Cyclopes have no ships with red-painted bows, and there are no shipbuilders among them who could build well-benched ships to carry them to the cities of other men, as men often cross the sea in ships to visit one another. Such craftsmen would have made this island a fine settlement for them. It is not a poor island at all, and it would bear every crop in its season. There are soft, well-watered meadows along the shore of the grey sea; vines would grow there for ever; and the land is smooth for ploughing.'

What impressions do you gain of the Cyclopes from this passage? Make two points.

Model answer

The Cyclopes seem to lack skills and technology, because they have 'no ships with red-painted bows' and no shipbuilders. They also seem isolated and unenterprising: they never sail to 'the cities of other men', and they leave an excellent island empty, although it has well-watered meadows, land 'smooth for ploughing' and would 'bear every crop in its season'.

Explanation

Odysseus looks at the island through the eyes of a Greek colonist, seeing harbours, ploughland and vineyards waiting to be used; by describing what the Cyclopes do not do, Homer marks them out as uncivilised. Strong answers link each impression to a specific detail, such as the lack of shipbuilders or the undisturbed goats.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First impression of the Cyclopes with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression, 1 mark for a relevant reference or quotation from the passage that supports it. The evidence mark is awarded for a relevant reference or quotation even if the impression is missing, weak or wrong. 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.: they lack skills / technology (1) - they have 'no ships' and 'no shipbuilders' (1); they are isolated / have no contact with other peoples (1) - they cannot sail 'to the cities of other men', as men often do to visit one another (1); they are unenterprising / do not use their land (1) - the rich island, which 'would bear every crop in its season', is left empty (1); they do not farm (1) - the land is 'smooth for ploughing' but nobody ploughs it / vines could grow there (1); they do not hunt (1) - 'countless wild goats' live there undisturbed / 'no hunters go there' (1); uncivilised by Greek standards (1) - any reference to what they lack (ships, settlement, trade) used to support this (1). The second pair must make a different point. Points must come from the passage.
2 marks
Second, different impression with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression of the Cyclopes, 1 mark for a relevant reference 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.
As above; must be a different impression from the first point.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 9

Odysseus has shouted his real name to the blinded Polyphemus from his ship. Polyphemus prays:

'Hear me, Poseidon, dark-haired Earth-holder. If I truly am your son, and you claim to be my father, grant that Odysseus, sacker of cities, son of Laertes, whose home is in Ithaca, may never reach his home. But if it is his destiny to see his own people and reach his well-built house and his own country, may he come late and in misery, after losing all his companions, on someone else's ship, and may he find troubles in his house.'

Odysseus adds: 'So he prayed, and the dark-haired god heard him.'

To what extent does Odysseus bring his troubles on himself in Book 9? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Source A suggests that Odysseus is largely to blame for his future troubles. Polyphemus can only curse him so precisely - 'Odysseus, sacker of cities, son of Laertes, whose home is in Ithaca' - because Odysseus has just boasted those very details. The curse is terrible: Odysseus is to come home late, in misery, having lost all his companions, on someone else's ship, and find trouble in his house, and the line 'the dark-haired god heard him' tells us it will come true. Odysseus made things worse by ignoring his crew, who begged him not to provoke 'a savage', after the first rock had nearly driven the ship back to shore.

Odysseus' choices also caused trouble earlier in Book 9. In the cave his men begged him to take the cheeses and lambs and leave, but he insisted on staying to see the owner and receive guest-gifts, admitting that 'it would have been far better' to listen. Six of his men were eaten as a result.

However, not all his troubles are his own fault. At Ismarus he ordered his men to leave, but they disobeyed and six men from each ship were killed. Zeus sent the storm afterwards, and the wind and current drove him past Cape Malea to the Lotus-eaters. Polyphemus started the violence by eating his guests and scorning Zeus, so the blinding was self-defence and, as Odysseus says, a punishment from the gods; it had even been foretold by the prophet Telemus. Zeus' rejection of the ram sacrifice suggests that the gods had their own plans for the fleet.

Overall, Odysseus is responsible for the most important of his troubles, Poseidon's anger, because of his pride and his desire for kleos. But many of his other sufferings in Book 9 come from his men's foolishness, the gods and fate, so he brings his troubles on himself only in part.

Explanation

Strong answers separate the troubles Odysseus causes (staying in the cave, boasting his name) from those caused by others (his men at Ismarus, Zeus' storm, Polyphemus' own savagery). The best responses explain why revealing his name matters so much - it gives Polyphemus the power to curse him - and reach a balanced judgement.

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 the causes of Odysseus' troubles in Book 9, using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of the cultural context (kleos, xenia, the gods and fate) and of possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far Odysseus is to blame, 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 evidence and a judgement on how far he is to blame.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic, with a limited range of evidence and some analysis; any judgement is undeveloped.
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: Polyphemus can curse Odysseus precisely because Odysseus has revealed his name, father and home ('son of Laertes, whose home is in Ithaca'); the curse - never reach home, or come late, in misery, after losing all his companions, on someone else's ship, and find troubles in his house; Poseidon hears the prayer. Own knowledge: Odysseus insisted on staying in the cave to see the owner and receive gifts despite his men's pleas, and six men were eaten; he taunted Polyphemus, and the first rock nearly wrecked the ship; the crew begged him to stop, calling him reckless; he shouted his name 'Odysseus, sacker of cities'; Zeus rejects the sacrifice of the ram, planning the destruction of the ships. Against: his men's disobedience at Ismarus caused the deaths there; Zeus sent the storm, and the wind and current drove him off course at Cape Malea; the lotus was not his fault; Polyphemus' cannibalism and contempt for xenia started the violence, and the blinding was self-defence which Odysseus calls punishment from Zeus and the gods; Telemus' prophecy suggests the blinding was fated; Odysseus' cunning saves most of the twelve. AO2: his curiosity, desire for gifts and above all his boasting (pride, the desire for kleos) cause Poseidon's anger, which shapes the rest of the Odyssey; but much of his suffering comes from the gods, fate, nature and his own men; for a Homeric hero, claiming credit by name for a great deed was natural, so an ancient audience might see his boast as understandable; a judgement might be that he is largely to blame for the worst trouble (Poseidon's curse), though not for everything.

Ready to try the rest? Every answer you write is marked against the mark scheme, so you can see exactly where the marks are.

AI Tutor Hints first, answers after you try

Hi! Stuck? Ask me for a hint and I’ll help you work it out. Once you’ve checked your answer I can explain exactly where the marks are.