Themes of the Odyssey - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (The Homeric World) Exam Questions

Practise 33 exam-style questions on Themes of the Odyssey 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.

33 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

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 9

After Odysseus has shouted out his real name, the blinded Polyphemus speaks.

'Oh no! So the prophecy spoken long ago has come true for me. There was once a prophet here, a good and tall man ... who was outstanding in prophecy and grew old prophesying among the Cyclopes. He told me that all this would be fulfilled in time to come, and that I would lose my sight at the hands of Odysseus. But I always expected some tall, handsome man to come here, clothed in great strength; yet now a little man, a worthless weakling, has blinded my eye, after overpowering me with wine.'

Name the prophet whose prophecy Polyphemus remembers in Source A.

Model answer

Telemus, son of Eurymus.

Explanation

The prophecy of Telemus shows that the blinding was fated long before Odysseus arrived, yet the consequences come from Odysseus' own choice to boast and reveal his name. Polyphemus' contempt for the 'little man' also shows that he expected heroism to mean size and strength, whereas Odysseus wins by cunning and wine.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Telemus (son of Eurymus)
Accept Telemos. Do not accept Teiresias.

Question 2

2 marks

After the suitors have been killed, Odysseus orders that the disloyal maids should be punished. Give two details of how they were punished in Book 22.

Model answer

First the maids were made to carry the suitors' bodies out of the hall and to clean the tables and chairs. Then Telemachus hanged them all together with a ship's cable stretched across the courtyard.

Explanation

Odysseus had ordered that they be killed with swords, but Telemachus chose hanging, saying he would not give a clean death to women who had shamed his mother and himself and slept with the suitors. Many modern readers find this punishment harsh; in the poem it is presented as justice for disloyalty to the household.

Mark scheme

1 mark
They were made to carry the suitors' bodies out of the hall
Max 2: any two of the four points, one mark each.
1 mark
They were made to clean the hall / wash the tables and chairs
Accept 'clean up the blood'.
1 mark
Telemachus hanged them (all together) with a ship's cable in the courtyard
Accept 'they were hanged'. Accept 'Telemachus chose hanging rather than the sword so they would not have a clean death'.
1 mark
Their feet twitched for a short while before they died (like thrushes or doves caught in a net)
Credit only alongside or instead of another detail; it must be a different detail from any already credited.

Question 3

4 marks

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 19

Penelope tells the beggar (the disguised Odysseus) how she has dealt with the suitors.

'They are eager to hurry on the marriage, but I weave tricks. First a god breathed the idea of a robe into my mind. I set up a great loom in the hall and began to weave a fine, very wide cloth, and at once I said to them: "Young men, my suitors, since godlike Odysseus is dead, be patient, though you are eager for my marriage, until I finish this robe - I would not want my spinning to be wasted - a shroud for the hero Laertes, for the day when the deadly fate of death takes him, so that none of the Achaean women in the land can blame me if a man who won so much lies without a shroud." So I spoke, and their proud hearts agreed. Then by day I would weave at the great loom, but at night I would have torches set beside me and unpick it. So for three years I fooled the Achaeans and kept them persuaded; but when the fourth year came round, they caught me, through my maids, those heartless dogs.'

How does Source A show that Penelope is as skilled in trickery as Odysseus? Make two points and support each with evidence from the source.

Model answer

Penelope plans her deceit deliberately, just as Odysseus does: she says 'I weave tricks', and she invents a respectable excuse that the suitors cannot refuse, a shroud for Laertes so that no Achaean woman can blame her. She is also patient and persistent, weaving by day and unpicking 'at night' by torchlight, so that 'for three years I fooled the Achaeans' - she is caught only because her maids betray her.

Explanation

The shroud trick shows that Penelope is a true match for her husband, the man known to all for his tricks; her epithet 'wise' or 'circumspect' (periphron) fits her. The phrase 'I weave tricks' is a pun, since she is literally weaving. Good answers make two different points (planning, excuse, patience, secrecy, divine help) and quote briefly.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First point with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid point about Penelope's skill in trickery, 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 plans her deceit deliberately, like Odysseus (1) - 'I weave tricks' (1); she invents a plausible, respectable excuse the suitors cannot refuse (1) - a shroud for Laertes so that the Achaean women cannot blame her (1); she uses persuasive words / flattery to win the suitors over (1) - 'Young men, my suitors ... be patient' / 'their proud hearts agreed' (1); she is patient and persistent, keeping the trick going for years (1) - 'for three years I fooled the Achaeans' (1); she works in secret / at night (1) - she unpicks the weaving by torchlight at night (1); like Odysseus she is helped by the gods (1) - 'a god breathed the idea of a robe into my mind' (1); she is only defeated by betrayal, not outwitted (1) - 'they caught me, through my maids' (1). The second pair must make a different point from the first. Credit a relevant reference (1) even if the point is weak. Points must come from the passage.
2 marks
Second, different point with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid point about Penelope's skill in trickery, 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 point from the first.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Homer, Odyssey 9

At the court of the Phaeacians, Odysseus reveals who he is.

'I am Odysseus, son of Laertes, known to all people for my tricks, and my fame reaches up to heaven. My home is clear-skied Ithaca ... It is a rugged land, but a good nurse of young men; for my part I can see nothing sweeter than one's own country. The goddess Calypso, shining among goddesses, kept me with her in her hollow caves, longing for me to be her husband; and in the same way Circe, the cunning lady of Aeaea, held me back in her halls, longing for me to be her husband. But neither of them ever persuaded the heart in my breast. So true it is that nothing is sweeter than a man's own country and his parents, even if he lives in a rich house in a foreign land, far from his parents.'

To what extent is Odysseus driven by his desire to return home in the books you have read? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

In Source A Odysseus says he can see 'nothing sweeter than one's own country', and that neither Calypso nor Circe, though both wanted him as a husband, ever persuaded his heart. This suggests that the desire for nostos is the strongest force in his life.

Much evidence supports this. When some of his men eat the lotus and forget their homecoming, he drags them back to the ships weeping and ties them under the benches. On the voyage from Aeolus he handles the sheet of the sail himself for nine days so that they will reach home sooner, and only falls asleep when Ithaca is in sight. When Circe tells him he must first visit the House of Hades, his heart breaks and he weeps. In Ithaca his desire to recover his home makes him endure insults as a beggar and keep his disguise even when Penelope weeps beside him.

However, other motives sometimes come first. In the Cyclops' cave he refuses his men's advice to take the cheeses and lambs and leave, because he wants to see the owner and receive guest-gifts: curiosity and the desire for gifts and glory outweigh caution. His pride makes him shout his name to Polyphemus, which brings Poseidon's curse and delays his homecoming for years. Most strikingly, he stays a whole year feasting with Circe, and it is the crew who tell him to 'remember your native land'. This sits awkwardly with his claim in Source A that Circe never persuaded his heart - perhaps he is shaping his story for the Phaeacians.

In conclusion, nostos is Odysseus' main aim and in Books 19 to 22 it drives everything he does, but in Books 9 and 10 his curiosity, pride and enjoyment of comfort sometimes push it aside. He is driven by home to a great extent, but not consistently.

Explanation

Source A is Odysseus' own account, told to the Phaeacians, so good answers test it against what he actually does - especially the Cyclops' cave and the year on Aeaea. Balance evidence for and against and finish with a clear 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 Odysseus' words and actions concerning his homecoming across the prescribed books, using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of the importance of nostos in the poem and of possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far nostos drives him, 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 nostos and of his other motives, and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic of nostos; 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 - 'nothing sweeter than one's own country'; Ithaca rugged but a good nurse of young men; Calypso and Circe wanted him as a husband but never persuaded his heart; home and parents are better than a rich house abroad. Own knowledge - he drags the men who ate the lotus back to the ships and ties them under the benches; he handles the sheet himself for nine days to reach home sooner and falls asleep in sight of Ithaca; his heart breaks and he weeps when Circe says he must visit the House of Hades; in Ithaca he endures insults as a beggar, keeps his disguise and plans patiently to recover his home. Against - he stays in the Cyclops' cave against his men's advice to see the owner and get gifts; he boasts his name, bringing Poseidon's curse and years of delay; he stays a whole year feasting on Aeaea until the crew remind him to 'remember your native land'. AO2: nostos is his stated and ultimate aim, and in Books 19-22 it drives everything; but curiosity, desire for gifts and kleos, pride and enjoyment of comfort sometimes come first; his claim about Circe sits uneasily with the year on Aeaea - he may be shaping his story for the Phaeacians; nostos for Odysseus means recovering his whole household (wife, son, property), not just arriving; judgement, e.g. nostos drives him to a great extent but not consistently in Books 9 and 10.

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.