Women of legend in Greece: Pandora and Helen - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Women in the Ancient World) Exam Questions

Practise 33 exam-style questions on Women of legend in Greece: Pandora and Helen for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Women in the Ancient 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
1–8 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

In Iliad 3, Priam and the old men of Troy watch the Greek army from the tower above the gates of the city. Name these gates.

Model answer

The Scaean Gates.

Explanation

The old men, too old to fight, sit on the tower by the Scaean Gates 'like cicadas'. Helen joins them and points out the Greek leaders to Priam, a scene known as the teichoskopia ('viewing from the wall'). The Lion Gate belongs to Mycenae, not Troy.

Mark scheme

1 mark
The Scaean Gates
Accept Skaian / Skaean / Scaean. Do not accept 'the Lion Gate' (Mycenae) or 'the main gates' alone.

Question 2

2 marks

Source A: Hesiod, Theogony 594-602

'Just as in their roofed hives the bees feed the drones, partners in mischief - all day long until the sun goes down the bees are busy, building the white honeycomb, while the drones stay inside the sheltered hives and gather the toil of others into their own bellies - in the same way Zeus who thunders on high made women an evil for mortal men, partners in troublesome works.'

In Source A, Hesiod compares women to drones in a beehive. Explain two things this comparison suggests about women.

Model answer

The comparison suggests that women are idle, since the drones sit in the hive while the bees work all day. It also suggests that women are greedy and expensive, because the drones 'gather the toil of others into their own bellies', eating up what the men have produced.

Explanation

Hesiod writes as a hard-working farmer for whom a household's stores are precious, so a wife is seen as another mouth to feed. Ironically, in Athens women's work in the house (weaving, managing stores) was essential, and real worker bees are female. Good answers explain what the image implies rather than just repeating it.

Mark scheme

1 mark
First valid suggestion drawn from the comparison.
Two from: women do not work / are idle while men toil (the drones do not build the honeycomb); women consume what men produce / are greedy, eating up the household's wealth ('gather the toil of others into their own bellies'); women stay indoors (the drones 'stay inside the sheltered hives'); women are a burden or an evil that men must feed and support; men are like the hard-working bees. Each mark must be a different point.
1 mark
Second, different valid suggestion drawn from the comparison.
As above; must be different from the first.

Question 3

3 marks

Source A: Homer, Iliad 3.125-128

'She found Helen in the hall, weaving a great web, a purple cloak of double width, and working into it the many struggles of the horse-taming Trojans and the bronze-armoured Achaeans, which they had suffered for her sake at the hands of Ares.'

Explain what Source A suggests about Helen. Make three points.

Model answer

First, Helen is doing exactly what a good Greek wife should, weaving indoors in the hall. Second, the great purple cloth shows her wealth and skill, since purple dye was a luxury. Third, she is weaving the battles that the Trojans and Achaeans 'suffered for her sake', which suggests she is aware of, and perhaps troubled by, her responsibility for the war, almost like a poet recording her own story.

Explanation

Weaving was the defining activity of the virtuous Greek woman, so Homer first shows Helen in a respectable light. Many scholars see the tapestry of the war as Helen's own version of the epic; in Iliad 6 she says Zeus gave her and Paris an evil fate so that they would be a theme of song for future generations. Strong answers interpret, not just describe.

Mark scheme

1 mark
First valid point, explained with reference to the source.
Three from, e.g.: she is doing the proper work of a good wife (weaving at home, like Penelope or Andromache); she is wealthy / of high status / skilled (a great purple cloth - purple dye was a luxury); she knows she is the cause of the war / feels responsibility or guilt ('which they had suffered for her sake'); she is like a poet or artist, recording the war and her own story for the future; she stays indoors, apart from the fighting, as a respectable woman should; she is isolated / passive, watching rather than acting. Each mark needs a point linked to the source.
1 mark
Second, different valid point.
As above.
1 mark
Third, different valid point.
As above. Max 3.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Hesiod, Works and Days 90-105

'Before this the tribes of men lived on the earth free from evils, free from hard work and the cruel diseases that bring death to men. But the woman lifted the great lid from the jar with her hands and scattered its contents, and devised grim sorrows for men. Only Hope remained there inside, in her unbreakable home under the rim of the jar, and did not fly out of the door; for the woman put the lid back first, by the will of Zeus who holds the aegis and gathers the clouds. But countless other miseries wander among men: the earth is full of evils, and the sea is full. Diseases visit men by day and by night, coming of their own accord, bringing evils to mortals in silence, for Zeus the counsellor took away their voice. So there is no way to escape the mind of Zeus.'

To what extent is Pandora presented as completely evil in Hesiod's account? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Hesiod certainly presents Pandora as the source of men's misery, but she is less a wicked person than a weapon made and used by Zeus.

Source A shows the damage she does. Before her, men lived 'free from evils, free from hard work and the cruel diseases'; she lifted the lid of the jar and 'devised grim sorrows for men', so that now 'the earth is full of evils, and the sea is full'. Her character also seems evil: Hermes gave her 'the mind of a dog', 'lies, flattering words and a thieving nature', and she was named Pandora because the gods' gifts made her 'a sorrow for men who eat bread'. In the Theogony Hesiod calls her a 'beautiful evil' and says the whole race of women comes from her, like drones that eat what the bees produce.

However, Hesiod makes it clear that Zeus is the real author of the evil. She was created as his revenge for Prometheus' theft of fire, and even her replacing the lid, leaving Hope inside, happens 'by the will of Zeus'; the passage ends 'there is no way to escape the mind of Zeus'. Epimetheus is also to blame, as he forgot Prometheus' warning not to accept a gift from Zeus. Pandora is given no motive at all - the idea of her curiosity is much later - and she has good qualities too: Athena taught her weaving, the most admired female skill, and she has beauty that men 'delight' in. The fact that Hope stays in the jar may even be a small comfort for mankind.

Overall, Pandora is presented as an evil for men, but not as completely evil in herself: she is a beautiful trap built by the gods, and Hesiod's real point is that Zeus' power cannot be escaped.

Explanation

Top answers use details from both the source and the rest of the myth (the gifts, the Theogony) and separate two questions: does she cause evil, and is she herself to blame? Recognising that Zeus designs the trap, and that Hesiod gives Pandora no motive, leads to a substantiated judgement. Narrating the myth without weighing these points stays in Level 2.

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 Hesiod's account of Pandora, using both Source A and own wider knowledge (e.g. her making and gifts in Works and Days, the Theogony); shows very good understanding of the cultural context and possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far Pandora is presented as completely evil, 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 Pandora's presentation and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic, 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 answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - before her men lived free from evils, toil and disease; she lifted the lid and scattered evils, 'devised grim sorrows'; Hope stayed under the rim; she replaced the lid 'by the will of Zeus'; silent diseases; 'no way to escape the mind of Zeus'. Works and Days 54-89: created as Zeus' revenge for Prometheus' theft of fire, 'an evil in which they will delight'; Hephaistos made her from earth and water with a face like the goddesses; Athena taught weaving and dressed her; Aphrodite gave grace and painful desire; Hermes gave 'the mind of a dog', lies, wily words and a thieving nature; named Pandora because all the gods gave gifts, 'a sorrow for men'; 'a sheer, inescapable trap'; Epimetheus ignored Prometheus' warning. Theogony 570-612: 'beautiful evil' (kalon kakon); from her comes the race of women; women as drones; marriage an evil men cannot avoid. Hesiod gives her no motive (curiosity is a later idea). AO2: for - she is designed as an evil and given a deceitful nature; her action releases all the evils; her name and gifts are 'a sorrow for men'; Hesiod blames all women through her. Against - she is a tool of Zeus: he plans the trap and even the replacing of the lid is 'by the will of Zeus'; Prometheus' theft and Epimetheus' foolishness are also responsible; she is beautiful and skilled in weaving, valued qualities in a wife; men 'delight' in her; Hope remains (though whether Hope is good or bad is debated); she has no motive or speech of her own, more an object than a moral agent. Judgement: e.g. presented as an evil for men, but the real author of the evil is Zeus, so she is a punishment rather than a wicked person.

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