Midterm

MMW 2  MIDTERM
Winter 2010

. . . you do not need a blue book . . .

Part One: Multiple Choice 10 x 5 points each

✏ Answer all questions by placing the correct letter in the space provided.

Part Two: Matching Vocabulary 12 x 5 points each

✏ Match words with their corresponding definitions. Note that there will be 3 more definitions than words.

Part Three: Source Recognition 4 x 5 points / answer = 10 points / quote

✏ Supply the requested information for 4 quotations. You will be given brief passages from primary source readings, and will be expected to answer two fill-in-the-blank type questions for each passage. The questions will test your knowledge of the primary sources and their historical or social context.

Part Four: Short Essay 50 points

✏ You will be assigned ONE of the following questions to answer with an essay no longer than one side of an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. Your answer should be a coherent, structured, but short essay. Try to answer your question with specific examples drawn from the readings, lectures, or textbook. There is no room here for padding, so be brief and to the point. You will have no choice as to which question you must answer . . . SO STUDY THEM ALL!

1. One central concern of Antigone and The Bakkhai is the conflict between natural/divine law and human law. In relation to just one of these readings, discuss how the classical Greeks thought about this conflict, and how they thought to resolve it.

2. Pericles’ eulogy for Athenian soldiers expresses classical Greek expectations about gender. It describes female excellence as “not falling short of your natural character”; and it claims that the “greatest glory will be hers who is least talked of among the men whether for good or for bad.” For Pericles, a good woman is an inconspicuous woman. Why, then, do female characters play key roles in both Antigone and The Bakkhai? To answer this question, ask yourself two more: 1) What function do female characters serve within these plays? 2) What attitude do the playwrights have towards them? You can use example from either one or both tragedies.

3. What is the correlation between the development of a monotheist theology and the Hebrews’ self-representation as a singular people, distinct from other peoples in terms of their laws, social practices, and beliefs? The term “covenant” should be prominent in your answer.

4. What does Professor Cohen mean when he calls the Hebrew Bible “living myth”?