Antigone

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following literary terms best describes this quote from Antigone?

“I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, it will not be the worst of deaths ––death without honor” (Scene 1).

A) Dramatic irony

B) Dialogue

C) Pathos

D) Metonymy

2. Which of the following best summarizes Antigone’s tone in her response to Ismene in Scene 1?

A) Understanding

B) Jubilant

C) Bitter

D) Despair

3. In Scene 2, Kreon makes the following statement: “I have the honor to inform you that our Ship of State, which recent storms have threatened to destroy, has come safely to harbor at last, guided by the merciful wisdom of Heaven” (Scene 2). Which of the following literary devices does Kreon use?

A) Allusion

B) Anaphora

C) Malapropism

D) Metaphor

4. Which of the following statements is true regarding Kreon’s approach to his role as head of state?

A) He prioritizes friendships over the laws of the state.

B) He does not believe that problems of the state should be publicly addressed.

C) He demands loyalty from all his subjects immediately.

D) He believes in the importance of public welfare.

5. As Antigone makes her case to Kreon, she says, “Living, as I live, with evil all about me, Think Death less than a friend?” Which of the following literary devices is used in this quote?

A) Parody

B) Personification

C) Parable

D) Palindrome

6. Which of the following best summarizes Antigone’s and Kreon’s stances regarding family loyalty versus state loyalty?

A) While Antigone is concerned with following the laws of the state, Kreon believes familial loyalty is the most important.

B) While Antigone believes all should be treated equally in death, Kreon supports honorable burials only for heroic citizens.

C) Both Kreon and Antigone believe in the importance of burying family, regardless of their status as traitors.

D) Both Kreon and Antigone believe that following governmental decrees is essential for the state’s functioning.

7. Which of the following best describes the stance Haimon adopts in his relationship with Kreon?

A) Disrespectful

B) Shameful

C) Subordinate

D) Equal

8. Why does Kreon take offense at Haimon’s suggestions in Scene 4?

A) Because of his youth

B) Because of his disrespectful words

C) Because of his emasculating approach

D) Because he helped bury Polyneikes

9. In her Scene 5 monologue, Antigone laments: “You have touched it at last: that bridal bed / Unspeakable, horror of son and mother mingling / Their crime, infection of all our family!” Which of the following literary terms does she use in these lines?

A) Allegory

B) Anaphora

C) Allusion

D) Anthropomorphism

10. Which of the following rhetorical devices is used between Antigone and the Chorus in Scene 5?

A) Pathos

B) Ethos

C) Logos

D) Metaphor

11. Which of the following best describes Kreon’s reaction to Teiresias’s advice?

A) Accepting

B) Sheepish

C) Indifferent

D) Obstinate

12. Upon overhearing some potentially sorrowful news, Eurydice asks of the Chorus, “But speak again: whatever it is, I can bear it: Grief and I are no strangers” (Scene 7). Which of the following literary devices is used in this quote?

A) Palindrome

B) Personification

C) Paradox

D) Parody

13. Which of the following best describes the final message of the Chorus?

A) It is important to obey the law of man.

B) Happiness is irrelevant if you listen to your king.

C) Wisdom is learned with age.

D) There is no such thing as destiny, only free will.

14. Which of the following character types best describes Antigone in this play?

A) Comedic hero

B) Siren

C) Tragic heroine

D) Antagonist

15. Which of the following best describes Kreon’s position at the end of the play?

A) Stubbornly convinced of his position

B) Mourning the loss of his loved ones

C) Indifferent to the pain and suffering he caused

D) Delighted at the consolidation of his power

Long-Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Examine the role of the Chorus. To whom does the Chorus pledge their allegiance? Does this allegiance change over the course of the play? If so, how?

2. How does this play fit into the conventions of a Greek tragedy? Provide examples.