The Odyssey: Central Ideas and Character Motivation, Part 2
Question 1 of 10 • English 1A (Summer 2026)
Read the excerpt from The Odyssey.'We are from Troy, Achaeans, blown off courseby shifting gales on the Great South Sea;homeward bound, but taking routes and ways uncommon; so the will of Zeus would have it.We served under Agamemnon, son of Atreus—the whole world knows what cityhe laid waste, what armies he destroyed.It was our luck to come here; here we stand, beholden for your help, or any giftsyou give—as custom is to honor strangers.We would entreat you, great Sir, have a carefor the gods' courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest.'He answered thisfrom his brute chest, unmoved:'You are a ninny,or else you come from the other end of nowhere,telling me, mind the gods! We Cyclopes care not a whistle for your thundering Zeusor all the gods in bliss; we have more force by far.I would not let you go for fear of Zeus—you or your friends—unless I had a whim to.
Answer
A
He lives in fear of Zeus and all the rest of the Greek gods.
B
He sided and fought with the Trojans during the war.
C
He is eager to provide food and shelter to his guests.
D
He does not live by the same rules and customs as the Greeks.