The Autobiography of Red Quizzes

The Autobiography of Red Quiz 1

1 What color does Herakles dream of Geryon being, proving he doesn’t know Geryon at all?
Red

Green

Yellow

Blue
2 Whose emotional failure does the empty fruit bowl signify?
Geryon

Geryon's mother

Herakles

Geryon's brother
3 Which artistic medium was not a mode of expression for Geryon’s autobiography?
Sculpture

Photography

Oil Painting

Writing
4 What is the “theme” of Geryon’s street art in Herakles’ words?
Fear

Captivity

Eros

Flight
5 What is Herakles’ hometown?
Hades

Buenos Aires

Lima

Miami
6 What is the main topic of conversation between the philosopher Lazer and Geryon?
Truth

Deconstructionism

Distance

Religion
7 Which poet’s work is not influential for Autobiography of Red?
Stesichoros

Sappho

Gertrude Stein

Emily Dickinson
8 Which transition does Geryon try to capture in his photograph “If He Sleep He Shall Do Well”?
Uncertainty to Certainty

Life to Death

Fear to Wonder

Innocence to Cynicism
9 What is Geryon’s favorite question?
What is freedom?

What is time made of?

What do I think?

Why did Herakles kill Geryon?
10 What is a palinode?
A preface or introduction

A meaningless platitude

A “counter song”: saying the opposite of what you said before

A paradox
11 What does proemium mean?
Premium or high-quality

Preface or introduction

Process

Premiere or first time
12 At what age does Geryon fall in love with Herakles, and at what age do they encounter each other again in Buenos Aires?
18; 22

12; 20

14; 22

14; 28
13 Who or what does Herakles attempt to liberate in Buenos Aires?
A painted carousel tiger

Geryon

Himself

Ancash
14 What best describes Herakles’ attitude towards Geryon’s emotionality during sex?
Generous; loving

Angry; prideful

Dismissive; frustrated

Gentle; understanding
15 What is Herakles and Geryon’s song?
Joy to the World

Blue

La Cumparsita

Tempo
16 What is Herakles and Ancash’s documentary ostensibly about?
Emily Dickinson

South American volcanoes

Soundscapes

Seismic activity
17 What is the meaning of “Mitwelt” in “Café Mitwelt,” where Geryon writes postcards from Buenos Aires with scraps of Heidegger on them?
Mocha

Faithless

A German term for human existence

A German term for an individual's social or cultural environment
18 Which answer to the question “What is time made of?” does the yellowbeard NOT give Geryon?
The fourth dimension of reality, where the other three dimensions are spatial

Nothing

It is an abstraction

It is a meaning that we impose upon motion
19 What is Ancash’s answer when Geryon asks him what his name means?
blue

He doesn’t have a chance to answer

light, of little weight

eagle
20 What is the image of “a poppy in a breeze” NOT associated with in Autobiography of Red?
Sex

Blood

Death

Desire
21 Which is NOT an assumption we can make from the detail that Geryon is packing “six boxes of DX 100 color film” for his trip to Buenos Aires?
Digital photography hasn’t been invented yet

Color is an indispensable part of how Geryon sees the world

He is motivated by a desire for self-expression

He expects to be taking all of his photos outside
22 Which color is repeatedly associated with Herakles in Geryon’s perception?
Gold

Black

Red

Blue
23 Who is the “incubus” in this story, and what are they associated with?
Herakles; sexual frustration

Geryon; his monstrousness

Ancash; thwarting Geryon and Herakles’ relationship

Geryon’s brother; sexual terror and nightmares
24 Which of these conflicting narratives about Stesichoros’ blindness ISN'T offered as a possibility?
He was always a blind man

Helen blinded him because he blasphemed her

Hera struck him blind for his impiety

Helen blinded him when he liberated her
25 Fill in the blank of this oft-quoted sentence about Geryon’s heartbreak: “Geryon’s/whole body formed one arch of a cry—upcast to that custom, the human custom/of ______.”
Mourning

Heartbrokenness

Wrong love

Loneliness

The Autobiography of Red Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Autobiography of Red is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for The Autobiography of Red

The Autobiography of Red study guide contains a biography of Anne Carson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for The Autobiography of Red…

Wikipedia Entries for The Autobiography of Red

Introduction

View Wikipedia Entries for The Autobiography of Red…