The Epic of Gilgamesh Quizzes

The Epic of Gilgamesh Quiz 1

1 What kind of king is Gilgamesh? How is he first described to us?
A fierce warrior who protects his city

A tyrant who oppresses his people

A wise sage who rules with fairness

A holy man who consults the gods
2 Why did the gods create Enkidu?
To be a counterforce to Gilgamesh

To stop Gilgamesh from finding a bride

To defeat and overthrow Gilgamesh

To prevent Gilgamesh from destroying them
3 What did the trapper do after first seeing Enkidu?
Started a fire to drive the creature away

Set larger traps to catch this beast

Warned the people in the village of a monster

Told his father he had seen a giant man
4 How did the animals react to Enkidu after he was visited by Shamhat, the temple prostitute?
Rejected him and no longer regarded him as kin

Appointed him as their protector from hunters

Attacked him and drove him into the woods

Asked him to lead them to find food and water
5 What objects are featured in Gilgamesh's dreams prior to meeting Enkidu?
A bull and a cart

A meteor and an axe

A sword and a shield

A mountain and a lion
6 What was Gilgamesh doing that angered Enkidu to challenge him to a fight?
Putting the elderly of the city to death

Collecting heavy taxes from farmers

Enslaving peasants for his own amusement

Sleeping with newly married brides
7 What did Enkidu do after losing a fight with Gilgamesh?
Begged him to spare his life

Acknowledged his greater strength

Returned in shame to the wilderness

Agreed to become his personal servant
8 What did Gilgamesh propose that he and Enkidu do to gain fame and recognition?
Cross the Euphrates to conquer Shurrupak

Liberate Mesopotamia from the rule of Ea

Journey to the Cedar Forest to defeat Humbaba

Climb the mountains of Mashu to find Shamhat
9 What did Ninsun do before Gilgamesh and Enkidu left on their quest?
Obtained weapons for use

Packed food for them

Prayed for their safety

Told them a cautionary tale
10 Gilgamesh dreams of a mountainslide and a fiery storm. What does Enkidu tell him these dreams have predicted?
That they will be victorious in their quest

That they will encounter terrible weather

That they must return to the city quickly

That they should choose another path
11 What did Gilgamesh and Enkidu do upon hearing Humbaba's bellowing in the forest?
Called him out to face them in battle

Hid behind some bushes until he passed

Mimicked his voice to confuse him

Encouraged each other not to be afraid
12 What did Shamhash do to Humbaba to aid Gilgamesh and Enkidu?
Bound him with thirteen winds

Told his seven disciples to block out the sun

Summoned ten birds to peck out his eyes

Fed him four herbs to poison his heart
13 What did Humbaba do before he was beheaded?
Pleaded with Enlil for assistance

Gave Ishtar instructions in the event of his death

Said a prayer to Anu for forgiveness

Cursed Gilgamesh and Enkidu
14 What did Gilgamesh and Enkidu plan to do with a giant cedar tree they cut down after defeating Humbaba?
Fashion weapons for their next adventure

Construct a new home in the forest

Use it to build a gate for a temple

Carve an idol as homage to the gods
15 Why did Gilgamesh reject the Goddess Ishtar?
Because he knew how she treated other lovers

Because he had already selected another woman

Because he wanted to focus on starting a family

Because he wished to take a vow of celibacy
16 What did Ishtar do after being rejected by Gilgamesh?
Sought romantic advice from Utnapishtim

Asked Anu to punish him immediately

Visited Shamhash to acquire poison

Threatened to make Ninsun very sick
17 What did the Bull of Heaven do to the city of Uruk?
Trampled all the city's crops

Brought about a drought

Unleashed a deadly plague

Destroyed the temple walls
18 How did Enkidu further enrage Ishtar after he and Gilgamesh slayed the Bull of Heaven?
Told her she was too ugly to be a goddess

Threw its hindquarters at her face

Destroyed a temple built in her name

Convinced the other gods to shun her
19 What did Enkidu do after he fell ill?
Beseeched Urshanabi for a cure

Cursed Shamhat and the trapper

Insulted Enlil and the other gods

Blamed Gilgamesh and his mother
20 What was Enkidu's final lament before he died?
He wanted to travel and see the world

He wished to become the king of his own city

He wanted to die a heroic death in battle

He wished he could have started a family
21 Prior to his death Enkidu has a dream in which he is taken to the underworld. How does he describe the underworld to Gilgamesh?
A land of despair

A valley of decay

A kingdom of grief

A house of dust
22 Gilgamesh mourns over Enkidu's body for six days and seven nights. What finally prompts him to bury his friend?
A worm crawls out of his nose

The stench of decay becomes too strong

A jackal comes to claim the body

His skin turns black and falls off
23 As Tablet Nine begins, Gilgamesh is mourning the loss of Enkidu. How does the text describe him?
Walking the streets of his city completely naked

Roaming the wilderness dressed in animal skins

Seeking out battles in a full suit of armor

Locked in his chambers adorned in fine attire
24 What did Gilgamesh decide to do after Enkidu's death?
Take his own life to end his suffering

Learn about the secret of immortality

Challenge the gods to battle him in war

Relinquish his throne and live in the wild
25 What did Gilgamesh do when he arrived at the mountains of Mashu?
Wrestled a sacred lion with giant teeth

Questioned a deformed hermit for directions

Encountered two terrifying scorpion-men

Climbed it to drink from a magic fountain