1) What was the name of the "blood" coursing through the veins of the gods, which made them immortal?

a) mercury  b) ichor  c) nectar  d) vitamin C

The gods and goddesses had Ichor, rather than blood, coursing through their bodies. Like blood, it flowed out, as in the case of Aphrodite when Diomedes wounded her during the Trojan War.

2) Helen of Troy was said to have a "Face that launched ____"

a) a 1000 ships  b) a 1000 zits  c) a 1000 ad campaigns  d) a 1000 lawsuits

The Trojan prince called Paris kidnapped the willing (and already married) Helen and brought her to Troy. Needless to say, the Greeks were not happy. They mustered a mighty naval force, said to number over a thousand ships, and paid the Trojans a lengthy visit.

3) The Titan Prometheus got in serious trouble with Zeus for giving a gift to humans. This priceless gift was:

a) a brain  b) fire  c) matches  d) electricity

Prometheus took pity on the humans shivering on earth and eating meat raw, and stole fire from Mount Olympus, giving it to the grateful mortals. Zeus had expressly warned Prometheus against doing so and punished him by having him bound to a rock, where daily a huge eagle would swoop down and devour his liver, which would grow back overnight. Hercules eventually killed the eagle and freed the brave Titan.

4) When he was a mere babe, the god Apollo hunted down and killed a ferocious monster. This creature was called:

a) Python  b) Typhoon  c) Ty Cobb  d) Barney

Hera, who was Zeus' jealous wife, had sent the monster Python to torment Leto, mother to Artemis and Apollo. The beast even tried to molest Leto so when Apollo "grew up" (he was four days old) he tracked down the dragon Python and put it out of its misery.

5) Jason and the Argonauts left Greece and went on a Quest for:

a) beer  b) a decent meal  c) the Golden Fleece  d) an outlet mall

The Golden Fleece was guarded by a real nasty dragon, who wasn't too eager to part with it. With the help of the witch Medea, Jason scored the Fleece, wreaking havoc in the process.

6) The famous ship that the Argonauts sailed on was called the:

a) Argo  b) Argus  c) Argyle  d) Titanic

The great Athena herself picked out the timbers that were used to build the Argo, named after its builder, Argos. The word "nautis" means "sailor" in Greek, so the "Argonauts" were literally "the sailors of the Argo".

7) Sisyphus went brain-dead and insulted Zeus. As punishment he had to:

a) go on a date with Medusa  b) roll a rock up a hill  c) rock and roll up a hill  d) write "I won't tick off the Big Guy" 1000 times

The hapless Sisyphus had to endure a lifetime of rolling a huge rock up a hill, only to have it roll back over him just as he reached the top. Bummer. It's not wise to arouse the wrath of the gods...

8) The above is an example of HUBRIS. That means "making the gods mad by breaking a divine or moral law through ambition or passion, ultimately causing the transgressor's doom". Another famous fool dumb enough to make Zeus angry was Tantalus. From his name we get the word:

a) Tantalize  b) Tantrum  c) Toto  d) Tent

As his punishment, Tantalus was submerged up to his chin in a creek surrounded by bountiful fruit trees. But whenever Tantalus tried to take a drink the water would subside, and when he tried to pick a fruit to eat the branches would pull away just out of reach. Talk about tantalizing!

9) The hero Bellerophon, slayer of the monster called Chimera, was killed by Zeus because: 

a) nobody could pronounce his name  b) he was a horse thief  c) he tried to enter Olympus  d) he tried to leave Olympus

Alas, Hubris takes its toll again. Bellerophon, after killing the Chimera and attaining official hero status, got a little too full of himself. Mounting the flying horse Pegasus, Bellerophon headed for Mount Olympus, thinking he was going to join the gods and live as one of them. Zeus sent a gadfly that stung Pegasus and, when the horse reared up, vain Bellerophon fell to his death.

10) The hero Heracles (Hercules) performed:

a) 12 Labors  b)  12 Deliveries  c) 12 Operas  d) 12 times a day

Jealous Hera drove Hercules mad and in his insanity he killed his children, mistaking them for the attacking enemy. When he came to his senses he was instructed by the Oracle that, to atone for his crime, he must perform his famous 12 Labors.

Well? How did you do? I wouldn't be surprised if you got a perfect score! Good for you! And guess what? You actually learned a thing or two in the process...isn't education great when it's fun?

Bookmark this page and come back often, I'll be updating the quiz on a regular basis. Let me know if there's a particular subject you'd like mentioned, or if you want to contribute a question for the quiz.

Oh, yeah...I promise to make it harder next time!