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Subjects · Leaving Cert Classical Studies

Leaving Cert Classical Studies: Myths & the nature of the gods

How often Myths & the nature of the gods comes up on the Classical Studies papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 2 of the last 3 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2024. most years

OL Asked on 3 of the last 3 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker

Myths & the nature of the gods, Higher Level(7 marks)

Quick ones on Myths & the nature of the gods.

(a)What was Xenophanes' criticism of the traditional gods?
  1. The gods are too distant to care
  2. Humans imagine gods in their own image
  3. There are too few gods for Greece
(b)How did Cronos try to avoid being overthrown by his children?
  1. He locked them away in the depths of Tartarus
  2. He married them off to mortals
  3. He swallowed them as they were born
(c)What gift won Athena the contest for Athens?
  1. An olive tree
  2. A golden shield
  3. A salt-water spring
Show the answers

(a) Humans imagine gods in their own image

(b) He swallowed them as they were born

(c) An olive tree

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Myths & the nature of the gods.

Higher Level

Asked on 2 of the last 3 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2024. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Not asked
2024Q7
2023Q1

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 3 of the last 3 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q1, Q13
2024Q16
2023Q1, Q2, Q13

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Myths & the nature of the gods questions

Myths & the nature of the gods, 2 marks

What did Prometheus steal from the gods to give to humans?

  1. Ambrosia
  2. Zeus' thunderbolt
  3. Fire
Show the answer

Fire

Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock, where an eagle ate his liver every day and it grew back each night. The myth explains where human skills came from.

Myths & the nature of the gods, 2 marks

A myth that explains how something came to be, such as the seasons, is called?

  1. A satyr play
  2. An aetiological myth
  3. An epic simile
Show the answer

An aetiological myth

Aetiology means giving the cause. The Persephone myth explains the seasons, and the Athena and Poseidon contest explains Athens' name and its sacred olive.

Myths & the nature of the gods, 2 marks

How did Zeus punish humans for Prometheus' theft?

  1. He sent Pandora with a jar of evils
  2. He flooded the Acropolis in anger
  3. He took away their power of speech for good
Show the answer

He sent Pandora with a jar of evils

Pandora, the first woman, opened the jar and let troubles out into the world. Only hope stayed inside. The myth explains why life is hard.

Other Classical Studies topics

All of Leaving Cert Classical Studies