Greece Yesterday and Today

Greece Yesterday and Today Final Test April 2008

Section 1. 1. The Greek war of independence began in a. 1530 b. 1582 c. 1821 d. 1930 2. Which is the currency of Greece now? a. dollar b. euro c. drachma d. pound 3. Greece fought with the British and the Americans only in World War I, but not in World War II. a. True b. False 4. Greece was ruled by a dictatorship between 1967 - 1974 a. True b. False 5. What was the name of the first king to rule modern Greece a. Othon b. George c. Alexander d. Paul 6. From 1939 to 1941 Greece was ruled by a fascist regime. This regime was established by the following politician: a) I. Metaxas b) E. Venizelos c) I. Kapodistrias d) G. Papandreou 7. The term Rebetika refers to: a) A popular dance b) A communist plot against Greece c) Song of the Greek underground in early 20s d) A famous Greek movie 8. Konstantine Cavafy has become internationally known with his poem by the title: a) Corfu b) Ithaka c) Santorini d) Mykonos 9. The first nude scene in the history of European cinema appears in a Greek movie of 1931 with the title: a) Robin Hood b) The Labors of Heracles c) 300 d) Daphnis and Chloe 10. The most significant contribution to the Greek GDP comes from: a) Industry b) Tourism c) Exports d) Agriculture 11. What is the landscape of mainland Greece like? a. flat b. hilly c. desert d. mountainous with fertile valleys 12. Which resource has provided the main source of income for most of the smaller Greek islands through the centuries? a. Petroleum b. Sheep c. Goats d. The Sea 13. Which of the following is NOT a product of modern Greece? a. Olives b. vines c. fruit d. cinnamon 14. How large is the Greek commercial fleet? a. 1% of the world’s fleet b. 5% of the world’s fleet c. 10% of the world’s fleet d. 40% of the world’s fleet 15. The current Greek real estate market, when compared to Florida is a. much underdeveloped b. much overdeveloped c. similar 16. The Greek healthcare system is: a. Totally socialized medicine b. Totally private medicine c. A mix of socialized and private 17. Crime in modern Greece is a. Very Low b. Moderate c. High d. Extremely High 18. Which of the following is NOT a typical characteristic of epic poetry? a. a hero of imposing statute b. deeds of great valor c. supernatural forces d. personal and emotional accounts 19. Which of the following is not a School of modern Greek literature? a. the Romantic School b. the Symbolist School c. the New School of Athens d. the School of the Ionian Islands 20. Both distinguished poets, Solomos and Kalvos, were zealous patriots: a. True b. False 21. In his poem ‘The Grave’ Palamas captured the spirit of the Greek war of independence a. True b. False 22. Constantine Kavafy’s poetry is often an expression of his own homosexuality a. True b. False 23. Which modern Greek author had inscribed on his grave ‘I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free’ a. Solomos b. Palamas c. Kavafis d. Kazantzakis 24. Which of the following poets won a Nobel prize for literature in 1963 a. Kavafis b. Sikelianos c. Seferis d. Ritsos 25. Most of the poems of Gatsos were large epic compositions of considerable length and scope. a. True b. False

Section 2. Write a brief essay (no longer than 1 page) on ONE of the following subjects:

1. The past has placed great expectations upon the Greeks of the present. Do you believe that they have successfully responded to this challenge of history? 2. The European Union was created in order to allow co-operation among the peoples of Europe, and certainly not in order to annihilate local cultures. Which elements of Modern Greek life and culture would you consider strong enough to survive the inevitable European integration?