DreamReader.net Culture – Beginner Level Zeus Zeus is probably the most well-known of all the ancient Greek gods. The ancient Greeks believed Zeus was the god of the sky. He was very powerful. He controlled lightning and thunder. If he was angry at someone, he could throw lightning at them. He could also change the weather from a stormy day to a pleasant one. To the ancient Greeks, Zeus lived on top of Mount Olympus. This is a real mountain. It is very tall at almost 3,000 meters. Eleven other Greek gods also resided there with him. Zeus ruled over all of the gods who lived there. He was also the king of all men. The Greeks believed he was a kind and fair ruler. He laughed and did not worry about much. However, he had a quick temper and would soon punish anyone who displeased him. He was married to Hera, the goddess of marriage. They had three children together. They were Ares, the god of war and Hebe, the goddess of beauty. Their third child, Eileithyia, was the goddess of childbirth. Zeus also had another child that was born when she came out of his head. Her name was Athena, and she was the goddess of intelligence. She was his favorite child. He had many other children too. This text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You may copy and print this material for classroom use. It may not be sold or adapted for commercial purposes. DreamReader.net Culture – Beginner Level 1. According to the article, who was Zeus? a) a god of mountains b) a god of war c) a god of the sky d) a god of children 2. The word “pleasant” in paragraph 1 could be replaced with: a) nice b) rainy c) windy d) hot 3. According to the article, how was Zeus’ personality? a) he was an angry god who hated everyone b) he was a fair god who was quick to anger c) he was a nice god who never hurt anyone d) he was a weak god who never did anything 4. The word “punish” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to: a) please b) see c) thank d) hurt 5. According to the article, Athena was: a) the wife of Zeus b) a child of Hera c) the god of war d) Zeus’ favorite child 6. The word “their” in paragraph 3 refers to: a) Hebe and Ares b) Eilethyia and Hebe c) Zeus and Hera d) Hebe and Zeus ) c ( 6. ) d ( 5. ) d ( 4. ) b ( 3. ) a ( 2. ) (c 1. Answers: This text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You may copy and print this material for classroom use. It may not be sold or adapted for commercial purposes. .