Literary Allusions

Question 1

Antediluvian

Answer 1

“Before the flood”, a reference to anything that happened ages ago.

Question 2

Edenic

Answer 2

From Genesis; now, a reference to a perfect time

Question 3

Israelites

Answer 3

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew tribes who were looking for a homeland; in American literature, the group with which the Puritans identified.

Question 4

Job

Answer 4

Old Testament man who God causes to suffer terribly but keeps his faith; now, anyone who suffers with patience (Pronounces with a long “O” sound, as opposed to having an occupation).

Question 5

Ahab

Answer 5

Biblical king who turns to worship of idols; also, Melville’s captain in Moby Dick; now, anyone who is inclined to dark and evil intentions.

Question 6

Apocalypse

Answer 6

The final battle between God and Satan; or, the end of the world

Question 7

Catch-22

Answer 7

From Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22, in which the mani character is caught in a circular problem. Now, any situation where you lose no matter your decision.

Question 8

Noble Savage

Answer 8

Refers to an unpolished person who is more worthy than his or her more “civilized” acquaintances.

Question 9

Brahim

Answer 9

Members of a Boston literary group, references to the Hindi word, Brahmin, meaning of the highest social castle. Now means any socially prominent and intellectually refined individual.

Question 10

Holy Grail

Answer 10

From the King Arthur legends; the cup of the Last Supper sought by King Arthur’s Knights; a quest for a, possibly, unattainable goal.

Question 11

Galahad

Answer 11

Purest of King Arthur’s knights; now, a representation of purity and perfection.

Question 12

Camelot

Answer 12

King Arthurs’s court; now, a reference to a place of justice and chivalry.

Question 13

Round Table

Answer 13

Table around which all Arthur’s knights sit; now, a place of friendship and loyalty.

Question 14

Sisyphean

Answer 14

From Sisyphus, a Greek king whose punishment is to push a rock up a hill for eternity; now, a never ending task.

Question 15

Herculean

Answer 15

Monumental tasks that require superhuman efforts to accomplish.

Question 16

Prometheus

Answer 16

Greek God/titan who defied authority; now, a person who is independent, defiant, and willing to sacrifice for his or her beliefs.

Question 17

Athena/ Pallas Athena

Answer 17

The Greek goddess of wisdom and war

Question 18

Homeric

Answer 18

After Homer, writer of the epics, The Iliad and the Odyssey, which were heroic and immense; now, anything that is larger than life.

Question 19

Achilles (heel)

Answer 19

Greatest Greek warrior; killed by a poisoned arrow shot into his heel, his only vulnerable spot; now any person’s place of most vulnerability.

Question 20

Tabula Rasa

Answer 20

From Latin for “blank slate”; now, a fresh and unsullied mind, ready to be inscribed with knowledge.

Question 21

Faustian

Answer 21

Original, a story in which Dr. Faustus sells his should to the devil to gain power, youth, and wealth. Now, a bargain in which a person sacrifice everything to obtain immediate gratification, but pays a price later.

Question 22

Utopia

Answer 22

Originally, Thomas More’s book about perfect society. Now, a reference to an idea perfection.

Question 23

Dystopia

Answer 23

A society, often futuristic, that is falling apart.