Hi Everyone!! This article will share Telesilla and The Gates f Argos Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Voyage, Owls In The Family and Abou Ben Adhem so, you can check these posts as well.
Telesilla and The Gates of Argos Questions & Answers
Word Galaxy
- Hardiest – strongest
- Vicious – cruel
- Ransom – money in exchange of release of captured prisoners
- Bar – lock
- Lamentation – sorrow
- Stirring – inspiring
- Smeared – covered
- Brandishing – waving in an angry way
- Wield – use
- Defiance – open refusal to surrender
- Tyrant – a cruel leader
Question 1: What did Telesilla do when the man of Argos marched out to fight the Spartan Army?
Answer: When the men of Argos marched out to fight the Spartan Army, Telesilla was singing, some of her songs of loyalty and bravery to raise the morale of the army as well as the other citizens of Argos.
Question 2: How did Kleomenes trick the surviving men of Argos?
Answer: Kleomenes tricked the surviving men of Argos by calling out their names individually and claiming that their family had paid ransom for their safety. When the men came out, the Spartans killed them.
Question 3: Read and answer the questions:
“We can expect no mercy from these dishonorable Spartans if we enter our city.”
(a) Who said these words and to whom?
Answer: Telesilla said these words to the women of Argos.
(b) Why were the Spartans called ‘dishonourable’?
Answer: The injured men of Argos had taken shelter in the sacred groves which the Spartans were scared of entering for the fear of angering the gods. So, the Spartan king Kleomenes, tricked the men by calling out their names individually claiming that their families had paid ransoms for their safety. When the men came out, the Spartans killed them. This is the reason for which the Spartans have being called dishonourable.
(c) What did the people spoken to want to do to save themselves?
Answer: The people Telesilla spoke to were divided in their opinion on what to do to save themselves. Some of them wanted to run away from the city and the rest wanted to bar the gates and hoped that would stop the army from entering the city.
(d) What was the speaker’s reply to them?
Answer: The speaker said that if they ran, the Spartans would chase and catch them. If they would bar the gates, the Spartans would break them and burnt the city like they had burned the sacred groves.
Question 4: Describe the preparation Telesilla made to face the Spartan army.
Answer: Telesilla posted all the children, slaves, old men and old women, on top of the city walls with pots to look like helmets and brooms to look like javelins. Then, she gathered all the spare armour, shields, helmets, swords and javelins in the city and armed all the able women. She led them out of the city and lined them up to defend the gate of Argos.
Telesilla and The Gates of Argos Questions & Answers
Question 5: Why did kleomenes retreat with his army? Whom did he blame?
Answer: Kleomenes didn’t mind being called a bully or a tyrant or even a cheat. He didn’t mind cheating to win a battle against other warriors. However, he knew there was no way he could earn fame and glory from fighting a battle against women. If he beat them, no one would respect it as a serious victory. Hence, he ordered his men to step back and he led them away from the city of Argos. He blamed the gods, he had annoyed when he burned the sacred grove for his failure.
Question 6: What do the phrase ‘power of the word’ and ‘power of the sword’ mean? How do they apply to Telesilla’s action?
Answer: The phrase ‘power of the word’ refers to the impact a poet or an author can have. The phrase ‘power of the sword’ refers to the might of an army. Both the phrases can be applied to Telesilla. When the army of Argos went out to face the enemy, she used her songs and poems to inspire them. When the army lost the battle, she organised the remaining citizens and led an army of women to defend their city.
Question 7: Read and answer the questions:
But the people of Argos knew who had saved them.
(a) Who had saved the people of Argos and from what?
Answer: Telesilla had saved the people of Argos. She had saved the city from being destroyed and its citizens from being killed and enslaved by the Spartans.
(b) How did they show their gratitude to the saviour?
Answer: As a mark of gratitude to Telesilla, the people of Argos erected a marble statue of her. The statue had books at her feet and a warrior’s helmet in her hand.
(c) What were the things that the saviour knew of?
Answer: The saviour Telesilla knew the power of written words of a poet. She also knew of the power that was weilded by a sword.
So, these were Telesilla and The Gates of Argos Questions & Answers.