The Autobiography of Red Quizzes

The Autobiography of Red Quiz 1

1 What color does Herakles dream of Geryon being, proving he doesn’t know Geryon at all?
Blue

Yellow

Green

Red
2 Whose emotional failure does the empty fruit bowl signify?
Geryon's brother

Herakles

Geryon's mother

Geryon
3 Which artistic medium was not a mode of expression for Geryon’s autobiography?
Writing

Oil Painting

Photography

Sculpture
4 What is the “theme” of Geryon’s street art in Herakles’ words?
Eros

Flight

Captivity

Fear
5 What is Herakles’ hometown?
Miami

Lima

Hades

Buenos Aires
6 What is the main topic of conversation between the philosopher Lazer and Geryon?
Religion

Distance

Deconstructionism

Truth
7 Which poet’s work is not influential for Autobiography of Red?
Sappho

Emily Dickinson

Gertrude Stein

Stesichoros
8 Which transition does Geryon try to capture in his photograph “If He Sleep He Shall Do Well”?
Fear to Wonder

Innocence to Cynicism

Life to Death

Uncertainty to Certainty
9 What is Geryon’s favorite question?
Why did Herakles kill Geryon?

What is freedom?

What is time made of?

What do I think?
10 What is a palinode?
A “counter song”: saying the opposite of what you said before

A preface or introduction

A paradox

A meaningless platitude
11 What does proemium mean?
Preface or introduction

Premiere or first time

Premium or high-quality

Process
12 At what age does Geryon fall in love with Herakles, and at what age do they encounter each other again in Buenos Aires?
14; 28

12; 20

14; 22

18; 22
13 Who or what does Herakles attempt to liberate in Buenos Aires?
Geryon

A painted carousel tiger

Ancash

Himself
14 What best describes Herakles’ attitude towards Geryon’s emotionality during sex?
Angry; prideful

Gentle; understanding

Generous; loving

Dismissive; frustrated
15 What is Herakles and Geryon’s song?
Tempo

Joy to the World

Blue

La Cumparsita
16 What is Herakles and Ancash’s documentary ostensibly about?
Soundscapes

Seismic activity

Emily Dickinson

South American volcanoes
17 What is the meaning of “Mitwelt” in “Café Mitwelt,” where Geryon writes postcards from Buenos Aires with scraps of Heidegger on them?
A German term for an individual's social or cultural environment

Faithless

A German term for human existence

Mocha
18 Which answer to the question “What is time made of?” does the yellowbeard NOT give Geryon?
Nothing

It is a meaning that we impose upon motion

The fourth dimension of reality, where the other three dimensions are spatial

It is an abstraction
19 What is Ancash’s answer when Geryon asks him what his name means?
blue

light, of little weight

eagle

He doesn’t have a chance to answer
20 What is the image of “a poppy in a breeze” NOT associated with in Autobiography of Red?
Sex

Death

Desire

Blood
21 Which is NOT an assumption we can make from the detail that Geryon is packing “six boxes of DX 100 color film” for his trip to Buenos Aires?
Color is an indispensable part of how Geryon sees the world

He expects to be taking all of his photos outside

Digital photography hasn’t been invented yet

He is motivated by a desire for self-expression
22 Which color is repeatedly associated with Herakles in Geryon’s perception?
Gold

Blue

Red

Black
23 Who is the “incubus” in this story, and what are they associated with?
Herakles; sexual frustration

Ancash; thwarting Geryon and Herakles’ relationship

Geryon; his monstrousness

Geryon’s brother; sexual terror and nightmares
24 Which of these conflicting narratives about Stesichoros’ blindness ISN'T offered as a possibility?
Helen blinded him because he blasphemed her

He was always a blind man

Helen blinded him when he liberated her

Hera struck him blind for his impiety
25 Fill in the blank of this oft-quoted sentence about Geryon’s heartbreak: “Geryon’s/whole body formed one arch of a cry—upcast to that custom, the human custom/of ______.”
Mourning

Heartbrokenness

Loneliness

Wrong love

The Autobiography of Red Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Autobiography of Red is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

Study Guide for The Autobiography of Red

The Autobiography of Red study guide contains a biography of Anne Carson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Read the Study Guide for The Autobiography of Red…

Wikipedia Entries for The Autobiography of Red

Introduction

View Wikipedia Entries for The Autobiography of Red…