Question

read the excerpt from part 3 of the odyssey by homer. they scrambled to their places by the rowlocks and all in line dipped oars in the gray sea, and some an offshore breeze blew to our liking— a canvas-bellying breeze, a lusty shipmate sent by the singing nymph with sunbright hair. so we made fast the braces, and we rested, letting the wind and steersman work the ship. based on the excerpt, readers can conclude that odysseus (the speaker) keeps detailed records of the changing weather. credits the singing nymph for the favorable wind. enjoys the company of the new man aboard his ship. follows the orders issued by the ship’s steersman.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the excerpt from The Odyssey. The lines "So we made fast the braces, and we rested, / letting the wind and steersman work the ship" imply that Odysseus and his crew follow the steersman's (who issues orders for navigation) directions. Let's evaluate each option:

• "keeps detailed records of the changing weather": The excerpt has no mention of record - keeping related to weather. Eliminate this.
• "credits the singing nymph for the favorable wind": There is no reference to a singing nymph or crediting a nymph for the wind. Eliminate this.
• "enjoys the company of the new man aboard his ship": The excerpt does not talk about a new man or enjoying company. Eliminate this.
• "follows the orders issued by the ship’s steersman": The line "letting the wind and steersman work the ship" shows that they let the steersman (who would issue navigation - related orders) guide the ship, so this is consistent.

Answer:

The option "follows the orders issued by the ship’s steersman" (the last option in the list of choices for what readers can conclude about Odysseus).