Penelope employs a clever trick to deceive the suitors who are trying to marry her. What is it?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question centers on a well-known stratagem employed by Penelope to delay remarriage while she awaits Odysseus' return.
Option 1: "She announces that she will remarry after she will wove a shroud for her father-in-law." This is the traditional ruse she used: she claimed she would marry once the shroud was completed, but she secretly wove at night to delay the process. This answer aligns with the classical tale and explains the deception as a tactical ploy to buy time.
Option 2: "She challenges the suitors to a sailing race, promising her hand in marriage to the one who can sail the farthest in a single day." This is not part of the Penelope narrative; it introduces a competitive sailing challenge that does not appear in the source story and would undermine the subtle, patient ruse she actually used.
Option 3: "She pretends to be ill and bedridden, making it seem as though she will choose a suitor once she recovers." While feigning illness would be a plausible plot device in some tales, it does not reflect Penelope’s approach in this myth, where she remains outwardly busy with the weaving ruse rather than using illness as the delaying tactic.
Option 4: "She convinces the suitors to participate in a poetry contest, declaring that the one who composes the most beautiful poem will win her heart." This is a modern, invented twist that shifts the focus to poetic merit, and it does not correspond to the historical narrative of Penelope and the suitors.
Thus, evaluating the options against the classical story, the first option best captures Penelope’s cunning strategy, while the others introduce elements not present in the traditional account.

Penelope employs a clever trick to deceive the suitors who are trying to marry her. What is it?Single choice

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