Humanities CLEP Prep Practice Exam

What type of writing was the "Oresteia" by Aeschylus?

1. Prose

2. Play

3. Epic

4. Poetry

The correct answer is: Play

The "Oresteia" is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus, a renowned Greek playwright. A play is a form of literature that is written to be performed on stage and often includes dialogue and stage directions. Therefore, the "Oresteia" can be categorized as a play. On the other hand, prose refers to written or spoken language without a formal metrical structure, which does not accurately describe the structure of the "Oresteia." While epic and poetry are both forms of literature that often tell a story, they differ in structure and content from a play. Therefore, these options are incorrect for the type of writing that the "Oresteia" is considered to be.