Read the second paragraph in "Puzzle Solved" and then answer the question that follows.

Story #1

Perseus and Medusa (From Illuminate)
a retelling of the Greek myth



Perseus, son of Zeus, was half-mortal and half-god. His courageous and brave exploits were well known throughout the land, but he was perhaps most famous for how he came to possess the head of the gorgon Medusa.

When Perseus was still a young man, King Polydectes sought to be rid of him, as he was a significant obstacle in the king’s desire to marry Perseus’s mother. In an effort to send Perseus as far away as possible, Polydectes told Perseus to kill the gorgon Medusa and return with her head.

The gorgons were three sisters. They were once beautiful maidens whom Poseidon had transformed into horrific monsters when Medusa rejected the god’s love. Poseidon turned the sisters into terrible creatures. He made their bodies grotesque and replaced their hair with poisonous snakes. The god allowed Medusa to keep her beautiful face, but anyone who dared to look at her would immediately be turned to stone.

Perseus had no way of finding Medusa, who lived at the end of the world, so he asked the gods Athena and Hermes for help. They came to his aid because he was the son of Zeus, and bestowed upon him four powerful gifts. Among these gifts were winged sandals to carry Perseus to Medusa’s lair, a cap that would make Perseus invisible, a sword to kill Medusa, and a mirrored shield. The shield would allow Perseus to see Medusa’s face without looking directly at her, preventing him from being turned to stone. Athena advised Perseus to use his gifts wisely and to practice patience and logic in order to achieve his task.

Perseus donned the winged sandals and flew to slay Medusa. Using his cap, he entered her lair and surveyed his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard a noise from behind him. Athena’s cautionary words echoed softly in the air, and Perseus resisted the urge to turn toward the noise. Instead, he stepped to the side and used his mirrored shield to find the source of the noise. In the mirror, he saw the monstrous figure of Medusa slowly walking toward him. Steadying himself, Perseus patiently lay in wait as Medusa moved closer and closer behind him. Never did he turn, for he feared he would gaze into the gorgon’s eyes and forever be turned to stone.

Finally, Medusa stood immediately behind Perseus; he knew that now was the time to strike. With all his strength, he swung blindly. When he looked into his mirrored shield, there lay Medusa’s head. With the help of the gods, Perseus had slain Medusa.









Story #2

Puzzle Solved (From Illuminate)





Heather sat cross-legged at the foot of her bed while her friend Anya flopped dramatically over the side.

“I think I’ve been staring at this puzzle for too long, Heather, because I’m starting to get double vision. Solving this thing is as easy as . . . as slaying Medusa!”

Heather rolled her eyes and chuckled at her friend’s choice of words. Anya was a big fan of Greek mythology, but sadly, in this case she was also correct.

“I know, I know, and it’s a cryptogram, by the way, not just a puzzle,” she said as Anya grunted from her side of the bed. “The words are encrypted, so we have to figure out the key to solving the code. It’s supposed to be fun,” Heather finished lamely.

Anya grunted again before dropping completely to the bedroom floor and turning onto her back.

“We’ve been doing this for hours and we haven’t figured out the key yet, so I think we’ve passed the point of fun and we’re quickly approaching torturous. I say we give up and pass on the extra credit this week, for the sake of our sanities!”

Just then, Heather’s mom knocked on the door and entered with a tray of food. “I thought you both might be hungry,” she said. “It’s been so quiet in here—not at all like you two—so I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“Thanks, we’re fine, just trying to get some extra credit in social studies by solving a puzz . . . a cryptogram,” Anya replied, giving extra emphasis to the word in an effort to tease her friend.

Heather’s mom smiled and said, “Ah, I see, well then it’s a good thing you two have each other.”
Anya blinked at Heather’s mom and responded with something that sounded a lot like “suuurrre,” while Heather just giggled nervously.

“Well, you can each try different strategies and keep track of what doesn’t work so that you can figure out the key in half the time it would normally take. It just requires some common sense and a little patience, right?”

Heather’s mom winked at the girls and set the tray down before leaving the room.

“We are complete dolts!” shouted Anya. “We’ve been sitting here randomly trying different strategies over and over again when we could have been splitting up the strategies from the start!”

“I guess we weren’t exactly smart about this,” admitted Heather, “but at least now we can divide everything up and tackle the cryptogram correctly. Then I guess we just have to be patient until one of us figures out the key.”

Fifteen minutes later, Anya’s shriek echoed through the recesses of Heather’s bedroom. “Got it!” she shouted triumphantly, waving her sheet in front of her like a victory flag. “Take that, Medusa!”









Question: By making the comparison of slaying Medusa to the cryptogram she had to solve, what point is Anya trying to make?

(1 point)
Responses

A. You need to know Greek myths to solve the cryptogram.

B. The cryptogram is very difficult.

C. That weapons are needed to solve the cryptogram.

D. Her and her friend Heather are in danger.