Question
Prometheus, the Friend of Man
Prometheus, the Friend of Man
James Baldwyn
1 Many, many centuries ago there lived a Titan named Prometheus. He was a son of Iapetus, who was one of the rebels who fought against Zeus, which ultimately ended with the rebels in chains in the great prison-house of the lower world.
2 Prometheus, however, did not care for idle life among the gods on Mount Olympus. Instead, he preferred to spend his time on the Earth, helping people to find easier and better ways to live. You see, the children of Earth were not as happy as they had been in the golden days when Cronus ruled. No, they were very poor and wretched and cold. They had no fire or food, and they sheltered in miserable caves.
3 “With fire they could at least warm their bodies and cook their food,” Prometheus thought, “and later they could make tools and build houses for themselves, enjoying some of the comforts of the gods.”
4 So, Prometheus went to Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, and asked if he could carry fire to the Earth. Zeus shook his head in wrath.
5 “Fire!” he exclaimed. “If men had fire they would soon be as strong and wise as we who dwell on Olympus. I will never give my consent.”
6 Prometheus made no reply, but he did not give up his idea of helping the people of Earth. “Some other way must be found,” he thought.
7 Then, one day, he was walking among some reeds. He broke off one of the reeds and noticed that its hollow stalk was filled with a dry, soft pith.
8 He exclaimed in excitement, “At last! In this I can carry fire, and the children of men shall have this great gift, in spite of Zeus’ selfishness.”
9 Immediately, taking a long stalk in his hands, he set out for the dwelling of the sun in the Far East. He reached there in the early morning, just as Apollo's chariot was about to begin its journey across the sky, warming Earth with its light. Prometheus used Apollo’s fire to light his reed, and he hurried back, carefully guarding the precious spark that was hidden in the hollow stalk.
10 On Earth, he showed men how to build fires for themselves, and it was not long before they began to do all the wonderful things of which Prometheus had dreamed. They learned to cook, domesticate animals, till the fields, mine precious metals, and melt the metals into tools and weapons.
11 They came out of their dark, gloomy caves and built for themselves beautiful houses of wood and stone. And, instead of being sad and unhappy, they began to laugh and sing. “Behold, the Age of Gold has come again,” they said.
12 Zeus, however, was not so happy. He saw that men were gaining greater power each day, and their very prosperity made him angry.
13 “That young Titan!” he cried out when he heard what Prometheus had done.
14 Zeus decided that it was time to punish Prometheus. He had Prometheus carried to the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains. Then, he sent Hephaestus, the god of fire and metalworking, to shackle Prometheus with iron chains, binding his arms and feet fast to the rocks. Hephaestus was sorry for Prometheus, but he dared not to disobey Zeus.
15 So, the friend of man lay, miserably bound against the rocks of the mountain, while the storms beat about him and an eagle tore at him with its cruel talons. But Prometheus did not utter a groan in all his sufferings. Year after year he lay in agony, but he would not complain, beg for mercy, or repent for what he had done. The people of Earth were sorry for him, but they could do nothing.
16 One day, a beautiful white cow passed over the mountain and stopped to look at Prometheus with its sad eyes.
17 “I know you,” Prometheus said. “You are Io. You were once a fair and happy maiden, but you were doomed by Zeus and his jealous queen to wander over the Earth in this guise. Go southward and then west until you come to the great river Nile. There, you shall again become a maiden, fairer than ever before, and you shall marry the king of that country. From your people shall spring the hero who will break my chains and set me free.”
18 Io went, and centuries passed until finally, a great hero, Hercules, came to the Caucasus Mountains. He climbed the rugged peak, slew the fierce eagle, and, with mighty blows, he broke the chains that bound Prometheus, the friend of man.
Baldwyn, James. “The Story of Prometheus.” Old Greek Stories. American Book Company. 1895. In the public domain. Adapted by Educational Leadership Solutions, Inc.
Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron. “Prometheus.” In the public domain. Adapted by Educational Leadership Solutions, Inc.
The following question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A
What can the reader infer about Zeus based on the passage?
Zeus loved the Titans and considered them to be his friends.
Zeus is weak and incapable of keeping others from defying him.
Zeus holds a grudge against Prometheus because his father rebelled.
Zeus is happy and forgives others for wrongs they commit against him.
Part B
Which paragraph supports the answer to Part A?
paragraph 1
paragraph 4
paragraph 12
paragraph 17
© 2025 | Learning Explorer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Prometheus, the Friend of Man
James Baldwyn
1 Many, many centuries ago there lived a Titan named Prometheus. He was a son of Iapetus, who was one of the rebels who fought against Zeus, which ultimately ended with the rebels in chains in the great prison-house of the lower world.
2 Prometheus, however, did not care for idle life among the gods on Mount Olympus. Instead, he preferred to spend his time on the Earth, helping people to find easier and better ways to live. You see, the children of Earth were not as happy as they had been in the golden days when Cronus ruled. No, they were very poor and wretched and cold. They had no fire or food, and they sheltered in miserable caves.
3 “With fire they could at least warm their bodies and cook their food,” Prometheus thought, “and later they could make tools and build houses for themselves, enjoying some of the comforts of the gods.”
4 So, Prometheus went to Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, and asked if he could carry fire to the Earth. Zeus shook his head in wrath.
5 “Fire!” he exclaimed. “If men had fire they would soon be as strong and wise as we who dwell on Olympus. I will never give my consent.”
6 Prometheus made no reply, but he did not give up his idea of helping the people of Earth. “Some other way must be found,” he thought.
7 Then, one day, he was walking among some reeds. He broke off one of the reeds and noticed that its hollow stalk was filled with a dry, soft pith.
8 He exclaimed in excitement, “At last! In this I can carry fire, and the children of men shall have this great gift, in spite of Zeus’ selfishness.”
9 Immediately, taking a long stalk in his hands, he set out for the dwelling of the sun in the Far East. He reached there in the early morning, just as Apollo's chariot was about to begin its journey across the sky, warming Earth with its light. Prometheus used Apollo’s fire to light his reed, and he hurried back, carefully guarding the precious spark that was hidden in the hollow stalk.
10 On Earth, he showed men how to build fires for themselves, and it was not long before they began to do all the wonderful things of which Prometheus had dreamed. They learned to cook, domesticate animals, till the fields, mine precious metals, and melt the metals into tools and weapons.
11 They came out of their dark, gloomy caves and built for themselves beautiful houses of wood and stone. And, instead of being sad and unhappy, they began to laugh and sing. “Behold, the Age of Gold has come again,” they said.
12 Zeus, however, was not so happy. He saw that men were gaining greater power each day, and their very prosperity made him angry.
13 “That young Titan!” he cried out when he heard what Prometheus had done.
14 Zeus decided that it was time to punish Prometheus. He had Prometheus carried to the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains. Then, he sent Hephaestus, the god of fire and metalworking, to shackle Prometheus with iron chains, binding his arms and feet fast to the rocks. Hephaestus was sorry for Prometheus, but he dared not to disobey Zeus.
15 So, the friend of man lay, miserably bound against the rocks of the mountain, while the storms beat about him and an eagle tore at him with its cruel talons. But Prometheus did not utter a groan in all his sufferings. Year after year he lay in agony, but he would not complain, beg for mercy, or repent for what he had done. The people of Earth were sorry for him, but they could do nothing.
16 One day, a beautiful white cow passed over the mountain and stopped to look at Prometheus with its sad eyes.
17 “I know you,” Prometheus said. “You are Io. You were once a fair and happy maiden, but you were doomed by Zeus and his jealous queen to wander over the Earth in this guise. Go southward and then west until you come to the great river Nile. There, you shall again become a maiden, fairer than ever before, and you shall marry the king of that country. From your people shall spring the hero who will break my chains and set me free.”
18 Io went, and centuries passed until finally, a great hero, Hercules, came to the Caucasus Mountains. He climbed the rugged peak, slew the fierce eagle, and, with mighty blows, he broke the chains that bound Prometheus, the friend of man.
Baldwyn, James. “The Story of Prometheus.” Old Greek Stories. American Book Company. 1895. In the public domain. Adapted by Educational Leadership Solutions, Inc.
Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron. “Prometheus.” In the public domain. Adapted by Educational Leadership Solutions, Inc.
The following question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A
What can the reader infer about Zeus based on the passage?
Zeus loved the Titans and considered them to be his friends.
Zeus is weak and incapable of keeping others from defying him.
Zeus holds a grudge against Prometheus because his father rebelled.
Zeus is happy and forgives others for wrongs they commit against him.
Part B
Which paragraph supports the answer to Part A?
paragraph 1
paragraph 4
paragraph 12
paragraph 17
© 2025 | Learning Explorer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
**Part A**
The reader can infer that Zeus holds a grudge against Prometheus because his father rebelled. This is evidenced by Zeus's anger when he sees that Prometheus has helped humanity and his refusal to allow Prometheus to bring fire to Earth.
**Part B**
The paragraph that supports the answer to Part A is **paragraph 12**. This paragraph states that Zeus was not happy about men gaining greater power and became angry at their prosperity, which suggests that he holds a grudge against Prometheus for enabling this.
The reader can infer that Zeus holds a grudge against Prometheus because his father rebelled. This is evidenced by Zeus's anger when he sees that Prometheus has helped humanity and his refusal to allow Prometheus to bring fire to Earth.
**Part B**
The paragraph that supports the answer to Part A is **paragraph 12**. This paragraph states that Zeus was not happy about men gaining greater power and became angry at their prosperity, which suggests that he holds a grudge against Prometheus for enabling this.