In The Odyssey, how is Polyphemus defeated?

• A. Odysseus gets him drunk, blinds him, and tricks him by using the name 'Nobody'.
• B. He defeats him by cunningly outrunning him in a chase.
• C. He defeats him by striking him with a magical spear of Zeus.
• D. He defeats him by escaping with a fleet of soldiers hidden under sheep.

Answer: (A)

Odysseus wins through a blend of cunning and bold action. He first makes Polyphemus drunk with wine, then drives a sharpened stake into the cyclops’ single eye, blinding him. To escape, Odysseus deliberately calls himself “Nobody,” so when Polyphemus cries out in pain, he tells the other Cyclopes that “Nobody” is hurting him; they assume he has no real attacker and do not come to help. With the cyclops blinded and confused, Odysseus and his remaining men escape by clinging to the undersides of the sheep as they pass out of the cave, leaving Polyphemus to feel only the wool rather than the men. This shows how deception and exploiting an enemy’s expectations can overcome brute force.

The other ideas don’t fit because there isn’t a chase, no magical weapon from Zeus is used, and the escape relies on hiding under the sheep rather than a fleet of soldiers.