Which excerpt from The Odyssey best demonstrates the importance of perseverance in Greek society Long ships wth good stout planks athwart-would fighters rig them to nide the barren sea, except for hunger? 'I leamed to keep niy head in hardship-years of war and years at sea. Let this new trial come" The young men, aftenward, hunted wild goats with him, and hare, and deer, but he had grown old in his master's absence. No man of woman born could work these wonders by his own craft, unless a god came into it with ease to turn him young or old at will.

1. **Identify the Theme:** Perseverance implies enduring hardships with resolve. We need to find the excerpt that best illustrates overcoming hardship through unwavering determination. 2. **Analyze the Excerpts:** - The first excerpt describes construction ("Long ships with good stout planks...") and struggles at sea ("except for hunger"), but its focus is more on the situational challenge rather than the inner resolve. - The second excerpt contains the lines \[ \text{'I leamed to keep mi head in hardship - years of war and years at sea. Let this new trial come'} \] This passage explicitly stresses the importance of maintaining resolve ("to keep my head") through enduring challenges, emphasizing that continuous perseverance is a valued virtue. 3. **Connect to Greek Society:** In Greek society, particularly in the context of epic literature, enduring hardship and continuing to strive despite adversity was considered heroic. The highlighted excerpt from the second passage captures this sentiment by showing the speaker's readiness to face new hardships without losing composure. 4. **Determine the Best Example:** Given the focus on enduring mental and physical challenges, the second excerpt, which declares readiness for further trials, best demonstrates the importance of perseverance in Greek society. The excerpt featuring \[ \text{'I leamed to keep mi head in hardship - years of war and years at sea. Let this new trial come'} \] best demonstrates the importance of perseverance.