Why did odysseus disguise himself as a beggar, and tell penelope that odysseus will return to ithaca?
a. odysseus wanted to see her reaction.
b. odysseus wanted to give her hope.
c. odysseus thought it would change her mind.
d. odysseus desired to give her false hope.

a. Odysseus wanted to see her reaction.

Explanation:

Homer's epic narrative "The Odyssey" revolves around the journey that Odysseus and his men undertook to get back home to Ithaca. The journey lasted more then two decades after which Odysseus got safely back to his family and home.

In Book XIX we find Odysseus arriving back to Ithaca but disguised as a beggar. His son Telemachus knows him but then the rest of the people doesn't even recognize him, not even his own wife. Later on, he and Penelope talked of his journey and Penelope asked him lots of questions, testing him if he really had been with Odysseus. In return, Odysseus told her that he had been with him, describing him in ways that will make her believe his story. Then, he also told her that her husband is still alive and that he will eventually return. This is his way of testing her whether she had been faithful to him all these years or not, and also to see her reaction to the possibility of his return.