Answer:
b) To prevent him from being responsible for the actions of his men.
Explanation:
Homer's epic narrative The Odyssey tells the journey of Odysseus on his way back to Ithaca after being gone from home for almost two decades. The journey was a long one too, encountering gods and monsters along the way but in the end, he reached home.
Odysseus had been warned beforehand by Circe about the obstacles he will face in his journey. In book XII, after he and his men had passed through the Sirens and Scylla, they came to the island of the sun-god. He had been warned to stay away from the island of Thrinacia for if anything was to happen, it will not mean well for them. But being over-ruled by the majority of his men, they stayed on the island. Even after making many warnings to his men not to take anything from the land, they did. While the men sin, Odysseus was in deep sleep. The most likely reason he was placed in deep sleep was to prevent him from being responsible for the actions of his men. He had already been warned against doing anything and if he had been aware of the acts at all, he will also have to be put to death along with the others.
Thus, the correct answer is option b).
