What are the three main phases of the hero's journey?

• A. Departure Initiation Return
• B. Departure, Initiation, Return
• C. Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Threshold
• D. Monomyth, Hero, Return

Answer: (B)

The big idea being tested is the overall arc of the Hero's Journey, which is commonly described in three broad phases: departure, initiation, and return. This three-part framework captures the story’s progression: the hero leaves the familiar world, goes through trials and growth in a special realm, and then comes back transformed with new wisdom to share. That’s why naming the three phases as departure, initiation, and return best matches the standard structure.

The other options either point to elements within the first phase—like the Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, and Threshold—which are part of the departure phase itself but do not describe the three broad phases, or they use terms that don’t map cleanly to the three-stage arc (for example, a mix of terms such as monomyth or individual characters rather than the three-phase framework).