Which king faced the eternal labor of rolling a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down?

• A. Tantalus
• B. Niobe
• C. Pelops
• D. Sisyphus

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is the image of a punishment that represents futile, unending effort. The figure tied to this concept is the king condemned to push a heavy boulder up a hill forever, only for it to roll back down each time he nears the top. That perpetual cycle captures the sense of meaninglessness in endless toil and serves as a powerful symbol of consequences for deceit and hubris toward the gods.

This is why the description fits best: the endless labor and the boulder that defeats every attempt to finish the task. The other figures in the myths are known for different punishments or misfortunes—one endures hunger and thirst, another grieves irrepairably, and Pelops is involved in a separate chain of events and curses. None of those stories center on an endless, futile labor like rolling the boulder up a hill, so this option stands out as the correct one.