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Classical Literacy

Subject : literacy
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (i); commonly used in the phrase 'not one iota &' meaning 'not one bit'






2. The arena for gladiatorial games in Rome (also known as the Flavian Amphitheater)






3. 'great-souled & high-minded'






4. 'in the year of the Lord &' designating the time period after Christ's birth






5. 'A slip of the tongue'






6. River that runs through the city of Rome






7. 'for the time being' - temporary






8. Festival of Saturn held on December 17th & during which social roles were temporarily reversed (slaves enjoyed relaxed discipline & etc)






9. Titan best known for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humans; He was punished by being chained to a rock and having his liver eaten by a bird everyday






10. 'I refuse &' used by the president of the US to stop any bill he sees unfit from passing






11. 'peace be with you'






12. Temple in Rome dedicated to all the Roman gods






13. The people in control of the Italian peninsula before Rome began to spread






14. 'To the point of sickness' - doing/saying something over and over until everyone is sick and tired of it






15. A large horse and chariot racing track in Rome






16. Athenian prince who killed the Minotaur






17. 50






18. 'note well' i.e. take note






19. Home of the Greek gods






20. The three goddesses who determine a person's life: when he will be born & how long he will live & and when he will die; one sister spins the thread of life & the second measures out a certain length & and the third cuts it at the end of the person's






21. 'peace be with you'






22. Greek island in the Ionian Sea; the home of Odysseus






23. 'boyish &' 'childlike' (from puer- boy)






24. Temple in Rome dedicated to all the Roman gods






25. 'great work'






26. Through & by way of (from via- road & way)






27. 'Time flies/flees'






28. Out of her curiosity & she opened a box containing all the bad things in the world; she put the lid on just in time & so that hope did not escape from the box & too






29. 'Word for word'






30. Sailed with the Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece






31. 'Work conquers all'






32. The messenger god; god of thieves and travelers; son of Zeus; invented the lyre; escorted people to the Underworld when they died






33. A mural painted directly onto wet plaster (fresco means 'fresh' in Italian)






34. Good-humored & jolly (ancient astrologers thought that the planet Jupiter fostered cheerfulness)






35. The golden wool of a ram sought by Jason and the Argonauts






36. Greek god of nature; had the torso and head of a man & but the legs and horns of a goat






37. 'All-knowing'






38. The 9 goddesses who looked after the arts and inspired men in those arts






39. A material prepared in ancient Egypt from the pithy stem of a water plant & used in sheets throughout the ancient Mediterranean world for writing or painting on






40. Roman officials who were charged with protecting the people (the plebeians) from oppression; they were sacrosanct & meaning no one could harm them






41. The garment which signified a Roman man's citizenship






42. Usually referring to Julius Caesar & the Roman dictator Who was assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15th) 44 BCE






43. The plebs were the free but non-aristocratic citizens of Rome; today & plebeian means 'of a low class'






44. King punished in Tartarus by having to roll a stone up a hill continuously for eternity; when he reached the top & the stone rolled to the bottom again






45. Speaker's platform in the forum & which was decorated with the prows of ships the Romans captured in war (rostrum means 'beak & prow of a ship')






46. Titan who had to hold up the heavens on his shoulders as punishment for rebelling against Zeus






47. Site of the Apollo's oracle at Delphi; home of the Muses






48. A member of one of the original aristocratic families of Rome; 'aristocratic'






49. Used on documents & coins & monuments & etc. as an official signature of the Roman government






50. 'Thus passes the glory of the world.' i.e. 'Worldly things are fleeting.'