Test your basic knowledge |

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. Goddess of childbirth; married to Zeus; queen of the gods






2. 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






3. 'one out of many' - found on most US minted coins and the back of the dollar bill






4. A state of disorganized matter from which the gods and the world were created






5. The daughter of king Minos of Crete & who helped Theseus escape from the labyrinth after he killed the minotaur






6. 'great-souled & high-minded'






7. Homer's epic poem about Odysseus & kind of Ithaca & trying to find his way home from the Trojan War






8. River that runs through the city of Rome






9. Figuratively 'secretly.' Aphrodite gave her son Eros a rose. Eros gave it to Harpocrates & the god of silence & to ensure that his mother's love affairs remained a secret.






10. 'The things that must be done' - a to-do list






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






12. Twin brothers & raised by a wolf; Romulus killed Remus and founded Rome






13. The wife of Odysseus; a model of faithfulness to one's husband






14. A large horse and chariot racing track in Rome






15. Prince of Troy Who was killed by Achilles in the Iliad; Achilles tied Hector's dead body to the back of his chariot and dragged it around the city walls three times






16. 10






17. 'one out of many' - found on most US minted coins and the back of the dollar bill






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






19. City-state in ancient Greece known for its powerful army; fought against Athens in the Peloponnesian Wars






20. One-eyed children of Ouranos/Uranus and Gaea (Mother Earth); sided with Zeus during the war with the Titans; were helpers of the smith-god Hephaestus






21. Son of Zeus; had to complete 12 labors to regain favor with the gods after killing his family; when he died & he became a god






22. 10






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






24. A king Who was tortured in the Underworld by having water and grapes within his reach & but the water and grapes pulled away whenever he went to take drink or a bite






25. 'Time flies/flees'






26. 'unknown land'






27. A modern day race of 26.2 miles; from Marathon in Greece & the scene of a victory over the Persians in 490 BC; the modern race is based on the tradition that a messenger ran from Marathon to Athens (26 miles) with the news.






28. Volcano which erupted in AD 79 and destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum






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






30. Literally & the apple that Eris (goddess of strife) threw in front of Hera & Aphrodite & and Athena to cause a dispute over Who was the fairest; figuratively & anything which causes a dispute






31. 'Time flies/flees'






32. 'great-souled & high-minded'






33. 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






34. Home of the Greek gods






35. The male head of a Roman family






36. 'seize the day'






37. The river surrounding the Underworld






38. A modern day race of 26.2 miles; from Marathon in Greece & the scene of a victory over the Persians in 490 BC; the modern race is based on the tradition that a messenger ran from Marathon to Athens (26 miles) with the news.






39. A teacher Who is like a parent; comes from the Mentor & Odysseus' old friend & whom he left in charge of his son Telemachus when he went off to the Trojan War






40. Challenged Athena to a weaving contest and was turned into a spider for her excessive pride






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






42. Large island off the southeast coast of Italy; home of Mt. Etna & a huge volcano; where the Cyclopes lived in the Odyssey






43. God of love and desire; son of Aphrodite






44. Temple in Rome dedicated to all the Roman gods






45. 50






46. 'in the whole &' 'as a whole &' 'totally'; ex: The suggestions were adopted in toto.






47. 'And the rest' usually seen at the end of a list of things & instead of listing everything






48. King of Troy during the Trojan War; father of Hector and Paris; begged Achilles to give his son Hector's body back to be properly buried (Achilles had been dragging it around the city)






49. The 200 year period of peace which began under the rule of Augustus






50. God of metallurgy (metal working); married to Aphrodite