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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. 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.






2. Queen of Sparta Who was promised to Paris by Aphrodite for choosing her (Aphrodite) as the fairest goddess; Helen was already married to Menelaus and her kidnapping began the Trojan War






3. 'A slip of the tongue'






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






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






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






7. Kingdom in Asia Minor which fought against Greece in Homer's Iliad






8. Kingdom in Asia Minor which fought against Greece in Homer's Iliad






9. 'Always faithful' - motto of the US Marines






10. 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






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






12. 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






13. The norms or values of a society






14. A system created by the Romans which carried water over long distances






15. 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






16. 'from the library of' used as an inscription on a bookplate to show the name of the book's owner: ex libris Mark Twain.






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






18. The king of the gods; god of thunder and lightning






19. 'To err is human' - in other words & it's normal to mess up






20. One of the seven hills of Rome & south of the forum; the site of the imperial palace






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






22. Temple in Rome dedicated to all the Roman gods






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






24. A picture made from small bits of glass or pottery






25. 'Higher!' -- the state motto of New York






26. 'The one who says farewell' -- the student with the highest grade point average & Who is chosen to give a speech at the end of graduation






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






28. One of the 12 Titans & father of Zeus/Jupiter & who swallowed his children in an attempt to keep from being overthrown






29. Female monsters who had snakes for hair and whose horrifying gaze could turn a man to stone if he looked at them (Medusa was one of the Gorgons)






30. Blind poet Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey






31. Spirits who carry out curses and torture for wrongdoing toward one's family member (s)






32. Refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the responsibilities of a parent






33. Gladiator who led an uprising of slaves against the Romans in the 1st c. BC






34. 'After death'






35. 5






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






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






38. The food of the gods; some believe it kept them immortal






39. After midday/noon






40. Epic poem written by Home chronicling the Trojan War






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






42. Sea to the west of Greece; named after King Aegeus after he drowned himself in the sea thinking his son Theseus was dead






43. 'Thus always & to tyrants.' Allegedly said by Brutus during the assassination of Caesar. John Wilkes Booth also shouted it after shooting President Lincoln. It is now the motto of Virginia.






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






45. 'my fault' ; tua culpa -'your fault'






46. A bundle of wooden sticks and an axe blade that the attendants of Roman magistrates carried; symbolized the magistrates' power to inflict capital punishment






47. Reception hall (like the living room) in a Roman house






48. 'per day'






49. 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






50. 'And others'