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. 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






2. Writing after the body of a letter






3. A hollow wooden horse built by the Greeks so that they could get into the walls of Troy. The Greeks pretended to pack up and leave from the war & but some hid in the horse which was later led into the walls of Troy by the Trojans (thinking it was a






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






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






6. 'Time flies/flees'






7. 100






8. 'This for that &' a fair trade






9. 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.






10. 500






11. 'Against' & used to show Who is up against who in sports matches & legal battles & etc.






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






13. 'peace be with you'






14. 'in memory of'






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






16. 'seize the day'






17. Lived in the Labyrinth; fed off of Athenian youths; killed by Theseus






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






19. A town on the western coast of Italy destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuius in AD 79






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






21. 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






22. A serpent-like monster with many heads and poisonous breath; when one head got cut off & it grew two more; killed by Hercules as his second labor






23. 10






24. Doctor of medicine






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






26. 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






27. Goddess of wisdom






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






29. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (i); commonly used in the phrase 'not one iota &' meaning 'not one bit'






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






31. Goddess of grain & the harvest & and the seasons; mother of Persephone/Proserpina






32. Sailed with the Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece






33. 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.






34. 'per day'






35. 'doctor/teacher of philosophy' - an advanced academic degree






36. Eurydice died on their wedding day. Orpheus went down to the Underworld to bring her back. Hades agreed & on the condition that Eurydice would follow behind Orpheus on their way up to the mortal world and he couldn't check to make sure She was behind






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






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






39. The norms or values of a society






40. Perseus slayed Medusa the Gorgon






41. 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






42. 'The end'






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






44. Temple devoted to Athena; located on the Acropolis of Athens






45. Religion in Which many gods are worshipped (from Greek poly 'many' and theoi 'gods')






46. The river surrounding the Underworld






47. 'This for that &' a fair trade






48. 'And others'






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






50. 'An unwelcome person' - used in diplomacy to indicate a person Who is barred from entering a certain country