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Test your basic knowledge |
Classical Literacy
Start Test
Study First
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 male head of a Roman family
Carthage
Tartarus
paterfamilias
Chaos
2. 'per day'
consul
per diem
et al./ et alii
ex libris
3. 'Word for word'
verbatim
sic semper tyrannis
rostra
Hephaestus/Vulcan
4. A long poem that narrates the deeds of a hero or the history of a nation & e.g. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey
Troy
terra firma
epic
the Fates
5. 'note well' i.e. take note
epic
N.B./nota bene
Sisyphus
Penelope
6. Good-humored & jolly (ancient astrologers thought that the planet Jupiter fostered cheerfulness)
Apollo/Apollo
Poseidon/Neptune
jovial
Demeter/Ceres
7. Temple in Rome dedicated to all the Roman gods
Styx
mea culpa
Minotaur
Pantheon
8. 'note well' i.e. take note
e.g./exempli gratia
N.B./nota bene
epic
C (Roman numeral)
9. 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
carpe diem
Augustus
the Fates
semper paratus
10. 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.
Daedalus
et al./ et alii
Perseus & Medusa
marathon
11. Refers to an action or condition necessary for something to happen
sine qua non
Pompeii
lapsus linguae
errare humanum est
12. Characterized by sitting & inactive (from sedet- to sit)
patrician
Sicily
M.D./Medicinae Doctor
sedentary
13. 'This for that &' a fair trade
Ge/Gaea
I (Roman numeral)
quid pro quo
Daedalus
14. In early mythology & the resting place of heroes; the later mythology & where good people went in the afterlife
Theseus
rostra
Elysian Fields/Elysium
L (Roman numeral)
15. 'Word for word'
labyrinth
semper fidelis
consul
verbatim
16. 'unknown land'
A.M./ante meridiem
Helen
terra incognita
et al./ et alii
17. 'beware of the dog'
ambrosia and nectar
Mt. Vesuvius
cave canem
Achilles' heel
18. Carthaginian general who attacked Italy by crossing the Italian Alps in the 2nd Punic War; He was eventually defeated by Scipio at the Battle of Zama
Paris
Hector
fasces
Hannibal
19. 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
Hercules/Heracles
Pantheon
Athena/Minerva
Etruscans
20. Sorceress & wife of Jason; killed their children to get revenge on Jason for leaving her
sic transit gloria mundi
N.B./nota bene
Medea
consul
21. 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
Nike/Victoria
papyrus
Hercules/Heracles
the furies
22. 'per year'
per annum
sedentary
Orpheus & Eurydice
Apollo/Apollo
23. Refers to an action or condition necessary for something to happen
sine qua non
Mt. Parnassus
vice versa
mores
24. 'one out of many' - found on most US minted coins and the back of the dollar bill
M.D./Medicinae Doctor
A.D./anno Domini
Spartacus
e pluribus unum
25. Victorious athletes & generals & and emperors wore crowns of made of the branches of the laurel tree to symbolize their victory; now & 'laurels' refer to someone's achievements
agenda
V (Roman numeral)
Cerberus
laurels
26. A mural painted directly onto wet plaster (fresco means 'fresh' in Italian)
Circus Maximus
lapsus linguae
Golden Fleece
fresco
27. Inventor who created the Labyrinth where the Minotaur lived
Apollo/Apollo
mosaic
Daedalus
ex libris
28. Lived in the Labyrinth; fed off of Athenian youths; killed by Theseus
Minotaur
cornucopia
sub poena
SPQR
29. The 200 year period of peace which began under the rule of Augustus
sub rosa
Pax Romana
Hannibal
Golden Fleece
30. 'great-souled & high-minded'
paterfamilias
patrician
Pompeii
magnanimous
31. '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
Mt. Parnassus
valedictorian
finis
Zeus/Jupiter
32. Market place/business center
in loco parentis
A.M./ante meridiem
agora/forum
Tantalus
33. 'horn of plenty' a symbol of food and abundance
Aphrodite/Venus
Pandora
mosaic
cornucopia
34. A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage & a Phoenician city in Northern Africa & for control of the Mediterranean (264-146 BC)
rostra
Punic Wars
Odysseus/Ulysses
Pan
35. 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
Hydra
jovial
Mt. Parnassus
in toto
36. Spirits who carry out curses and torture for wrongdoing toward one's family member (s)
N.B./nota bene
the furies
Hera/Juno
Palatine Hill
37. Literally 'the greatest bridge' -- the chief priest of Roman religion (later & the emperor took on this role); now used to refer to the Pope & the head of the Catholic Church
Dionysus/Bacchus
Hector
pontifex maximus
tempus fugit
38. 'I refuse &' used by the president of the US to stop any bill he sees unfit from passing
Aphrodite/Venus
veto
aqueduct
ex libris
39. 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
Hercules/Heracles
ad nauseam
Hades/Pluto
Tantalus
40. The arena for gladiatorial games in Rome (also known as the Flavian Amphitheater)
valedictorian
Colosseum
apple of discord
SPQR
41. 'in the whole &' 'as a whole &' 'totally'; ex: The suggestions were adopted in toto.
Atlas
in toto
magnanimous
vice versa
42. God of the sun & light & reason & and the lyre
Apollo/Apollo
Jason
Ariadne
mosaic
43. 'Against' & used to show Who is up against who in sports matches & legal battles & etc.
et al./ et alii
Achilles' heel
vs./versus
Etruscans
44. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (i); commonly used in the phrase 'not one iota &' meaning 'not one bit'
Homer
iota
labyrinth
Minotaur
45. 500
omniscient
D (Roman numeral)
sic transit gloria mundi
verbatim
46. 1000
Demeter/Ceres
Orpheus & Eurydice
Styx
M (Roman numeral)
47. 'boyish &' 'childlike' (from puer- boy)
Golden Fleece
Mt. Parnassus
puerile
via
48. Usually referring to Julius Caesar & the Roman dictator Who was assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15th) 44 BCE
Excelsior!
Caesar
puerile
marathon
49. 'Time flies/flees'
tempus fugit
papyrus
Delphic Oracle
C (Roman numeral)
50. 'seize the day'
Tiber
finis
carpe diem
Minotaur