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. 'horn of plenty' a symbol of food and abundance






2. Blind poet Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey






3. 'great work'






4. 'under penalty' a written order for a person to come testify in court






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






6. Home of the Greek gods






7. God of love and desire; son of Aphrodite






8. River that runs through the city of Rome






9. 'Always prepared'






10. 'in memory of'






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






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






13. 'seize the day'






14. The norms or values of a society






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






16. 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






17. 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.






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






19. 'by mouth' - used on prescription medicines that have to be taken orally






20. 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






21. 'The end'






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






23. God of the sun & light & reason & and the lyre






24. 'The state in which'






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






26. 'beware of the dog'






27. Mother Earth; the wife of Uranus & the sky; she gave birth to the Titans & the Cyclopes & and the Hundred-Handed Ones






28. 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






29. 'This for that &' a fair trade






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






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






32. 'in memory of'






33. 'per year'






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






35. The 15th of March & the day in 44 BC Julius Caesar was assassinated






36. God of the sun & light & reason & and the lyre






37. The oracle of Apollo; people visited the oracle for guidance and predictions of the future






38. A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage & a Phoenician city in Northern Africa & for control of the Mediterranean (264-146 BC)






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






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






41. The river surrounding the Underworld






42. 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






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






44. God of love and desire; son of Aphrodite






45. 'To infinity &' to continue forever & without limit






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






47. The male head of a Roman family






48. 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')






49. 'unknown land'






50. 'A rare bird' - something unique/rare