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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. 'note well' i.e. take note






2. 'That is' used for further explanation: 'in other words...'






3. 'With highest honors' graduating from college in the highest grade scale






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






5. 'I came & I saw & I conquered &' famous words of Julius Caesar






6. 'seize the day'






7. 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






8. 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)






9. 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






10. A long poem that narrates the deeds of a hero or the history of a nation & e.g. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey






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






12. Epic poem written by Home chronicling the Trojan War






13. 'per day'






14. 'for the time being' - temporary






15. Perseus slayed Medusa the Gorgon






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






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






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






19. King punished in Tartarus by having to roll a stone up a hill continuously for eternity; when he reached the top & the stone rolled to the bottom again






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






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






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






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






24. 'A slip of the tongue'






25. Maze under the palace of Palace of Minos at Crete & where the Minotaur (half man & half bull) was thought to have been imprisoned






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






27. Home of the Greek gods






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






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






30. 'Thus passes the glory of the world.' i.e. 'Worldly things are fleeting.'






31. 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






32. 1






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. 'unknown land'






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






36. 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






37. 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)






38. 'I came & I saw & I conquered &' famous words of Julius Caesar






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






40. 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






41. 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






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






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






44. Characterized by sitting & inactive (from sedet- to sit)






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






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






47. A member of one of the original aristocratic families of Rome; 'aristocratic'






48. '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.






49. The garment which signified a Roman man's citizenship






50. Temple in Rome dedicated to all the Roman gods