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






2. 'The state in which'






3. River that runs through the city of Rome






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






5. Temple in Rome dedicated to all the Roman gods






6. 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






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






8. Goddess of victory






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






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






11. In early mythology & the resting place of heroes; the later mythology & where good people went in the afterlife






12. The technical biological term for the human species


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






14. Icarus was the son of Daedalus who flew too close to the sun with the wings his father made him from wax and feathers & and fell to his death






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






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






17. Greek island in the Ionian Sea; the home of Odysseus






18. 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






19. God of love and desire; son of Aphrodite






20. 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






21. 'The end'






22. Goddess of wisdom






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






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






25. 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






26. The male head of a Roman family






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






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






29. Winged horse which flew from the neck of Medusa the Gorgon after Perseus cut off her head






30. Inventor who created the Labyrinth where the Minotaur lived






31. Half-man & half-goat creatures; companions of Pan and Dionysus






32. 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')






33. Perseus slayed Medusa the Gorgon






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






35. 10






36. 'great work'






37. 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')






38. Market place/business center






39. 'per day'






40. 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






41. Literally refers to the heel of Achilles (a character from the Iliad who killed Hector)


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






43. 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






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






45. 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






46. 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






47. 'in memory of'






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






49. City-state in ancient Greece known for its powerful army; fought against Athens in the Peloponnesian Wars






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