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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 golden wool of a ram sought by Jason and the Argonauts
sic transit gloria mundi
plebeian
muses
Golden Fleece
2. Epic poem written by Home chronicling the Trojan War
Iliad
pro tempore
I (Roman numeral)
Saturnalia
3. 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
ambrosia and nectar
Prometheus
Arachne
I (Roman numeral)
4. Used on documents & coins & monuments & etc. as an official signature of the Roman government
ego
Helen
SPQR
Ides of March
5. 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
et al./ et alii
Ithaca
mentor
jovial
6. One of the 12 Titans & father of Zeus/Jupiter & who swallowed his children in an attempt to keep from being overthrown
Hades/Pluto
Cronus/Saturn
Parthenon
X (Roman numeral)
7. 'Time flies/flees'
semper paratus
tempus fugit
labor vincit omnia
M.D./Medicinae Doctor
8. 'All-knowing'
Carthage
omniscient
Tiber
ex libris
9. 'great work'
magnum opus
Tantalus
ego
sub rosa
10. 'I refuse &' used by the president of the US to stop any bill he sees unfit from passing
ambrosia and nectar
Tantalus
veto
Poseidon/Neptune
11. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (i); commonly used in the phrase 'not one iota &' meaning 'not one bit'
Styx
Saturnalia
iota
sedentary
12. The norms or values of a society
terra firma
Ides of March
mores
mentor
13. 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
p.o./ per os
Eros/Cupid
Prometheus
Pegasus
14. 'An unwelcome person' - used in diplomacy to indicate a person Who is barred from entering a certain country
cornucopia
Pompeii
tribune
persona non grata
15. 'The other way around'
Dionysus/Bacchus
Athena/Minerva
papyrus
vice versa
16. Temple in Rome dedicated to all the Roman gods
veni & vidi & vici
V (Roman numeral)
Pantheon
the furies
17. Through & by way of (from via- road & way)
P.M./post meridiem
agora/forum
Pax Romana
via
18. 'from the library of' used as an inscription on a bookplate to show the name of the book's owner: ex libris Mark Twain.
Romulus and Remus
ex libris
the Odyssey
sic transit gloria mundi
19. 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.
sub rosa
Priam
satyr
mores
20. Religion in Which many gods are worshipped (from Greek poly 'many' and theoi 'gods')
ex libris
the furies
polytheism
Cyclops
21. 'Work conquers all'
labor vincit omnia
X (Roman numeral)
Pax Romana
Penelope
22. God of wine and revelry; son of Zeus and Semele
patrician
Dionysus/Bacchus
Apollo/Apollo
in toto
23. 'The end'
Sicily
Persephone/Proserpina
finis
Saturnalia
24. 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
Pan
Priam
papyrus
Nike/Victoria
25. 'I refuse &' used by the president of the US to stop any bill he sees unfit from passing
carpe diem
sedentary
Caesar
veto
26. 500
D (Roman numeral)
Pompeii
Ithaca
ambrosia and nectar
27. 'by mouth' - used on prescription medicines that have to be taken orally
Augustus
fresco
p.o./ per os
i.e./id est
28. Reception hall (like the living room) in a Roman house
M (Roman numeral)
atrium
Aphrodite/Venus
Daedalus
29. 'one out of many' - found on most US minted coins and the back of the dollar bill
Ithaca
cornucopia
e pluribus unum
ex officio
30. A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage & a Phoenician city in Northern Africa & for control of the Mediterranean (264-146 BC)
Dionysus/Bacchus
A.M./ante meridiem
Punic Wars
the furies
31. The plebs were the free but non-aristocratic citizens of Rome; today & plebeian means 'of a low class'
atrium
plebeian
Ariadne
the furies
32. Goddess of wisdom
omniscient
Dionysus/Bacchus
Apollo/Apollo
Athena/Minerva
33. Volcano which erupted in AD 79 and destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum
Delphic Oracle
Mt. Vesuvius
patrician
Hannibal
34. 'Word for word'
Zeus/Jupiter
verbatim
cornucopia
e.g./exempli gratia
35. A member of one of the original aristocratic families of Rome; 'aristocratic'
Hermes/Mercury
et al./ et alii
sic transit gloria mundi
patrician
36. 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
Pandora
valedictorian
mentor
Hydra
37. 'Word for word'
mores
Mt. Parnassus
verbatim
Penelope
38. 'Against' & used to show Who is up against who in sports matches & legal battles & etc.
vs./versus
sub rosa
Aphrodite/Venus
Troy
39. The male head of a Roman family
Caesar
summa cum laude
veni & vidi & vici
paterfamilias
40. 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
Ge/Gaea
Artemis/Diana
Helen
Nike/Victoria
41. 'for the time being' - temporary
pontifex maximus
Minotaur
pro tempore
Penelope
42. Market place/business center
Jason
rara avis
agora/forum
SPQR
43. 'With highest honors' graduating from college in the highest grade scale
ad nauseam
Sicily
Delphic Oracle
summa cum laude
44. A polis (city-state) in Greece & center of art and philosophy & named after Athena (its patron goddess); the Acropolis was the hill in Athens where many temples (including the Parthenon & the temple to Athena) were located
Athens/Acropolis
veni & vidi & vici
Tantalus
lapsus linguae
45. Challenged Athena to a weaving contest and was turned into a spider for her excessive pride
Nike/Victoria
Arachne
Styx
post mortem
46. The god of the sky; created the Titans with Gaia & Mother Earth
valedictorian
vice versa
Uranus
atrium
47. The food of the gods; some believe it kept them immortal
Perseus & Medusa
epic
ambrosia and nectar
Aphrodite/Venus
48. A long poem that narrates the deeds of a hero or the history of a nation & e.g. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey
in loco parentis
labor vincit omnia
epic
ad infinitum
49. Festival of Saturn held on December 17th & during which social roles were temporarily reversed (slaves enjoyed relaxed discipline & etc)
terra incognita
Mt. Olympus
Saturnalia
Spartacus
50. Refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the responsibilities of a parent
M.D./Medicinae Doctor
finis
ex libris
in loco parentis