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






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






3. 'note well' i.e. take note






4. 'The other way around'






5. 'unknown land'






6. 1000






7. 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






8. The highest political office in the Roman Republic; 2 were elected every year






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






10. One of the 12 Titans & father of Zeus/Jupiter & who swallowed his children in an attempt to keep from being overthrown






11. 5






12. One of the 12 Titans & father of Zeus/Jupiter & who swallowed his children in an attempt to keep from being overthrown






13. 'Higher!' -- the state motto of New York






14. The male head of a Roman family






15. 'To err is human' - in other words & it's normal to mess up






16. 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






17. 'in the year of the Lord &' designating the time period after Christ's birth






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






19. 'I'






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






21. The king of the gods; god of thunder and lightning






22. The arena for gladiatorial games in Rome (also known as the Flavian Amphitheater)






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






24. The Underworld; in early mythology & everyone went to Tartarus after they died; in later mythology & only bad people went to Tartarus after they died






25. 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






26. Large island off the southeast coast of Italy; home of Mt. Etna & a huge volcano; where the Cyclopes lived in the Odyssey






27. Goddess of the hunt






28. 'boyish &' 'childlike' (from puer- boy)






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






30. First emperor of the Roman Empire; adopted son of Julius Caesar; member of the 2nd Triumvirate; also known as Octavian






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






32. 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






33. 'And others'






34. Homer's epic poem about Odysseus & kind of Ithaca & trying to find his way home from the Trojan War






35. Festival of Saturn held on December 17th & during which social roles were temporarily reversed (slaves enjoyed relaxed discipline & etc)






36. 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






37. The city in Northern Africa that the Romans fought and destroyed during the Punic Wars (264-146 BC.)






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






39. Epic poem written by Home chronicling the Trojan War






40. God of metallurgy (metal working); married to Aphrodite






41. Market place/business center






42. 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






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






44. 'I refuse &' used by the president of the US to stop any bill he sees unfit from passing






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






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






47. Goddess of grain & the harvest & and the seasons; mother of Persephone/Proserpina






48. 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.






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






50. 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)