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






2. 'A slip of the tongue'






3. 'beware of the dog'






4. 'Time flies/flees'






5. Sweet-sounding (literally 'flowing like honey')






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






7. The river surrounding the Underworld






8. Writing after the body of a letter






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






10. 10






11. 'An unwelcome person' - used in diplomacy to indicate a person Who is barred from entering a certain country






12. Goddess of the hearth






13. 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






14. 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






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






16. God of love and desire; son of Aphrodite






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






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






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






20. The food of the gods; some believe it kept them immortal






21. A bundle of wooden sticks and an axe blade that the attendants of Roman magistrates carried; symbolized the magistrates' power to inflict capital punishment






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






23. Sailed with the Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece






24. 'And the rest' usually seen at the end of a list of things & instead of listing everything






25. Writing after the body of a letter






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






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






28. The male head of a Roman family






29. 'my fault' ; tua culpa -'your fault'






30. The technical biological term for the human species

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31. Market place/business center






32. 'before midday &' in the morning & before noon






33. Home of the Greek gods






34. 'firm ground/solid earth'






35. 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






36. Goddess of victory






37. 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






38. '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.






39. King of Ithaca who came up with the idea of using the Trojan horse to defeat the city of Troy; hero of the Odyssey






40. 'for the sake of an example' - abbreviation used when providing an example






41. Twin brothers & raised by a wolf; Romulus killed Remus and founded Rome






42. 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






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






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






45. 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






46. 1000






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






48. Epic poem written by Home chronicling the Trojan War






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






50. 'note well' i.e. take note