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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. 'A rare bird' - something unique/rare
rara avis
the Odyssey
carpe diem
magnanimous
2. Carthaginian general who attacked Italy by crossing the Italian Alps in the 2nd Punic War; He was eventually defeated by Scipio at the Battle of Zama
Hannibal
Athens/Acropolis
polytheism
in memoriam
3. The norms or values of a society
in memoriam
Jason
mores
Poseidon/Neptune
4. Athenian prince who killed the Minotaur
Theseus
Eros/Cupid
Icarus & Daedalus
per capita
5. 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
Pan
Carthage
Palatine Hill
Icarus & Daedalus
6. 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
Tantalus
mentor
omniscient
ex officio
7. Sailed with the Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece
Jason
puerile
Sparta
Chaos
8. 'before midday &' in the morning & before noon
A.M./ante meridiem
epic
Hydra
agora/forum
9. 'boyish &' 'childlike' (from puer- boy)
Chaos
puerile
in toto
Pax Romana
10. 'in the whole &' 'as a whole &' 'totally'; ex: The suggestions were adopted in toto.
in toto
e.g./exempli gratia
Nike/Victoria
N.B./nota bene
11. 'Higher!' -- the state motto of New York
Hephaestus/Vulcan
Aegean Sea
Nike/Victoria
Excelsior!
12. 'And you & Brutus?' famous last words of Julius Caesar as the Senate members assassinated him; Brutus was supposed to be a friend of his & but had a hand in the killing
et tu & Brute?
laurels
I (Roman numeral)
lapsus linguae
13. 'one out of many' - found on most US minted coins and the back of the dollar bill
et tu & Brute?
in toto
e pluribus unum
V (Roman numeral)
14. The city in Northern Africa that the Romans fought and destroyed during the Punic Wars (264-146 BC.)
Pegasus
Hector
P.S./post scriptum
Carthage
15. A picture made from small bits of glass or pottery
Ph.D./Philosophiae Doctor
Theseus
mosaic
sic transit gloria mundi
16. 'Thus passes the glory of the world.' i.e. 'Worldly things are fleeting.'
sic transit gloria mundi
Hera/Juno
Perseus & Medusa
Hydra
17. 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
Spartacus
Mt. Parnassus
Tartarus
Icarus & Daedalus
18. 'A slip of the tongue'
Pantheon
lapsus linguae
veto
Caesar
19. 'To the point of sickness' - doing/saying something over and over until everyone is sick and tired of it
Mt. Olympus
ad nauseam
Aegean Sea
Hercules/Heracles
20. 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
Tantalus
patrician
Augustus
Colosseum
21. A modern day race of 26.2 miles; from Marathon in Greece & the scene of a victory over the Persians in 490 BC; the modern race is based on the tradition that a messenger ran from Marathon to Athens (26 miles) with the news.
Elysian Fields/Elysium
tribune
Achilles' heel
marathon
22. 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
plebeian
Prometheus
laurels
sedentary
23. 'great-souled & high-minded'
Ph.D./Philosophiae Doctor
labor vincit omnia
Tantalus
magnanimous
24. 'The one who says farewell' -- the student with the highest grade point average & Who is chosen to give a speech at the end of graduation
errare humanum est
in loco parentis
valedictorian
Ph.D./Philosophiae Doctor
25. Prince of Troy Who was killed by Achilles in the Iliad; Achilles tied Hector's dead body to the back of his chariot and dragged it around the city walls three times
Ge/Gaea
errare humanum est
Hector
Uranus
26. The people in control of the Italian peninsula before Rome began to spread
P.S./post scriptum
Sicily
Etruscans
et tu & Brute?
27. God of metallurgy (metal working); married to Aphrodite
Hephaestus/Vulcan
errare humanum est
pontifex maximus
sic transit gloria mundi
28. 'After death'
post mortem
mosaic
Hermes/Mercury
Etruscans
29. 'All-knowing'
omniscient
in loco parentis
Achilles' heel
carpe diem
30. The arena for gladiatorial games in Rome (also known as the Flavian Amphitheater)
Prometheus
Colosseum
Jove
Spartacus
31. Roman officials who were charged with protecting the people (the plebeians) from oppression; they were sacrosanct & meaning no one could harm them
carpe diem
rara avis
tribune
sic semper tyrannis
32. Goddess of childbirth; married to Zeus; queen of the gods
Tartarus
e pluribus unum
Hera/Juno
sedentary
33. Home of the Greek gods
P.M./post meridiem
Hannibal
Mt. Olympus
Apollo/Apollo
34. 'per day'
Paris
aqueduct
iota
per diem
35. Challenged Athena to a weaving contest and was turned into a spider for her excessive pride
Arachne
semper fidelis
Orpheus & Eurydice
Persephone/Proserpina
36. 'per head' 'per person'
per capita
cornucopia
Ariadne
the Odyssey
37. Another name for Zeus/Jupiter
X (Roman numeral)
Jove
carpe diem
Pandora
38. God of war
Ares/Mars
Pax Romana
tribune
Artemis/Diana
39. The golden wool of a ram sought by Jason and the Argonauts
Golden Fleece
C (Roman numeral)
Pan
ad nauseam
40. 'by mouth' - used on prescription medicines that have to be taken orally
P.S./post scriptum
p.o./ per os
Aphrodite/Venus
Jove
41. Refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the responsibilities of a parent
Athens/Acropolis
in loco parentis
Hephaestus/Vulcan
toga
42. The arena for gladiatorial games in Rome (also known as the Flavian Amphitheater)
Colosseum
Ge/Gaea
i.e./id est
Spartacus
43. 'doctor/teacher of philosophy' - an advanced academic degree
tempus fugit
Ph.D./Philosophiae Doctor
mea culpa
vs./versus
44. The Underworld; in early mythology & everyone went to Tartarus after they died; in later mythology & only bad people went to Tartarus after they died
mea culpa
Medea
Tartarus
Delphic Oracle
45. The people in control of the Italian peninsula before Rome began to spread
Etruscans
in memoriam
marathon
ego
46. '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.
Pax Romana
sic semper tyrannis
Aegean Sea
Hades/Pluto
47. 'doctor/teacher of philosophy' - an advanced academic degree
M.D./Medicinae Doctor
tribune
Cronus/Saturn
Ph.D./Philosophiae Doctor
48. God of the Underworld/Tartarus
quid pro quo
mosaic
Hades/Pluto
persona non grata
49. Literally 'the greatest bridge' -- the chief priest of Roman religion (later & the emperor took on this role); now used to refer to the Pope & the head of the Catholic Church
Athens/Acropolis
carpe diem
pontifex maximus
Hannibal
50. A bundle of wooden sticks and an axe blade that the attendants of Roman magistrates carried; symbolized the magistrates' power to inflict capital punishment
semper paratus
fasces
Trojan Horse
Ge/Gaea