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






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






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






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






5. 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






6. 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.






7. 'great work'






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






9. The 9 goddesses who looked after the arts and inspired men in those arts






10. Good-humored & jolly (ancient astrologers thought that the planet Jupiter fostered cheerfulness)






11. 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






12. God of love and desire; son of Aphrodite






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






14. 'A rare bird' - something unique/rare






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






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






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






18. The garment which signified a Roman man's citizenship






19. River that runs through the city of Rome






20. A system created by the Romans which carried water over long distances






21. '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.






22. Good-humored & jolly (ancient astrologers thought that the planet Jupiter fostered cheerfulness)






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






24. 'from the office &' 'by right of office' - used to refer to someone Who is a member of a group (a board & committee & council & etc.) because they hold another office/position






25. Usually referring to Julius Caesar & the Roman dictator Who was assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15th) 44 BCE






26. 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






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






28. The technical biological term for the human species

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29. 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






30. 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






31. Refers to an action or condition necessary for something to happen






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






33. God of the sea






34. The three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld






35. 1000






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






37. The god of the sky; created the Titans with Gaia & Mother Earth






38. 'A slip of the tongue'






39. Goddess of the hunt






40. 'firm ground/solid earth'






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






42. A picture made from small bits of glass or pottery






43. Mother Earth; the wife of Uranus & the sky; she gave birth to the Titans & the Cyclopes & and the Hundred-Handed Ones






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






45. 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






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






47. 'All-knowing'






48. Volcano which erupted in AD 79 and destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum






49. Blind poet Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey






50. The three goddesses who determine a person's life: when he will be born & how long he will live & and when he will die; one sister spins the thread of life & the second measures out a certain length & and the third cuts it at the end of the person's