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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. 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






2. The male head of a Roman family






3. Out of her curiosity & she opened a box containing all the bad things in the world; she put the lid on just in time & so that hope did not escape from the box & too






4. Sea to the west of Greece; named after King Aegeus after he drowned himself in the sea thinking his son Theseus was dead






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






6. 'note well' i.e. take note






7. Speaker's platform in the forum & which was decorated with the prows of ships the Romans captured in war (rostrum means 'beak & prow of a ship')






8. 'for the time being' - temporary






9. 'peace be with you'






10. God of the Underworld/Tartarus






11. 'Work conquers all'






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






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






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






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






16. 'That is' used for further explanation: 'in other words...'






17. 5






18. 'That is' used for further explanation: 'in other words...'






19. 5






20. 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






21. 'The end'






22. The oracle of Apollo; people visited the oracle for guidance and predictions of the future






23. 'I'






24. 'The state in which'






25. A mural painted directly onto wet plaster (fresco means 'fresh' in Italian)






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






27. 'under penalty' a written order for a person to come testify in court






28. Goddess of victory






29. 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






30. In early mythology & the resting place of heroes; the later mythology & where good people went in the afterlife






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






32. Literally & the apple that Eris (goddess of strife) threw in front of Hera & Aphrodite & and Athena to cause a dispute over Who was the fairest; figuratively & anything which causes a dispute






33. The oracle of Apollo; people visited the oracle for guidance and predictions of the future






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






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






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






37. 'per day'






38. A mural painted directly onto wet plaster (fresco means 'fresh' in Italian)






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






40. Reception hall (like the living room) in a Roman house






41. '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






42. One of the seven hills of Rome & south of the forum; the site of the imperial palace






43. Daughter of Demeter; kidnapped by Hades to make her his queen






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






45. 'in memory of'






46. God of the sea






47. Gladiator who led an uprising of slaves against the Romans in the 1st c. BC






48. A large horse and chariot racing track in Rome






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






50. 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