Test your basic knowledge |

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. Blind poet Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey






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






3. Home of the Greek gods






4. 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')






5. Sailed with the Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece






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






7. Maze under the palace of Palace of Minos at Crete & where the Minotaur (half man & half bull) was thought to have been imprisoned






8. 'beware of the dog'






9. 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






10. 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






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






12. After midday/noon






13. The golden wool of a ram sought by Jason and the Argonauts






14. A long poem that narrates the deeds of a hero or the history of a nation & e.g. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey






15. Roman officials who were charged with protecting the people (the plebeians) from oppression; they were sacrosanct & meaning no one could harm them






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






17. The norms or values of a society






18. 'Always faithful' - motto of the US Marines






19. 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






20. Through & by way of (from via- road & way)






21. 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)






22. 'firm ground/solid earth'






23. 'in the whole &' 'as a whole &' 'totally'; ex: The suggestions were adopted in toto.






24. 'With highest honors' graduating from college in the highest grade scale






25. 'All-knowing'






26. The river surrounding the Underworld






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






28. God of wine and revelry; son of Zeus and Semele






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






30. Goddess of the hunt






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






32. 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






33. 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






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






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






36. 'great work'






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






38. 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






39. Goddess of the hearth






40. Sorceress & wife of Jason; killed their children to get revenge on Jason for leaving her






41. The 15th of March & the day in 44 BC Julius Caesar was assassinated






42. 'per day'






43. 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






44. Epic poem written by Home chronicling the Trojan War






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






46. Through & by way of (from via- road & way)






47. 'The other way around'






48. 'After death'






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






50. 100