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






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






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






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






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






6. 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






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






8. The messenger god; god of thieves and travelers; son of Zeus; invented the lyre; escorted people to the Underworld when they died






9. Figuratively 'secretly.' Aphrodite gave her son Eros a rose. Eros gave it to Harpocrates & the god of silence & to ensure that his mother's love affairs remained a secret.






10. Homer's epic poem about Odysseus & kind of Ithaca & trying to find his way home from the Trojan War






11. A town on the western coast of Italy destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuius in AD 79






12. The city in Northern Africa that the Romans fought and destroyed during the Punic Wars (264-146 BC.)






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






14. 'Against' & used to show Who is up against who in sports matches & legal battles & etc.






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






16. 'per year'






17. A town on the western coast of Italy destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuius in AD 79






18. Goddess of the hunt






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






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






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






22. Goddess of the hearth






23. 'per day'






24. 'doctor/teacher of philosophy' - an advanced academic degree






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






26. A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage & a Phoenician city in Northern Africa & for control of the Mediterranean (264-146 BC)






27. Greek god of nature; had the torso and head of a man & but the legs and horns of a goat






28. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (i); commonly used in the phrase 'not one iota &' meaning 'not one bit'






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






30. 'A slip of the tongue'






31. Doctor of medicine






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






33. The ferryman for the river Styx going into the underworld






34. 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






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






36. 50






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






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






39. God of love and desire; son of Aphrodite






40. 'peace be with you'






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






42. Literally refers to the heel of Achilles (a character from the Iliad who killed Hector)

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43. 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






44. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet (i); commonly used in the phrase 'not one iota &' meaning 'not one bit'






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






46. Market place/business center






47. Large island off the southeast coast of Italy; home of Mt. Etna & a huge volcano; where the Cyclopes lived in the Odyssey






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






49. '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.






50. 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