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. 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)






2. 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.






3. A large horse and chariot racing track in Rome






4. Blind poet Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey






5. 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






6. Blind poet Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey






7. 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






8. Home of the Greek gods






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






10. Victorious athletes & generals & and emperors wore crowns of made of the branches of the laurel tree to symbolize their victory; now & 'laurels' refer to someone's achievements






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






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






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






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






15. 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')






16. 'before midday &' in the morning & before noon






17. 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






18. Sailed with the Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece






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






20. Goddess of childbirth; married to Zeus; queen of the gods






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






22. 'After death'






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






24. 'note well' i.e. take note






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






26. God of the sea






27. The daughter of king Minos of Crete & who helped Theseus escape from the labyrinth after he killed the minotaur






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






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






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






31. Another name for Zeus/Jupiter






32. Refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the responsibilities of a parent






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






34. 'Work conquers all'






35. Goddess of childbirth; married to Zeus; queen of the gods






36. 'for the time being' - temporary






37. 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






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






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






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






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






42. A state of disorganized matter from which the gods and the world were created






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






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






45. Doctor of medicine






46. 1






47. 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.






48. 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






49. 50






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