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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. Epic poem written by Home chronicling the Trojan War






2. 'To the point of sickness' - doing/saying something over and over until everyone is sick and tired of it






3. Sweet-sounding (literally 'flowing like honey')






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






5. 'The state in which'






6. God of the Underworld/Tartarus






7. 'Time flies/flees'






8. 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






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






10. Goddess of the hunt






11. 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






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






13. 'The end'






14. Temple devoted to Athena; located on the Acropolis of Athens






15. 'Always prepared'






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






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






18. 'great-souled & high-minded'






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






20. 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






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






22. 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






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






24. Sweet-sounding (literally 'flowing like honey')






25. 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






26. 'seize the day'






27. 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.






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






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






30. Blind poet Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey






31. Goddess of victory






32. Market place/business center






33. 'note well' i.e. take note






34. 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






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






36. 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






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






38. Lived in the Labyrinth; fed off of Athenian youths; killed by Theseus






39. God of the sea






40. Doctor of medicine






41. Inventor who created the Labyrinth where the Minotaur lived






42. Another name for Zeus/Jupiter






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






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


45. 1000






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






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






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






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






50. '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.