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Test your basic knowledge |
Classical Literacy
Start Test
Study First
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. 'Thus passes the glory of the world.' i.e. 'Worldly things are fleeting.'
sic transit gloria mundi
sine qua non
terra firma
semper fidelis
2. 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
Perseus & Medusa
sub rosa
papyrus
per annum
3. 50
L (Roman numeral)
magnum opus
Carthage
X (Roman numeral)
4. 'from the library of' used as an inscription on a bookplate to show the name of the book's owner: ex libris Mark Twain.
Hannibal
Ides of March
Pan
ex libris
5. 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
M.D./Medicinae Doctor
Demeter/Ceres
Cyclops
Ariadne
6. 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')
Troy
Cyclops
rostra
Pantheon
7. Sailed with the Argonauts to take the Golden Fleece
Aphrodite/Venus
veni & vidi & vici
ad infinitum
Jason
8. Spirits who carry out curses and torture for wrongdoing toward one's family member (s)
Parthenon
the furies
terra firma
Chaos
9. The technical biological term for the human species
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10. Greek island in the Ionian Sea; the home of Odysseus
terra incognita
Troy
Ithaca
Circus Maximus
11. A state of disorganized matter from which the gods and the world were created
Ariadne
cave canem
quid pro quo
Chaos
12. 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
Iliad
Achilles' heel
Atlas
Hannibal
13. Roman officials who were charged with protecting the people (the plebeians) from oppression; they were sacrosanct & meaning no one could harm them
tribune
the Odyssey
Achilles' heel
Golden Fleece
14. 'Always prepared'
marathon
in memoriam
p.o./ per os
semper paratus
15. River that runs through the city of Rome
Iliad
C (Roman numeral)
Medea
Tiber
16. A picture made from small bits of glass or pottery
marathon
semper paratus
magnum opus
mosaic
17. A state of disorganized matter from which the gods and the world were created
jovial
Caesar
Chaos
semper paratus
18. 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
Prometheus
Cyclops
Orpheus & Eurydice
Etruscans
19. Another name for Zeus/Jupiter
papyrus
Romulus and Remus
Hermes/Mercury
Jove
20. Challenged Athena to a weaving contest and was turned into a spider for her excessive pride
Elysian Fields/Elysium
mellifluous
Arachne
Caesar
21. 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
X (Roman numeral)
errare humanum est
Daedalus
Orpheus & Eurydice
22. Festival of Saturn held on December 17th & during which social roles were temporarily reversed (slaves enjoyed relaxed discipline & etc)
Tartarus
veto
Saturnalia
per diem
23. The garment which signified a Roman man's citizenship
Dionysus/Bacchus
Elysian Fields/Elysium
et al./ et alii
toga
24. Perseus slayed Medusa the Gorgon
Arachne
L (Roman numeral)
Perseus & Medusa
sic semper tyrannis
25. Site of the Apollo's oracle at Delphi; home of the Muses
Mt. Parnassus
per diem
Dionysus/Bacchus
omniscient
26. Greek island in the Ionian Sea; the home of Odysseus
Ithaca
Homer
atrium
Carthage
27. Goddess of childbirth; married to Zeus; queen of the gods
Hera/Juno
Hermes/Mercury
labor vincit omnia
Priam
28. 'I refuse &' used by the president of the US to stop any bill he sees unfit from passing
Gorgons
Pantheon
veto
e pluribus unum
29. Son of Zeus; had to complete 12 labors to regain favor with the gods after killing his family; when he died & he became a god
summa cum laude
pro tempore
puerile
Hercules/Heracles
30. 'To infinity &' to continue forever & without limit
errare humanum est
in toto
Excelsior!
ad infinitum
31. A king Who was tortured in the Underworld by having water and grapes within his reach & but the water and grapes pulled away whenever he went to take drink or a bite
sedentary
Tantalus
via
Priam
32. Used on documents & coins & monuments & etc. as an official signature of the Roman government
Athens/Acropolis
Atlas
magnanimous
SPQR
33. 'per day'
per diem
Hades/Pluto
Trojan Horse
Hades/Pluto
34. 'After death'
Trojan Horse
Caesar
Prometheus
post mortem
35. God of love and desire; son of Aphrodite
Artemis/Diana
via
Ithaca
Eros/Cupid
36. 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
laurels
Hydra
puerile
semper paratus
37. The male head of a Roman family
veto
paterfamilias
Aphrodite/Venus
Poseidon/Neptune
38. A picture made from small bits of glass or pottery
pontifex maximus
per annum
laurels
mosaic
39. 5
rostra
V (Roman numeral)
Ph.D./Philosophiae Doctor
rostra
40. The food of the gods; some believe it kept them immortal
plebeian
vs./versus
ambrosia and nectar
Apollo/Apollo
41. The Underworld; in early mythology & everyone went to Tartarus after they died; in later mythology & only bad people went to Tartarus after they died
agora/forum
Hector
ex libris
Tartarus
42. Characterized by sitting & inactive (from sedet- to sit)
sic semper tyrannis
sedentary
Delphic Oracle
ex libris
43. Temple devoted to Athena; located on the Acropolis of Athens
Jason
Ph.D./Philosophiae Doctor
Delphic Oracle
Parthenon
44. The messenger god; god of thieves and travelers; son of Zeus; invented the lyre; escorted people to the Underworld when they died
Athena/Minerva
omniscient
Hermes/Mercury
muses
45. Goddess of wisdom
Hermes/Mercury
L (Roman numeral)
finis
Athena/Minerva
46. The three-headed dog that guarded the gates of the Underworld
in loco parentis
Daedalus
Pandora
Cerberus
47. 'horn of plenty' a symbol of food and abundance
terra incognita
Augustus
cornucopia
Icarus & Daedalus
48. Mother Earth; the wife of Uranus & the sky; she gave birth to the Titans & the Cyclopes & and the Hundred-Handed Ones
Hannibal
pax vobiscum
Pantheon
Ge/Gaea
49. City-state in ancient Greece known for its powerful army; fought against Athens in the Peloponnesian Wars
Sparta
iota
Etruscans
terra firma
50. 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
Cronus/Saturn
laurels
Poseidon/Neptune
the Odyssey