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






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






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






4. God of metallurgy (metal working); married to Aphrodite






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






6. The god of the sky; created the Titans with Gaia & Mother Earth






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






8. 'one out of many' - found on most US minted coins and the back of the dollar bill






9. Icarus was the son of Daedalus who flew too close to the sun with the wings his father made him from wax and feathers & and fell to his death






10. Spirits who carry out curses and torture for wrongdoing toward one's family member (s)






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






12. Blind poet Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey






13. 'for the time being' - temporary






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






15. 'by mouth' - used on prescription medicines that have to be taken orally






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






17. Epic poem written by Home chronicling the Trojan War






18. 'Time flies/flees'






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






20. 'in the year of the Lord &' designating the time period after Christ's birth






21. Was chosen by Zeus to settle the argument of Who was the fairest of the goddesses; he chose Aphrodite because she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world if he chose her






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






23. The river surrounding the Underworld






24. 10






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






26. Goddess of victory






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






28. The male head of a Roman family






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






30. 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






31. 'seize the day'






32. 'Higher!' -- the state motto of New York






33. 'unknown land'






34. 'note well' i.e. take note






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






36. 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')






37. 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






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






39. 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.






40. Volcano which erupted in AD 79 and destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum






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






42. The Underworld; in early mythology & everyone went to Tartarus after they died; in later mythology & only bad people went to Tartarus after they died






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






44. God of war






45. 'And others'






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






47. The Underworld; in early mythology & everyone went to Tartarus after they died; in later mythology & only bad people went to Tartarus after they died






48. 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






49. 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






50. 'peace be with you'