THE CERTAMEN QUESTIONS DATABASE http://www.geocities.com/bwduncan/index.html THESE QUESTIONS WRITTEN BY: WILLIAM L. CAREY, ESQ. AD FONTES ACADEMY & GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY EVENT: AD FONTES CERTAMEN LOCATION: GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, FAIRFAX, VA LEVEL: ADVANCED DIFFICULTY RATING: **** DATE: 1999 # OF QUESTIONS: 80 NOTE: THE CERTAMEN HAD LEVELS III AND IV. THESE ARE THE LEVEL III QUESTIONS. THEY WERE REFORMATTED (AND SOME MODIFIED) BY BRADFORD DUNCAN. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROUND I 1. Third year students by now should be comfortable with deponent verbs. From what deponent does the English word "progress" derive? PROGREDIOR B1. From what deponent verb does our word "Orient," as in the East, derive? ORIOR 2. On July 18, 390 B.C., forever after a black day in the Roman calendar, the Gallic horde from the Po Valley defeated the Roman army outside of Rome. What was the name of the river where this battle took place? ALLIA B1. What Latin phrase did Brennus, the leader of these Gauls, utter while haggling with the Romans over the price of his withdrawal from Rome? VAE VICTIS (woe to the conquered) 3. What number is missing from this sequence? unus, tres, quinque, novem. SEPTEM B1. What number is missing from this sequence? viginti, triginta, quinquaginta, sexaginta. QUADRAGINTA 4. Tiberius withdrew from Rome in A.D. 27, never to return again. Where did he spend these years? CAPREAE (CAPRI) B1. Tiberius spent eight years of Augustus’ reign in self-imposed exile, from 6 B.C. to A.D. 2. Where did he spend those years? RHODES 5. Which one of the following does not belong and why: maior, peius, celeriter, longior? CELERITER is NOT A COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVE B1. Which one of the following does not belong: Julian, Severan, Aemilian, Flavian. AEMILIAN (not a dynasty of Rome) 6. Who was killed by her father to prevent Appius Claudius from raping her? VERGINIA B1. What office was Claudius holding at that time? DECEMVIR 7. What use of the ablative is seen in the sentence, "Gladiatores meliores militibus sunt." ablative of COMPARISON B1. Say that sentence without using an ablative. GLADIATORES MELIORES QUAM MILITES SUNT 8. Romans boys assumed the toga virilis on this holiday nearest to their 16th birthday. the LIBERALIA (March 17) B1. The youngster would of course assume the toga virilis on that holiday. But if you were from the lower classes and happened to be in mourning, what toga would you be wearing? TOGA PULLA (TOGA SORDIDA) 9. Please put these battles in chronological order: Carrhae, Lake Regillus, and Zela. LAKE REGILLUS, CARRHAE, ZELA B1. What happened at Carrhae? CRASSUS WAS DEFEATED BY THE PARTHIANS 10. Differentiate between the verbs fugo, fugare and fugio, fugere. FUGO = TO PUT TO FLIGHT (ROUT) FUGIO = TO FLEE B1. Differentiate between geminus and gemma. GEMINUS = TWIN GEMMA = GEM (PRECIOUS STONE) 11. I was the youngest of a king's three daughters and possessed beauty comparable to Venus herself. People came from all lands to adore me, and the worship of Venus was neglected. So she sought the help of her son Cupid, who was supposed to shoot me with one of his arrows to make me fall in love with the most vile creature on earth. But instead, as soon as Cupid laid eyes upon me, he fell in love with me. Who am I? PSYCHE B1. Venus tried again to rid the world of Psyche, sending her to the Underworld to fetch this item in a small box. a PORTION OF PROSERPINA'S BEAUTY 12. Distinguish between the noun latro and the verb latro. noun = MERCENARY (HIRED SERVANT, BODYGUARD, HIRELING, SATELLITE), verb = TO BARK B1. Distinguish between the infinitives esse and ësse. esse = TO BE; ësse = TO EAT 13. What common but irregular verb is at the root of "ambition?" EO, IRE B1. Give the four principal parts of the common third conjugation verb at the root of navigo? AGO,-ERE,EGI,ACTUM 14. What law in 287 B.C. brought the "Struggle of the Orders" between patricians and plebeians to an end? the LEX HORTENSIA B1. What did this law do? MADE LAWS PASSED BY THE PLEBEIANS BINDING ON THE ENTIRE ROMAN PEOPLE 15. What do the following having in common? Perna, malum, garum, faba. types of FOOD B1. If you were at a "vinum et caseus" party, where would you be? a WINE and CHEESE party 16. What region of Italy would you be in if the Ligurians were to the north, the Umbrians to the east, and the Romans to the south? ETRURIA B1. Now where would you be in Greece if Macedonia were to the north, Epirus to the west, and the Aegean sea to the east? THESSALY 17. When recognized, perform this command: Pulsa mensam manu. he or she should STRIKE THE TABLE WITH THE HAND B1. When recognized, perform this command: State et dicite mihi quot capita habeatis vos omnes. team should stand and say the number of persons (heads) on their team 18. Constantine became the first emperor of Rome to convert to Christianity. With what edict did he put an end to the persecution of Christians? the EDICT OF MILAN B1. What emperor went further and made Christianity the only permissible relgion of the Empire? THEODOSIUS (the Great) 19. What Latin word means a period of 1,000 years? MILLENIUM B1. Rome celebrated it’s 1,000 year anniversary in 248 A.D. Who was the Emperor who presided over this celebration? PHILIP (the Arab) 20. Identify the tense and voice of the participle "inventurus." FUTURE ACTIVE B1. Using this participle, say in Latin "I know that I will find the animals." SCIO ME ANIMALIA INVENTURUM ESSE ROUND II 1. We all know the word for family, "familia." More interesting and complex are the families of Greek mythology. For instance, who was the son of Agamemnon, who killed his mother and her lover under the guidance of a god? ORESTES B1. The god who ordered Orestes to do so this was Apollo. But what was the name of the unfortunate mother? CLYTEMNESTRA 2. Keeping with the last question, distinguish between the verbs occïdo, occïdere, occïdï, occïsum and occidö, occidere, occidï, occäsum. OCCIDO (LONG I) = TO CUT DOWN (SLAY, ETC.) OCCIDO (SHORT I) = TO FALL (PERISH, DIE, ETC.) B1. Clytemnestra tibi occidenda est. Translate that sentence and tell me the see n1. tense of the verb. CLYTEMNESTRA MUST BE KILLED BY YOU (accept equivalents implying necessity); FUTURE (as PASSIVE or SECOND PERIPHRASTIC) 3. As you can imagine, Orestes had his sleep disturbed by the Furies following this horrible event. What is the Latin for "sleep?" SOMNUS B1. Dreams, we are told, passed from the Underworld through two gates. Some passed through the Gate of Horn, others through the Gate of Ivory. Which sort of dreams passed through each? HORN = TRUE DREAMS; IVORY = FALSE DREAMS 4. How can a February certamen go without mention of the story of Cupid and Psyche? Tell me who poor Psyche was told she was going to marry. WINGED SERPENT (accept MONSTER) B1. The Cupid and Psyche story is probably an old one; but only one writer tells it in the ancient world. Who was this writer and what was the title of his work? APULEIUS; METAMORPHOSES (ot the GOLDEN ASS) 5. What do the nouns manus, porticus, and acus have in common? they're 4TH DECLENSION FEMININES (prompt on "4th declension") B1. What is unusual about these nouns: balneum, frenum, and locus? they're HETEROGENOUS (accept GENDERS IN THE SINGULAR AND PLURAL DIFFER) 6. The goddesses upon whom poets and philosophers depended to inspire their work were called the Muses. Homer knew only one, but it was Hesiod who probably fixed their number at nine. Name three of them. CALLIOPE, CLIO, EUTERPE, ERATO, MELPOMENE, POLYHYMNIA, THALIA, TERSIPCHORE, URANIA B1. Now tell me what arts the three you just named were patrons of. CALLIOPE (epic), CLIO (history), EUTERPE (flute playing), ERATO (lyric poetry), MELPOMENE (tragedy), POLYHYMNIA (hymns or pantomime), THALIA (comedy), TERSIPCHORE (dance and lyric poetry), URANIA (astronomy) 7. Which emperor said "Oderint dum metuant" and what does it mean? (GAIUS) CALIGULA; LET THEM HATE (me) PROVIDED THEY FEAR (me) B1. Which emperor said "Oderint dum probant" and what does it mean? TIBERIUS; LET THEM HATE (me) PROVIDED THEY APPROVE (of me) 8. Which of the following years doesn’t belong and why: 509 BC, 27 BC, 202 BC, 476 AD, 753 BC? 202 BC; the others MARK THE BEGINNINGS OR ENDING OF ROMAN GOVERNMENTAL PERIODS B1. What notable event occurred in 202 BC? Scipio defeated Hannibal at ZAMA (the END OF SECOND PUNIC WAR) 9. Responde Latine, quaeso. What do the following have in common: passer, pavo, bubo, columba. Omnes sunt AVES (ALES, VOLUCRES) see n2. B1. What is the meaning of each? passer = SPARROW; pavo = PEACOCK; bubo = OWL; columba = DOVE 10. The Romans had many forms of marriage, each giving rise to a slightly different relationship. What form of marriage would you be entering if you bought your bride at a mock sale? COEMPTIO B1. In early times, patricians were usually married by confarreatio, which involving little cakes made of far or spelt. But almost every wedding would have a formal wedding cake. What was this cake called? MUSTACEUM 11. Sometimes a woman might be seen with the word "sequere me" written on the bottom of her sandals. Yes, we know what kind of woman she was. What is the grammatical form of sequere in that sentence? SINGULAR IMPERATIVE B1. Now make the verb in "sequere me" plural. SEQUIMINI ME 12. If a sentence begins with volo we don’t know yet where the sentence is going. What two possibilities for this word exist? I FLY and I WISH B1. Sometimes one letter makes all the difference. Distinguish in meaning between iaceo and iacio. IACIO = TO THROW (CAST, FLING, HURL); IACEO = TO BE THROWN (TO BE CAST, TO LIE) 13. Pygmalion was the name of the famous sculptor, who created a statute that came to life. He shares his name with the brother of what famous queen? DIDO B1. Here’s another famous pair question. What two men had to fight men sprung from the teeth of serpents? CADMUS and JASON 14. Who am I? My great wealth was obtained mostly at fire sales. Although I defeated Spartacus in 71 BC, I still yearned for military glory and, after joining the First Triumvirate in 60 BC, pushed for a command against the Parthians. Alas, I was slain by them in 53 BC near the Syrian town of Carrhae. M. Licinius CRASSUS B1. My death in 53 BC didn’t do the First Triumvirate any good. The death of Caesar’s daughter, Julia, the year before also was a blow to the First Triumvirate. Why was this so? JULIA had been MARRIED TO POMPEY 15. Distinguish in meaning between "nepos" and "avus." NEPOS = GRANDSON; AVUS = GRANDFATHER B1. Distinguish in meaning between "avunculus" and "patruus." a MATERNAL and PATERNAL UNCLE, respectively 16. The word "patient" in English has a double meaning: someone who suffers and someone who is . . . well, patient. Give the principal parts of the verbs at the root of our word "patient." PATIOR, PATI, PASSUS SUM B1. If the participle form of this verb appeared in a sentence by itself, see n3. that is to say just "passus," how would we translate it and what would be its grammatical title? HAVING SUFFERED; PERFECT passive PARTICIPLE 17. There were many famous poets of the Roman empire. Who was famous for writing epigrams? M. Valerius MARTIALis B1. In addition to Horace, name a Roman poet famous for his Satires? LUCILIUS or PERSIUS or Decimus Junius JUVENALis see n4. 18. The Colosseum was a marvel of ancient engineering. But one part of it was particularly impressive, the "velarium." What was this? the COVERING or SAILS USED TO SHADE SPECTATORS FROM THE SUN B1. It was quite a chore to maintain the riggings of the velarium. What group was in charge of this duty? a contingent of SAILORS from the imperial fleet (from Ostia) 19. In addition to being deponents, what do the following verbs have in common? utor, fungor, fruor, potior, vescor. the GOVERN THE ABLATIVE B1. One of these deponents will sometimes govern the genitive, particularly when it’s the republic that is being seized. Which one is it? POTIOR 20. Homer’s Iliad didn’t really tell the full story of the Trojan War, but only dealt with a short portion towards the end of the siege. One of the events foretold but not actually covered was the death of Achilles. How did Achilles die and who was responsible? PARIS SHOT A ARROW INTO ACHILLES' HEEL B1. So what was the final event narrated in the Iliad? HECTOR'S FUNERAL ROUND III 1. The first 5 emperors of Rome constitute the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Which one of the emperors, whose name means "lame" or "crippled" was married to his niece? CLAUDIUS B1. Claudius was succeeded by his step-son Nero. Who was Claudius' natural son who was passed over and soon murdered by Nero? BRITANNICUS 2. Which of the following does not belong: albus, ruber, remus, veridis? REMUS B1. Define these words. WHITE, RED, OAR, GREEN 3. Who told Odysseus how to reach the Underworld? CIRCE B1. Odysseus traveled to the Underworld to speak with whom? TEIRESIAS 4. What year is this? Cicero opened the year with an attack on Antony in the Senate. The consuls Hirtius and Pansa died in battle against Antony in the Po Valley. Brutus and Cassius were gathering troops in the East. Octavian was elected consul and then joined with Antony and Lepidus to form the Second Triumvirate. 43 BC B1. What year is this? Caesar crossed the Adriatic to attack Pompey in Greece. Pompey was defeated at Pharsalus and fled to Eygpt, where he was slain at the orders of young Ptolemy. 48 BC 5. Translate the sentence, "Feles est clerior quam testudo; lepus est celerrimus omnium. A CAT IS FASTER THAN A TURTLE; A RABBIT IS FASTEST OF ALL B1. Let’s switch to the superlative. How would we say "very easy" in Latin? FACILLIMUS,-A,-UM 6. Zeus had a bad habit of deceiving his wife. When he was dallying with Io, he had to hide himself and his new found lover very quickly. How did he accomplish this? he created a thick CLOUD to conceal them see n5. B1. Everything worked out well for Io in the end. She eventually had a son by Zeus and through him was the ancestor of two great heroes of Greek mythology. Who were they? HERACLES and PERSEUS 7. The Latin Bible is often called the Vulgate. What is the Latin word and its meaning at the root of "Vulgate?" VULGUS = THE PEOPLE (RABBLE, PUBLIC) B1. What is unusual about this word? 2nd DECLENSION NEUTER in -us 8. What emperor ordered the compilation of the entire corpus of Roman law? JUSTINIAN B1. What was the name of this code of law? the DIGEST 9. Translate the verb in the main clause of this sentence: "He said that he would not come." NEGAVIT B1. Now translate that sentence: NEGAVIT SE (eum) VENTURUM ESSE 10. In how many declensions are both feminine and masculine nouns found? all FIVE B1. What declensions have no neuter nouns? FIRST and FIFTH 11. What group of three has names that mean "Unresting, Grudging, and Avenging Murder?" the FURIES B1. Name any one of the three. ALECTO, TISIPHONE, MEGAERA 12. What famous general during the Second Punic War counseled delay to avoid further defeats at the hands of Hannibal? Q. FABIUS MAXIMUS Cunctator B1. From what verb was his agnomen taken? CUNCTOR,-ARI 13. What rhetorical device is seen in the following sentence: "I pass by, Catiline, what even your friends say, that you are an adulterer." PRAETERITIO (PRETERITION) B1. What rhetorical device is seen here: satis eloquentiae, sapientiae parum CHIASMUS 14. What Roman historian told the history of the year of the Four Emperors? TACITUS B1. What Greek historian "an eyewitness to the events" told the history of Rome’s rise to Empire. POLYBIUS 15. The law still has many old rules, stated in elegant Latin. What is the meaning of the basic principle "Lex nemini facit iniuriam?" the LAW DOES INJURY TO NO ONE B1. How about "Lex punit mendacium?" LAW PUNISHES FALSEHOOD 16. Which of the vowels can be used as a verb? I B1. Translate this verb and identify its mood and its plural form. GO!; IMPERATIVE; ITE 17. Whose famous last words were "Noli disturbare circulos"? ARCHIMEDES B1. During what event was Archimedes killed? the SEIGE OF SYRACUSE 18. We know Augustus as an emperor. But what title did he prefer to be called? PRINCEPS B1. Augustus himself, though often haled as imperator, was never much of a military leader. Who was his famous general, the conqueror of Antony at Actium? M. Vipsanius AGRIPPA 19. We all know the Great Neuter Rule. But give me one example of a Latin neuter plural form that does NOT end in -a. QUAE, HAEC, DUO, AMBO B1. Give another. see above 20. We learn that deponent verbs are passive in form and active in meaning. But deponents do have active forms. Name one. PRESENT PARTICIPLE or FUTURE PARTICIPLE or FUTURE INFINITIVE B1. Name another. see above FINAL ROUND 1. The Romans were fond of a great variety of food. But their gods tended to confine themselves to one meal. What did they normally eat? AMBROSIA B1. What did the Gods usually drink? NECTAR B2. The ancient gods also had a special substance running through their veins in place of blood. What was this? ICHOR 2. How would you classify the following verbs: soleo, audeo, fido? SEMI-DEPONENTS B1. Piget, paenitet, licet? IMPERSONALS B2. Scisco, calesco, mitesco? INCEPTIVES (INCHOATES) 3. Which of the following was never a dictator of Rome? Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Sulla? AUGUSTUS B1. What do the following have in common? Caudine Forks, Asculum, Arausio? DEFEATS OF ROMANS B2. Apart from being patrician women, what do the following have in common? Cornelia, Pompeia, Calpurnia. WIVES OF JULIUS CAESAR 4. Translate the verb in this sentence: "Let’s stay in Rome." (RE)MANEAMUS B1. Translate "in Rome." ROMAE B2. Now make the sentence negative. NE (RE)MANEAMUS ROMAE 5. Medea fled from her homeland with Jason and covered the flight of the Argonauts from Colchis by dismembering her little brother and leaving the severed parts of his body on the ocean to be picked up by her pursuing father, Aeetes. Who was this unfortunate youngster? APSYRTUS (ABSYRTUS) B1. Jason and Medea returned to Greece, having fulfilled Pelias’ request to obtain the Golden Fleece. To what city did they return, where Pelias reigned until falling victim to Medea’s magic? IOLCUS B2. As if this wasn’t enough, what was the final, most horrible crime of Medea? SHE KILLED HER OWN SONS 6. Distinguish between a rostrum and the rostra. ROSTRUM = BEAK OF A SHIP; ROSTRA = SPEAKER'S PLATFORM B1. Distinguish between foedus and foedus. noun = TREATY, adj. = FOUL B2. Distinguish between reges and reges. noun = KINGS, verb = YOU WILL REIGN 7. What emperor of Rome established the "Tetrarachy," dividing the Empire into two halves, each ruled over by a senior Augustus and a junior Caesar? DIOCLETIAN B1. What emperor in the generation before Diocletian finally put an end to the break-up of the Empire and earned the title Restitutor Orbis? AURELIAN B2. Moving ahead two hundred years, what German was the first barbarian king of Italy, deposing the last Roman emperor in A.D. 476? ODOACER 8. Say in Latin "seven months." SEPTEM MENSES B1. Now say in Latin "in the seventh month." SEPTIMO MENSE B2. Now say in Latin "within seven months." SEPTEM MENSIBUS 9. When Theseus arrived in Athens, his father Aegeus felt threatened by his fame and decided to poison him. Who handed Theseus the cup of poison at the banquet? MEDEA B1. We know what happend next, how Theseus slew the Minotaur. But tell me what action of King Minos had so angered Poseidon that Poseidon caused Minos’ wife to fall in love with a bull. POSEIDON HAD GIVEN THE BULL TO MINOS INTENDING IT TO BE SACRIFICED TO HIMSELF, BUT MINOS DECIDED TO KEEP IT HIMSELF B2. What was the name of the wife of Minos, mother of the Minotaur? PASIPHAE 10. Caesar, of course, was not assassinated in 44 B.C. - that year didn’t exist. What year was this A.U.C.? 710 A.U.C. B1. In what year A.U.C. did Augustus die? 767 A.U.C. B2. Truth be told, the Romans didn’t normally count their years A.U.C. How would they normally make reference to a year? by THE NAMES OF THE CONSULS FOR THAT YEAR 11. We all know the phrase "carpe diem." Make the words in that phrase plural. CARPITE DIES B1. Do the same with "cave canem." CAVETE CANES B2. Give the form and meaning of the only irregular plural imperative in Latin. FERTE meaning CARRY 12. Bacchus was once captured by pirates, who were then transformed into what animals? DOLPHINS B1. The chariot of Cybele was pulled by what animals? LIONS B2. The Myrmidons were originally what animals? ANTS 13. What is unusual about the verbs "odi" and "memini?" THEY HAVE PERFECT FORMS ONLY B1. Say in Latin "I hated." ODERAM B2. Say in Latin "I will remember." MEMINERO 14. What son of Athamas and Nephele brought the Golden Fleece to Colchis? PHRIXUS B1. Phrixus was fleeing from his wicked stepmother with his sister, who came to an unfortunate end at the Dardanelles. What was his sister’s name? HELLE B2. Now what was the name of their stepmother? INO 15. With which of the following can haec not agree? femina, naves, mulieres, certamina, or piratae PIRATAE B1. With which of the following can hi not agree? scribae, montes, domus, or leones DOMUS B2. With which of the following can illi not agree? aurigae, adventus, manus or ignes MANUS 16. The Romans were very particular about burying their dead. In general, where could the dead not be buried? INSIDE THE CITY B1. The City was not defined by the actual wall but by what religious and almost magical boundary surrounding Rome. POMERIUM B2. This is why we now find the tombs of the Scipio family inside the great wall surrounding Rome, which still stands in many places. What Emperor built this great wall? AURELIAN 17. From where did the Ptolemies originally hail? MACEDONIA (prompt on "Greece") B1. Before he became king of Egypt, what position did the first Ptolemy hold? GENERAL (MARSHALL) OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT B2. What general of Alexander took over the core of the Persian Empire? SELEUCUS 18. What was the Latin name for the Rhine River? RHENUS B1. What was the Latin name for the Rhone River? RHODANUS B2. What was the Latin name for the Po River? PADUS 19. In the famous line "Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?" what case is patientia? ABLATIVE (with abutere) B1. What are the four principal parts of the uncompounded form of the verb "abutere?" UTOR, UTI, USUS SUM B2. What form of "abutor" are we seeing in this quote? 2nd PERSON SINGULAR, FUTURE (INDICATIVE) 20. What Greek author left us many biographies of famous Romans and Greeks? PLUTARCH B1. Give me the name of a Latin biographer. SUETONIUS or NEPOS B2. Which Roman wrote a history of city, called Origines. CATO THE ELDER ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- n1. The question asks the "tense" of the verb, which is future. As there are different ways to denote obligation, necessity, or propriety in the translation, it might be better to ask for the "form" of the verb. The acceptable answers would then be SECOND (FUTURE PASSIVE) PERIPHRASTIC or GERUNDIVE. n2. "Aves" is more specific than "volucres," which also refers to flying insects. "Alites" is used substantively to refer to birds. n3. The grammatical form is a "perfect participle," of which Latin is wanting in the active voice. The "form" is passive, though the meaning is rendered as an active verb in English. n4. The Romans differentiated two types of satire. The three authors listed as answers to the question wrote verse satire, as did Horace. Menippean satire, a mixture of verse and prose, was established among the Romans by M. Terentius Varro. n5. Do not accept "changed her into a cow" as this transformation did not conceal both of them. Bradford Duncan