MATRICULATION AND SECONDARY EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS
BOARD
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
SUBJECT : IM 33 CLASSICAL STUDIES
PAPER: I
DATE:
TIME: 3 hours
Answer ALL questions from Section A & Section B
Answer ONE question from Section C
Section A – 30 marks
1.
Translate the following sentences into Latin (15 marks): a) The barbarians taught me much about their own affairs. b) This tribe refused to wage war in winter. c) On that day, nothing was done by the enemy. d) This king has always been considered to be a friend of the Roman people. e) Having exhorted the soldiers, he marched to the city
2.
Translate the following sentences into Greek (15 marks): a) The war was more terrible than previous wars. b) The harbour was far distant. c) We were showing courage by deeds. d) There were black ships in the broad river. e) The brave slaves were freed by the general.
Section B – 30 marks
3.
Read the following passage and answer all the questions
Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris
Italiam fato profugus Laviniaque venit litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto vi superum, saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram, multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem inferretque deos Latio; genus unde
Albanique patres atque altae moenia Romae.. a) What is the name of the poem from which this extract is taken and who
wrote it?.(2 marks)

b) In what metre is this poem written? (2 marks). c) Give the name of this work’s hero and the names of his parents.
(2 marks). d) The poem says “multum ille et terris iactatus et alto vi superum”. Give
one example of whatever the poet is referring to from the wider context
of Book 1 of this poem. (3 marks). e) Translate the extract accurately into English. (3 marks per verse).
Section C – 40 marks
Answer ONE of the following questions:
4.
Write an essay of not less than 600 words on ONE of the following topics a) Give an account of the tragedies suffered by the House of Atreus. b) Scipio Africanus Maior was the greatest general of the classical world.
Discuss. c) In one golden century, Athens after the Persian wars produced an intellectual revolution arguably unequalled in history. Do you agree with this statement? d) What lessons can a contemporary politician learn from the crisis that led to the demise of the Roman Republic? e) Do you think that knowledge of the classics can be an asset for a businessman? f) Why do you think that democracy is no longer practised as it was in ancient Athens? g) What do you consider to be Julius Caesar’s most significant contribution to subsequent Western Civilization? h) Write out an imaginary conversation between a disciple of Homer and a disciple of Socrates arguing over whom of the two is the real father of
Western Civilization. i) Assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of the legion and the phalanx. j) Which mythological tragedy do you feel is the most compelling?
5.
Write an essay of not less than 300 words on TWO of the following topics a) J. K. Rowling’s first degree is a B.A. in French and Classics. Do you think that her knowledge of classics contributed to the success of Harry Potter? b) Suppose you were put in charge of a project to film a commercially successful life of Socrates. How would you approach the subject? c) Why do you think that so many people remain fascinated by mythology even nowadays?