OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
LEVEL 1
1.(lang1) Which of the following words does not belong because of its meaning: charta,
tabula, canis, magister, stilus.
CANIS - not associated with education
Bonus. Which of the following words does not belong because of gender: frāter, agricola,
nuntius, tempus, labor.
TEMPUS
2.(myth1) What Greek goddess of strife threw an apple of discord at the wedding of Peleus
and Thetis?
ERIS
Bonus. VISUAL QUESTION – Which Greek goddess who vied for the apple of discord is
depicted here?
ATHENA
3.(hicu 1) After the expulsion of the kings, who were the first two consuls of Rome?
BRUTUS AND COLLATINUS
Bonus. The sons of Tarquinius Superbus and Brutus traveled to the oracle of Delphi. What
answer did the priestess give to the question, ‘Who will be the next ruler of Rome?’
THE NEXT PERSON WHO KISSES HIS MOTHER
4.(lang 2) Give the Latin verb and its meaning from which the English words compete,
repeat, and petition ultimately derive.
PETŌ / PETERE – SEEK / AIM AT / ATTACK / ASK
Bonus. Give the Latin verb and meaning from which the English words statue, station, and
state derive.
STŌ / STARE – STAND
5.(lang 3) Translate the following sentence: Fīliī servōrum ad theātrum mēcum ambulābant.
THE SONS OF THE SLAVES WERE WALKING / WALKED
WITH ME TO THE THEATER.
Bonus. What use of the ablative is found in ‘mēcum’?
ACCOMPANIMENT - NEED MORE INFO IF ANSWER IS
‘WITH PREPOSITION’
6.(hicu 2) Give the Latin term for the slave that accompanied his master’s children to their
studies.
PAEDAGŌGUS
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
Bonus. Give the Latin term for the teacher who taught elementary reading & writing and
basic arithmetic.
LITTERĀTOR OR LŪDĪ MAGISTER
7.(lang 4) When you finish this competition, I am sure that your friends will greet you ‘magnā
cum laude!’ What does the Latin phrase ‘magnā cum laude’ mean?
WITH GREAT PRAISE
Bonus. After this ‘certāmen’ you all will probably also remember that ‘errāre hūmānum est.’
What does the phrase ‘errāre hūmānum est’ mean?
TO ERR / MAKE MISTAKES IS HUMAN
8.(lang 5) Change the Latin phrase ‘mōns magnus’ to the ablative.
MONTE MAGNŌ
Bonus. Change the Latin phrase ‘monte magnō’ to the plural.
MONTIBUS MAGNĪS
9.(myth 2) What trio of monsters tried - unsuccessfully - to lure Odysseus to his doom with
their sweet song?
SIRENS
Bonus. What did Odysseus do to prevent his men from hearing the deadly song of the Sirens?
HE FILLED THEIR EARS WITH WAX
10.(hicu 3) EUGEPAE! You’ve just gone back in time to Ancient Rome! As you wander
around, you start to recognize a few things. Where are you if you see carcerēs, mētae, a spīna,
a mappa, and aurīgae?
CIRCUS (MAXIMUS) OR THE RACETRACK
Bonus. Now you enter an imperial bath complex and see an area where men are boxing,
wrestling, and exercising. What is the Latin term for this area of a Roman bath?
PALAESTRA
11.(lang 6) What song in the Top 20 would be put into Latin as “Sine Tē”?
WITHOUT YOU
Bonus. What late artist’s last name might be “Vīlla Vīnī” in Latin?
(AMY) WINEHOUSE
12.(myth 3) What King of Crete demanded 14 hostages from Athens every year to feed the
Minotaur?
MINOS
Bonus. What Athenian inventor helped to defeat the Minotaur?
DAEDALUS
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
13.(myth 4) Respondē aut Anglicē aut Latīnē: Quis uxōrem ē rēgnō mortuōrum servāre
temptāvit, sed – ēheu! – respēxit et sine uxōre ad vīvōs revēnit.
ORPHEUS
Bonus. Name the blind Theban prophet from whom Odysseus received advice in the
Underworld.
TIRESIAS
14.(lang 7) Listen to the following passage, which I will read twice, and answer the question
about it IN ENGLISH.
Numa Pompilius erat bonus et pius. Post mortem Rōmulī, populus Rōmānus Numam rēgem
creāre optābat. Iuppiter signa dedit, et Rōmānī eum rēgem dēclārāvērunt. Tum Numa taurum
sacrificāvit. Secundus rēx Rōmānus erat.
The question. Who gave a sign that Numa should be king?
JUPITER
Bonus. What did Numa do after he was declared king?
SACRIFICED A BULL
15. (hicu 4) Julius Caesar selected his great nephew Gaius Octavius as the heir to his estate
and thus passed over his most trusted lieutenant and his second in command. Who was this
man that he passed over?
MARC ANTONY OR MARCUS ANTONIUS
Bonus. Octavius and Mark Antony joined forces to exact revenge on those who betrayed and
assassinated Julius Caesar. What was the name of the final battle, which saw the defeat of
Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators?
PHILIPPI
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
LEVEL II
1.(lang1) What are the two meanings of the Latin noun ‘īnsula’?
ISLAND, APARTMENT
Bonus. In the singular, the Latin noun ‘cōpia’ means ‘supply,’ and obviously it can mean
‘supplies’ in the plural, but what is another, different meaning for ‘cōpiae’?
TROOPS
2.(myth1) What mortal man survived a flood and repopulated the Earth with men by casting
stones over his shoulder?
DEUCALION
Bonus. Who was Deucalion's wife, who repopulated the Earth with women in the same way?
PYRRHA
3.(hicu 1) On which hill in ancient Rome would you find the temple of Jupiter Optimus
Maximus?
CAPITOLINE
Bonus. On which hill would you have found the temple of Diana? Hint: It is the hill upon
which Remus took the auspices in his hope to become the 1st Roman king.
AVENTINE
4.(lang 2) Make the phrase ‘rēs omnis’ genitive plural.
RĒRUM OMNIUM
Bonus. Now make the phrase ‘fluctus potens’ ablative singular.
FLUCTŪ POTENTĪ
5.(lang 3) Translate the following into English: Cornēlia sē defendere nōn poterat.
CORNELIA WAS NOT ABLE/COULD NOT DEFEND
HERSELF
Bonus. Translate the following into Latin: The old poet was always talking to himself.
POĒTA SENEX/ANTĪQUUS SIBI SEMPER
NARRĀBAT/DĪCĒBAT
6.(hicu 2) What man, the husband of Julius Caesar's aunt, was a leader of the Populares
faction and was consul seven times?
Gaius MARIUS
Bonus. What lieutenant of Marius became the leader of the Optimates and almost had Julius
Caesar murdered while he was dictator?
L. Cornelius SULLA
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
7.(lang 4) Give the Latin noun, and its meaning, at the root of cabbage, biceps, mischief, and
cattle.
CAPUT - HEAD
Bonus. What derivative of the Latin noun ‘caput’ means ‘a cliff with a vertical face; a situation
of great peril’?
PRECIPICE
8.(lang 5) Give the Latin phrase which now means ‘in an artificial environment outside the
living organism.’ It literally means ‘in the glass.’
IN VITRO
Bonus. Give both the Latin and the meaning for the abbreviation ‘ca.’
CIRCA - AROUND, APPROXIMATELY
[it is still correct if the Latin word is pronounced ‘sirka’]
9.(myth 2) Who transformed the Titan Atlas into a mountain?
PERSEUS [or MEDUSA - since her head did the job]
Bonus. What Titan, a close relative of Atlas, did Heracles set free from Mount Caucasus?
PROMETHEUS
10.(hicu 3) His original name was Lucumo, but everyone in Rome called him by the name of
his hometown. His wife was Tanaquil, and he was 1 of the 7 kings of Rome. Who is he?
TARQUINIUS PRISCUS - must have both names in the answer
Bonus. What was the relationship between Tarquinius Priscus and the next king of Rome,
Servius Tullius?
FATHER-IN-LAW & SON-IN-LAW
- Servius was married to Tarquinia, the daughter of Priscus
11.(lang 5) Translate into English: Dīcunt Caesarem esse malum.
THEY SAY THAT CAESAR IS EVIL.
Bonus. Translate into Latin: I know that Caesar was killed by Brutus.
SCIŌ CAESAREM Ā BRŪTŌ NECĀTUM/INTERFECTUM ESSE.
12.(myth 3) Name the nurse of Odysseus who recognized her long lost master by a scar on his
thigh.
EURYCLEIA
Bonus. VISUAL QUESTION What is Odysseus carrying in this drawing? He and
Diomedes had stolen it from the city Troy to remove its magical protection.
PALLADIUM
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
13.(myth 4) Whose myth is told in the Iliad by his grandson Glaucus, who recounted his
grandfather’s campaign against the Amazons as well as his victory over the 3-bodied monster
known as the Chimera?
BELLEROPHON’S
Bonus. The grandfather of Bellerophon was the mortal who - temporarily - cheated Death.
Who is this cunning man?
SISYPHUS
14.(lang 6) Listen carefully to the following passage, which I will read twice, then answer IN
LATIN the question that follows.
Gāia, māter deōrum, et Ūranus, caelum ipsum, in mātrimōniō plūrimōs deōs generāvērunt.
Gāia cum Ūranō generāvit duodecim Titānōs, sex deōs et sex deās. Cronus est minimus
Titānus. Rōmānī Cronum Sāturnum apppellābant. Gāia etiam multa mōnstra, Cyclōpēs et
Gīgantēs, generāvit.
The question: Quem Rōmānī Cronum appellābant?
SĀTURNUM (must be accusative or be used in a complete
sentence)
Bonus. Quot deōs Gāia et Ūranus generāvērunt?
PLŪRIMŌS (NOT duodecim)
15.(hicu 4) In ancient Rome, what were the small eateries that lined the streets and offered
ready-to-eat food to customers called?
THERMOPOLIA / THERMOPOLIUM
Bonus. Tālī, tesserae, and fritillus are all objects associated with what?
DICE OR GAMBLING OR GAMES
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
UPPER LEVEL
1.(lang1) Differentiate in meaning between vereor and vescor.
VEREOR – FEAR, VESCOR – EAT
Bonus. Now differentiate in meaning between mīror and mereor.
MĪROR – WONDER AT / ADMIRE / MARVEL
MEREOR – DESERVE / EARN
2.(myth1) In Book 1 of the Aeneid, what god assumed the form of Ascanius and sat upon
Dido’s lap in order to make her fall into love with Aeneas?
CUPID
Bonus. Dido, of course, goes bonkers when Aeneas leaves and kills herself. What goddess cut
a lock of Dido’s hair to help her go safely into the Underworld?
IRIS
3.(hicu 1) What did the Lex Canuleia of 445 B.C. make legal for the first time?
INTERMARRIAGE BETWEEN PATRICIANS & PLEBEIANS
Bonus. Give the Latin phrase which refers to the ‘Assembly of the Plebeians.’
CONCILIUM PLĒBIS
4.(lang 2) Translate this sentence into English: Magna spēs vīvendī erat sauciō mīlitī.
THERE WAS A GREAT HOPE OF LIVING FOR/TO THE
WOUNDED SOLDIER or THE WOUNDED SOLDIER HAD
A GREAT HOPE OF LIVING.
Bonus. Now translate this sentence into English: Haec verba sunt mīrābilia dictū audītūque.
THESE WORDS ARE WONDERFUL (THINGS) TO SAY
AND HEAR [WITH RESPECT TO SAYING AND
HEARING].
5.(lit 1) What early epic poet wrote his Annales in dactylic hexameter?
ENNIUS
Bonus. What native Latin meter had been used for earlier epics by Livius Andronicus and
Naevius?
SATURNIAN
6.(hicu 2) What 2 word Latin phrase is associated with Cornelius Cossus, Marcellus, and
Romulus? It is the phrase used to describe the armor stripped from an enemy commander by
a Roman commander.
SPOLIA OPIMA
Bonus. Name any 1 of the enemy commanders who were defeated in these single combats
against a Roman commander.
ACRO OR TOLUMNIUS OR VIRIDOMARUS
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
7.(lang 3) Complete the following analogy: doceō is to docuistī as fallō is to what?
FEFELLISTĪ
Bonus. Complete the following analogy: ferō is to tulērunt as gaudeō is to what?
GAVĪSĪ (-AE, -A) SUNT
8.(lang 4) Translate this sentence from Caesar’s De Bello Gallico: ‘Caesar statuit sibi flūmen
esse trānseundum.’
CAESAR DECIDES/DECIDED THAT THE RIVER
MUST/NEEDS/NEEDED TO BE CROSSED BY HIMSELF
[OR THAT HE MUST/NEEDS/NEEDED TO CROSS THE
RIVER.]
Bonus. Now say in Latin, ‘Crossing the river was dangerous.’
TRĀNSĪRE FLŪMEN ERAT PERĪCULŌSUM.
9.(myth 2) Name the spring in Sicily which had been a beautiful maiden until she was chased
by the river god Alpheus. Artemis took pity on the poor woman and changed her into a
spring.
ARETHUSA
Bonus. According to legend, there is another spring where a Theban queen had been thrown
to the ground and killed by a bull to whose horns she had been tied. Who is this unfortunate
queen?
DIRCE
10.(lit 2) Name the Silver Age author of the Metamorphoses, commonly called the ‘Asīnus
Aureus,’ which is the only extant Latin novel.
(LUCIUS) APULEIUS
Bonus. The novel contains a lot of information about the mystery cult of what Egyptian
deity?
ISIS
11.(lang 5) What English adjective meaning ‘strong, healthy, vigorous’ is derived from a Latin
noun that is synonymous with the Latin words ‘īlex’ and ‘quercus’?
ROBUST - from rōbur
Bonus. What English adjective meaning ‘harmful, injurious, pernicious’ is derived from a
Latin verb that is synonymous with the Latin words ‘vulnerō’ and ‘laedō’?
NOXIOUS - from noceō
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
12.(myth 3) In the Metamorphoses by Ovid, what was the collective name given to the nine
arrogant young women who challenged the Muses to a signing contest?
PIERIDES
Bonus. Into what loud, chattering creatures were the Pierides transformed by the victorious
Muses?
MAGPIES
13.(hicu 3) What emperor dedicated a temple to his wife Faustina the Elder in the Roman
Forum? The temple was also named in his honor after his death in 161 A.D.
ANTONINUS PIUS OR ANTONINUS
Bonus. VISUAL QUESTION. This is a reconstruction of a circular temple located in the
Roman Forum. To what deity is this temple dedicated?
VESTA
14.(lang 6) Welcome to ‘iTunes Romana!’ What popular song would a Roman call ‘Incende
Imbrem’?
SET FIRE TO THE RAIN (ADELE)
- or a literal translation is also acceptable
Bonus. What classic rock band would a Roman call ‘Saxa Volventia’?
THE ROLLING STONES
15.(lit 3) Who called Catullus & his literary circle ‘poētae novī’ and ‘neōteroi’? This man also
wrote an entire poem about his accomplishments during his consulship.
CICERO
Bonus: To what biographer did Catullus dedicate his work in his first poem?
CORNELIUS NEPOS OR NEPOS
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
VISUAL FOR LEVEL I, Bonus for #2
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
VISUAL FOR LEVEL II, Bonus for #12
OJCL State Convention Certamen - Finals 2012
VISUAL FOR UPPER LEVEL, Bonus for #13