Latin Exam – Year 7
The Latin exam is divided into 5 sections:
1. Vocabulary (10%)
You will be asked to translate into English some Latin words taken from the vocab
checklists at the end of stages 1-11:
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Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 6
Stage 7
Stage 8
Stage 9
Stage 10
Stage 11
page 14
page 26
page 38
page 52
page 68
page 82
page 96
page 112
page 128
page 144
page 160
2. Prepared translations (15% each translation = 30% total)
You have to translate about seven lines from each of the two stories you’ve already
translated in class. As you’ve already translated these, you should be as accurate as
possible:
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Pastor et Leo (The Shepherd and the Lion) on page 104
Sulla on Page 149
3. Latin sentences for translation (20%)
You will be asked to translate some sentences into English.
4. Unseen translation (20%)
You will be given a passage of Latin to translate into English.
5. Roman background topics (10% for each topic = 20% total)
You will be asked to write on 2 topics from the following list:
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The Theatre at Pompeii (stage 5, pages 64-67)
Slaves and Freedmen (stage 6, pages 78-81)
Gladiatorial Shows (stage 8, pages 107-111)
The Baths (stage 9, pages 124-127)
It’s a good idea to revise at least 3 if not all 4 of the topics. This means that you have
some choice in the exam in case you don’t like the look of some of the questions!
Don’t forget, you should be aiming to write about 10 points, in about 10 sentences, in
about 10 minutes for each of the 2 topics you choose.
Turn over for a summary of the Grammar topics you should be revising…
See
Nouns
page:
In Latin, nouns change their endings depending on what function they are performing in a
21 & sentence. The different forms of a noun are called cases. You know three cases:
62
• The nominative case is used to show the subject of the sentence (the person/thing
doing the verb/action)
21 &
e.g. servus canem vocavit
the slave called the dog
102
• The accusative case is used to show the object of the sentence (the person/thing
getting the verb/action done to them)
118e.g. puella servum salutavit
the girl greeted the slave
119
•
32
181182
The dative case is used to say to … or for …
e.g. Metella servo cibum dedit
Metella gave food to the slave
Grumio domino cenam paravit Grumio prepared dinner for his master
All nouns are also divided into groups or declensions that change their endings in a
similar way:
Plural
Singular
Nom
1st Decl.
puella
2nd Declension
servus
puer (boy)
3rd Declension
mercator
canis
gens
(family, race)
Acc
puellam
servum
puerum
mercatorem
canem
gentem
Dat
puellae
servo
puero
mercatori
cani
genti
Nom
puellae
servi
pueri
mercatores
canes
gentes
Acc
puellas
servos
pueros
mercatores
canes
gentes
Dat
puellis
servis
pueris
mercatoribus
canibus
gentibus
Further practice: ex.2 and 3 on p.121, ex.3 and 4 p.181, ex.6 p.187
Adjectives
138
105
In Latin, adjectives (describing words) usually come after the word they are describing:
e.g. mercator Graecus = a Greek merchant
vinum optimum = excellent wine
Comparative adjectives:
If you want to compare two things then the adjective has –ior on the end. Translate this as
more … or …er
e.g. Romanus est callidior quam Graecus
The Roman is cleverer than the Greek
Melissa est pulchrior quam Metella
Melissa is more beautiful than Metella
Superlative adjectives:
To say most … or …est (or very …), the adjective ends in –issimus / –issima etc
e.g. canis erat ferocissimus
The dog was very fierce/the fiercest
Julius Caesar est Romanus notissimus Julius Caesar is the most famous Roman
puella erat laetissima
The girl was very happy/the happiest
Verbs
See
Verbs (doing words/actions) happen at different times – past, present etc. The time when
page: verbs occur is called the tense. You know three tenses:
45 &
59
Present tense:
e.g. (ego)
(tu)
porto
portas
portat
portamus
portatis
portant
=
=
=
=
=
=
I carry / I am carrying
you carry / you are carrying
he/she/it carries etc
we carry
you carry
they carry
You also know the irregular verb ‘to be’:
sum
=
I am
es
=
you are
est
=
he/she/it is
(sumus
=
we are)*
(estis
=
you (pl.) are)*
sunt
=
they are
74-5
Imperfect tense:
This is a past tense. It is for incomplete actions in the past that don’t have a definite end.
You translate this tense as was/were …ing or used to … or sometimes, began to …
portabat
=
he/she/it was carrying / used to carry, etc
portabant
=
they were carrying
You also know the imperfect form of the irregular verb ‘to be’:
erat
=
he/she/it was
erant
=
they were
74-5 & Perfect tense: (for further practice, see ex.3 on p.186)
90
This is also a past tense. It is for finished actions in the past that have a definite
beginning and end. You translate this tense as …ed or have/has …ed
portavit
=
he/she/it carried / has carried
87
portaverunt =
they carried / have carried
Not all verbs form their perfect tense by adding –vit or –verunt. There are some other
forms of the perfect tense VSUX (though you still translate them in the same way):
apparuit
=
he/she/it appeared / has appeared
apparuerunt =
they appeared / have appeared
dixit
dixerunt
=
=
he/she/it said / has said*
they said / have said
plausit
plauserunt
=
=
he/she/it applauded/clapped / has applauded
they applauded / have applauded
* In English, the past tense is not always formed using –ed. There are lots of exceptions:
e.g. he goes – he went she sings – she sang
they eat – they ate
etc.
Roman background topics:
Don’t forget that you will have to answer questions on two of these topics. Also, don’t
forget that it’s a good idea to revise at least 3 if not all 4 of the topics so that you have
some choice of questions in the exam.
You should aiming to write about 10 points, in about 10-15 sentences, in about 10 minutes
for each of the 2 topics you choose.
Here are some questions to think about:
The Theatre at Pompeii (stage 5, pages 64-67)
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When were plays performed? What happened in Pompeii on performance days?
Who could go? Who sat where? How did you know which seat to sit in?
Who paid for performances? Why?
What happened throughout the day? What different types of performances were
there?
What did the theatres look like (the small theatre or Odeon and the large theatre)?
How many people could they hold?
What did the actors look like? What type of characters might they play?
Slaves and Freedmen (stage 6, pages 78-81)
• What rights did slaves have? What sort of jobs might they do? Where might they live?
• How did people become slaves? How many slaves did people own?
• What different jobs would slaves do if they lived in the countryside or the town?
• Was it easy to tell the difference between a slave and a poor Roman?
• How were slaves treated by their masters?
• Why might a slave have been set free? What was the act of freeing a slave called?
What different ways were there of doing this?
• What was a libertus? What rights did he have? What sort of job might he do or what
opportunities were available to him? What opportunities did a liberta have?
Gladiatorial Shows (stage 8, pages 107-111)
• What did the amphitheatre look like? How many people could it hold?
• Who paid for gladiatorial shows?
• How did the day of gladiatorial games begin? When?
• What different types of gladiators were there? What armour/weapons did they use?
What were their advantages/disadvantages?
• Who decided if the gladiator would die? How was this indicated?
• What went on in a venatio?
• Sometimes spectators rioted – are you surprised? What would it have been like to
have witnessed gladiators fighting to the death?
The Baths (stage 9, pages 124-127)
• Besides getting clean, what other activities went on in the baths?
• What were the different rooms/areas used for and what did they look like (palaestra,
apodyterium, tepidarium, caldarium, frigidarium)?
• As Romans didn’t have soap, how did they get clean?
• Why would it have been so loud in the baths? Think of all the different activities that
went on there.
• How did the Romans heat the baths? What other uses were there for this heating
system?