CoJCL Roman Daily Life Test – 2011
KEY
1) a
2) a
3) d
4) b
5) c
6) c
7) d
8) c
9) b
10) c
11) d
12) d
13) b
14) b
15) a
16) b
17) d
18) d
19) c
20) b
21)
22)
23)
24)
25)
26)
27)
28)
29)
30)
31)
32)
33)
34)
35)
36)
37)
38)
39)
40)
d
c
a
d
c
b
a
c
d
a
d
c
b
a
d
d
c
b
d
a
41)
42)
43)
44)
45)
46)
47)
48)
49)
50)
51)
52)
53)
54)
55)
56)
57)
58)
59)
60)
c
b
b
b
a
d
d
a
b
d
b
c
c
c
c
d
a
c
b
a
61)
62)
63)
64)
65)
66)
67)
68)
69)
70)
71)
72)
73)
74)
75)
76)
77)
78)
79)
80)
b
b
d
b
b
d
d
a
c
a
a
b
a
d
b
c
c
d
d
a
81) b
82) a
83) a
84) d
85) d
86) a
87) d
88) b
89) d
90) c
91) b
92) c
93) b
94) a
95) c
96) a
97) c
98) d
99) b
100) a
A copy of the test with answers highlighted is found on the following pages.
Answers were randomized by computer.
Question sources:
To Be A Roman, Brucia/Daugherty
2008 COJCL Roman Life Test (which I wrote)
NJCL tests from various years, 2001-2007
CoJCL Roman Daily Life Test – 2011
Be sure to write your NAME, SCHOOL, LATIN LEVEL (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
and “DAILY LIFE TEST” on your Scantron sheet!
100 questions total
Roman Society
1) In chronological order, Rome’s forms of government were:
a) monarchy (7 kings in all), republic (2 consuls per year), empire
b) empire, monarchy (7 kings in all), republic (2 consuls per year)
c) republic (2 consuls per year), empire, monarchy (7 kings in all)
d) republic (2 consuls per year), monarchy (7 kings in all), empire
2) A toga with a purple stripe may be worn by:
a) patricians and equestrians
b) plebeians and patricians
c) plebeians and priests
d) equestrians and soldiers
3) Thinking of common abbreviations for names, which of these men’s initials could have been
a palindrome?
a) Titus Lucius Balbus
b) Sextus Cornelius Piso
c) Marcus Tullius Cicero
d) Gaius Julius Caesar
4) In the name “Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus,” which is his agnomen?
a) Publius
b) Africanus
c) Scipio
d) Cornelius
5) If L. Aemilius Paullus were adopted by P. Cornelius Scipio, his name would have likely
become:
a) L. Cornelius Paullus
b) L. Aemilius Scipio
c) P. Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus
d) L. Aemilius Scipio Paullanus
The Family
6) A divorced woman, having returned to live with her parents, would likely have which of
these things in her possession (or the possession of her parents)?
a) Her bulla
b) Her children
c) Her dowry
d) Her crepundia and childhood toys
7) The legal owner of everyone and everything in the household was:
a) The pontifex maximus
b) The lār
c) The genius
d) The paterfamilias
8) The type of people most commonly adopted were:
a) male infants
b) female infants
c) grown men
d) grown women
9) Pietas would ensure that a head of household cared for:
a) His family, property, and the gods
b) His family, country, and the gods
c) His family, country, and ancestors
d) His family, property, and ancestors
10) What's the equivalent of a patruus on the mother's side of the family?
a) avia
b) avus
c) avunculus
d) amita
11) What was the power the husband had over the wife called?
a) patria potestas
b) uxoria
c) dominica potestas d) manus
The Religious Rituals of the Family
12) A major Roman holiday celebrated in December was called:
a) Matronalia
b) Decemberalia
c) Lupercalia
d) Saturnalia
13) Where was the Roman wedding ceremony performed?
a) peristylum of the groom’s father’s house
b) atrium of the bride’s father’s house
c) an outdoor garden
d) a public temple
14) What was the minimum age for a woman to be legally married?
a) Nine
b) Twelve
c) Sixteen
d) Eighteen
15) All of which month was unlucky for weddings?
a) May
b) January
c) December
d) August
16) Which of these festivals was in honor of one’s ancestors?
a) Violaria
b) Parentalia
c) Liberalia
d) Rosaria
17) The tombs of the most ancient families were along the Via ___.
a) Flaminia
b) Salaria
c) Sacra
d) Appia
18) A cypress or pine wreath on the door indicated ___.
a) there was a new materfamilias
b) the start of the Saturnalia
c) a wedding had recently occurred
d) a death in the family
Roman Housing
19) What was the name of the main sewer, built during the Roman monarchy, that continued to
serve Rome until the 20th century?
a) Aquifer Prima
b) Dux Aquae
c) Cloaca Maxima d) Portatio Aquae
20) How many couches were placed around the dinner table in classical times?
a) Two
b) Three
c) Four
d) Six
21) What was the single room of the early Roman house?
a) Culina
b) Cubiculum
c) Peristylum
d) Atrium
22) What was the name for the opening in the roof of a Roman home through which light and
rain could enter? Also, what was the name for the basin in which rainwater collected in the
atrium of the house?
a) Piscina, Fenestra Summa
b) Fenestra Summa, Piscina
c) Compluvium, Impluvium
d) Impluvium, Compluvium
23) What was the Latin word for a doorkeeper?
a) Ianitor
b) Tabellarius
c) Forifer
d) Minister
Domestic Life
24) Butter was known to the Romans but they didn't use it as a food. How did they use it?
a) In their hair
b) To burn as fuel
c) To polish leather
d) To put on wounds
25) Which of the following was unknown to the Romans?
a) Salt
b) Mustard
c) Sugar
d) Mint
26) A "normal" toga was called a ____. Boys and some magistrates wore a ____. A bright-white
toga worn by people running for office was a _________.
a) toga praetexta; toga virilis; toga alba
b) toga virilis; toga praetexta; toga candida
c) toga virilis; toga praetexta; toga alba
d) toga praetexta; toga virilis; toga candida
27) When worn without a belt, how far down did a man's tunic extend?
a) to the calf
b) to the waist
c) to the ankle
d) to the mid-thigh
28) What was the name for the main fold in the Roman toga worn during the time of Cicero and
Caesar?
a) The plicatum
b) The sacculus
c) The sinus
d) The testudo
29) What was the name for the conical felt hat worn by poor men, and the name for the
broad-brimmed felt hat worn by an upper class citizen?
a) Petasus, Pilleus
b) Capillus, Pilum c) Pilum, Capillus
d) Pilleus, Petasus
30) Which toga was worn by those in mourning?
a) Toga Pulla
b) Toga Atra
c) Toga Picta
31) What was puls?
a) free grain
b) soldiers’ rations
d) Toga Nigra
c) unleavened bread d) porridge
Education
32) What Greek word referred to a slave who escorted a child safely to and from school?
a) Oecus
b) Drachma
c) Paedagogus
d) Peloponesus
33) Which subject below was NOT taught in Roman elementary schools?
a) Reading
b) Public speaking c) Writing
d) Arithmetic
34) Which of these was not needed for sealing a letter?
a) calamus
b) linum
c) cera
d) signum
35) What would a child typically use to practice writing?
a) charta and papyrus
b) wood and a quill pen
c) cloth and soot
d) stylus and tabella
36) One would expect a well-educated Roman to be:
a) soft-spoken
b) good at geometry c) good at astronomy d) bilingual
Slavery and Occupations
37) What was the name for slaves who delivered important letters for their masters?
a) Nuntii
b) Legati
c) Tabellarii
d) Litteraferi
38) What letter was branded on the foreheads of escaped slaves after they were captured?
a) this mark: +
b) the letter F
c) a triangle
d) the letter S
39) What was the commonly used measure for an area of land, equivalent to about two-thirds of
an acre? (Answer is given in the plural.)
a) Agri
b) Ludana
c) Vicini
d) Iugera
40) Who were the bankers of Rome?
a) argentarii
b) libitinarii
c) magister sesterces d) laqueatores
41) What were the guilds called that trades were organized in?
a) causia
b) greges
c) collegia
d) cunae
Urban Life
42) What was the cloth called that was dropped to signal the start of a race?
a) linea alba
b) mappa
c) pompa
d) linea pura
43) What was the early morning ceremony consisting of clients in formal dress greeting the
patron?
a) hospitium
b) salutatio
c) sportula
d) convivium
44) Which of these was not a type of gladiator?
a) bestiaries
b) venatione
c) murmillo
d) retarius
45) Which of these was not a color of a chariot racing faction?
a) brown
b) blue
c) green
d) white
Law and Order
46) What governmental acronym stood for "the senate and the people of Rome"?
a) SAPR
b) SEPR
c) PQRS
d) SPQR
47) The right to vote was called _______.
a) commercium
b) conubium
c) manus
d) suffragium
48) The right to have a legally-recognized marriage was called _______.
a) conubium
b) commercium
c) manus
d) suffragium
49) What was the name for a bundle of sticks tied together –used to symbolize power?
a) lictor
b) fasces
c) fossa
d) aries
50) Who were the officials charged with defending the lives and property of plebeians?
a) praetors
b) quaestors
c) aediles
d) tribunes
The Army
51) Army organization: A ____ consisted of 10 ______; each ____ of 3 _____; and each ____
of two _______.
a) century, cohorts; cohort, centuries; century, maniples
b) legion, cohorts; cohort, maniples; maniple, centuries
c) legion, maniples; maniple, cohorts; cohort, centuries
d) century, maniples; maniple, cohorts; cohort, legions
52) What were the boots of soldiers?
a) soleae
b) calcei
c) caligae
d) salutationes
53) The average day’s march was about 15 miles, though a ____________ (forced march) might
be as much as _________ miles or more.
a) via maxima, 50
b) ambulatio longa, 40
c) magnum iter, 25
d) dies defessus, 20
54) What was the minimum age at which a Roman could be called for military duty?
a) 12
b) 15
c) 17
d) 20
55) Who reorganized the Roman army about 104 B.C., doing away with property qualifications?
a) Pompey
b) Sulla
c) Marius
d) Julius Caesar
56) The legion had a bronze or silver eagle on top of a pole. It was carried by the _______.
a) tabernarius
b) legatus
c) signifer
d) aquilifer
57) The ______ was a protective formation made by shields overlapped above the heads of
soldiers (and some covering the sides).
a) testudo
b) phalanx
c) agger
d) fossa
58) Which of the following was NOT a machine used for siege operations?
a) catapulta
b) ballista
c) agger
d) scorpio
59) Where would Roman soldiers NOT build a camp?
a) on a sloping hillside
b) near a dense forest
c) near water
d) near natural food supplies (forage)
Travel and Trade
60) What major road led from Rome to Brundisium?
a) Via Appia
b) Via Sacra
c) Via Publica
d) Via Brundisia
61) What did the Romans call the large, heavy covered wagon that was regularly used by family
groups and other travelers with baggage?
a) Carrus
b) Raeda
c) Cisium
d) Lectica
62) From BOTTOM (base) to TOP (surface), which is the correct order for the layers of a
Roman road?
a) Rudus, pavimentum, statument, summum dorsum
b) Pavimentum, statument, rudus, summum dorsum
c) Summum dorsum, rudus, statument, pavimentum
d) Summum dorsum, statument, pavimentum, rudus
63) Which of the following was not a Roman unit of currency?
a) as
b) sestertius
c) denarius
d) drachma
64) What were the huge vat-like jars, having no necks or handles, that were used to store wine
called?
a) pocula
b) dolia
c) amphorae
d) crateres
65) What were horreae?
a) sailors’ barracks b) warehouses
c) sewers
d) vegetable markets
Measuring Time and Space
66) How many months were in the original agricultural calendar of Romulus – and what was the
first month of the year?
a) Eight; June
b) Twelve; January c) Eight; April
d) Ten; March
67) The Ides of March were the 15th. What other three months had Ides on the 15th, rather than
the 13th?
a) January, July, December
b) May, August, December
c) January, August, November
d) May, July, October
68) How did the Nones get their name?
a) They were 9 days before the Ides (inclusive counting)
b) They were the 9th day of the month
c) They were 9 days after the Ides (inclusive counting)
d) They were 9 days before the next Kalends (inclusive counting)
69) Romans usually dated their years by the names of the consuls. But they could also date
them “AUC.” What year would 500 AUC be?
a) 776 B.C.
b) 476 B.C.
c) 253 B.C.
d) 153 A.D.
70) What was the original name for the month of July?
a) Quintilis
b) Calidus
c) Sextilis
d) Apicius
71) How would a Roman write the date August 3rd?
a) a.d. III Non. Aug.
b) a.d. XI Id. Aug.
c) II post Kal. Aug.
d) a.d. V Non. Aug.
72) Which month did NOT originally have 31 days?
a) July
b) December
c) May
d) October
Leisure Activities
73) Which room of a Roman bathhouse was always immediately adjacent to the furnace?
a) Cal(i)darium
b) Tepidarium
c) Frigidarium
d) Apodyterium
74) Sometimes the four long sides of gambling tali were numbered, for convenience. What
numbers were used?
a) 1, 5, 10, 100
b) 1, 2, 5, 6
c) 1, 2, 3, 4
d) 1, 3, 4, 6
75) What was the general word for public games or shows?
a) Munera
b) Ludi
c) Fasti
d) Feriae
76) What did the Romans call the fence or wall that divided a circus for about two-thirds of its
length?
a) Calx
b) Meta
c) Spina
d) Rostra
Religion
77) Customarily employed in religious festivals, what manner of wearing the toga involved
drawing a fold over the head as well as wrapping one of the free ends around the waist and
tucking it in?
a) Gaius Involutus
b) Vestimentum Convolutum
c) Cinctus Gabinus
d) Cineas Complexus
78) Which of these animals was NOT included in the religious ceremony called suovetaurilia?
a) pig
b) bull
c) sheep
d) goat
79) Which one was NOT a guardian spirit associated with the family?
a) lares
b) penates
c) genius
d) augur
80) Christians were prosecuted because they refused to worship:
a) the emperor
b) Jupiter
c) Apollo
d) Vesta
81) Vestal Virgins prepared special sacrificial cakes called:
a) compendia
b) mola salsa
c) panis sacer
d) libentia
82) Vestal Virgins enjoyed the privilege of being able to:
a) own property
b) enter the presence of the emperor
c) speak to the pontifex maximus
d) wear a toga
Stages in the Lives of Males and Females
83) The Nominalia was performed on the:
a) 9th day of life for boys; 8th day of life for girls
b) 8th day of life for boys; 7th day of life for girls
c) 7th day of life for boys; 6th day of life for girls
d) 6th day of life for boys; 5th day of life for girls
84) Who was the guardian that took care of the unmarried daughter and underage sons?
a) paedagogus
b) tabellarius
c) matronalia
d) tutor
85) Which is the chronological order for the teachers that a well-educated Roman would have
studied under?
a) grammaticus, litterator or magister, rhetor
b) grammaticus, rhetor, litterator or magister
c) rhetor, litterator or magister, grammaticus
d) litterator or magister, grammaticus, rhetor
86) Children below the age of seven were called:
a) infantes
b) liberi
c) pueri
d) bullae
87) Which one did NOT participate in the care of children:
a) nutrix
b) paedagogus
c) mater
d) eques
88) Why did male children and magistrates both wear the toga praetexta?
a) possessing a toga meant that they both were wealthy
b) they both were considered to need protection
c) magistrates were not allowed to vote
d) magistrates participated in the coming-of-age ceremony
89) Who instituted the Juvenalia?
a) Julius Caesar
b) Augustus
c) Numa Pompilius d) Nero
Hard Questions!
90) Where was the religion of the Magna Mater brought from?
a) Cumae
b) Alexandria
c) Phrygia
d) the east
91) What was an empty tomb erected in honor of a lost body?
a) cepotaphium
b) cenotaphium
c) sepulcrum
d) horreum
92) In what activity was a fritillus used?
a) cooking
b) chariot racing
d) making scrolls
c) gambling
93) Into how many regions was Rome divided?
a) 12
b) 14
c) 16
d) 10
94) What was the favorite color for a Roman woman’s parasol?
a) green
b) blue
c) white
d) red
95) What was a clepsydra?
a) the oven of a professional baker
c) a water clock
b) a soldier’s pack
d) An instrument to measure grain
96) What did the modius measure?
a) grain
b) olive oil
c) dried fruit
d) wine
97) How many carceres were there in the Circus Maximus at the time of Trajan?
a) 3
b) 7
c) 12
d) 16
98) What was a council of relatives and friends summoned when the paterfamilias was
contemplating severe punishment upon his children?
a) auctorati
b) candidati
c) decuriones
d) iudicium domesticum
99) Which of the following is categorized as indutus?
a) lacerna
b) tunica
c) palla
d) toga
100) What were the wax busts of those ancestors who had held curule offices called?
a) imagines
b) alae
c) triclinia
d) statuae
Fīnis!