REPLACEMENT NOVICE QUESTIONS
Round 1:
HISTORY. Who am I? I consolidated Macedonia's hold on Greece and them took control of Asia, Egypt, and Syria. In 326 BC I ordered the Greeks to consider me a god and I found an Egyptian oracle to confirm it. By 325 BC I was in control of a huge territory stretching from Macedonia to India. ALEXANDER THE GREAT
B1. At what young age did Alexander the Great die? 32
B2. What Greek philosopher was Alexander’s teacher? ARISTOTLE
LANGUAGE: What is the Latin term for a "horn of plenty," signifying any particularly abundant source?
CORNUCOPIA
B1. Give the nominative forms for the two Latin words from which this term derives? CORNU, COPIA
B2. Although copia means abundance, the meaning changes when the word becomes plural. What does copiae mean? TROOPS, SUPPLIES
CULTURE: The authority of a paterfamilias over his descendants was called what? PATRIAPOTESTAS
B1. What was a husband's authority over his wife called? MANUS
B2. What standard Roman wedding vow did the bride say during the ceremony to pledge her devotion to her husband? UBI TU GAIUS, EGO GAIA
MYTH. By what river in the underworld must a god never break his oath? STYX
B1. What river of the underworld is known as the “River of Forgetfulness.” LETHE
B2. What river was supposedly a “River of Fire.” PHLEGETHON
Round 2:
HISTORY. After what battle did Julius Caesar send back the famous phrase "Veni! Vidi! Vici!"? ZELA
B1. In what year was that battle? 47 BC
B2. At what battle in what year did Caesar succeed in defeating all of his political opponents?
PHARSALUS, 48 BC
LANGUAGE. If someone tells you to take some information cum granō salis, what do they literally mean?
WITH GRAIN OF SALT
B1. If someone says the information is bonā fide, what does she literally mean? IN GOOD FAITH
B2. What is the literal and figurative meaning of ab ovō usque ad mala?
FROM the EGG all the way TO the APPLES; FROM BEGINNING TO END (or similar)
CULTURE. In Roman numerals, give the date 1984 AD? MCMLXXXIV
B1. Still in Roman numerals, give the year 509 BC but this time as the Romans would have regarded the year “A.U.C.,” or “from the founding of the city.” CCXLV
B1. Qui dies est ante diem septem Kalendas Maias? APRIL 25
MYTH. What do all of the following places have in common: Paphos, Dodona, Cumae, and Delphi?
SANCTUARIES OF GODS
B1. What god had sanctuaries located at Cumae and Delphi? APOLLO
B2. What goddess had a sanctuary at Paphos? APHRODITE (cannot be Venus)
Round 3:
HISTORY: What kingdom did King Attalus bequeath to Rome in 133BC? PERGAMUM
B1. Pergamum was located on the western shore of what large eastern peninsula? ASIA MINOR or TURKEY
B2. In what modern country is ancient Carthage located? TUNISIA
LANGUAGE: Give the answer to this grammatical math problem in Latin: multiply the number of declensions by the number of conjugations. VIGINTI
B1. Give the answer to this grammatical math problem: multiply the number of indicative tenses by the number of persons, add the number of voices and divide the whole sum by the number of subjunctive tenses. FIVE
B2. Now, add the number of tenses which participles can have to the number of tenses infinitives can have, then subtract the number of noun cases that exist (excluding the instrumental case). ONE
CULTURE. Identify the common bond: manē, cliens, sportula. ELEMENTS OF THE SALUTATIO
B1. What was the sportula? BASKET OF FOOD or SMALL GIFT OF MONEY
B2. What was the Latin term for the Roman man to whom a cliens came for favor? PATRONUS
MYTH. Let’s talk about mythological couples. What pair were rewarded for their piety and turned into trees to protect a temple after they showed hospitality to gods who came in the guise of beggars?
BAUCIS and PHILEMON
B1. What two Roman gods came to them disguised as beggars? JUPITER and MERCURY
B2. What punishment did the gods give to the rest of the town? FLOOD (prompt on disaster)
Round 4:
HISTORY. What infamous gang leader was killed on the Appian Way near the town of Bovillae by another rival gang leader in 52 BC? Publius CLODIUS Pulcher
B1. What was the name of the gang leader on whose behalf Cicero spoke when he was charged with this murder? Titus Annius MILO
B2. What important man of his time presided over this trial? POMPEY
LANGUAGE. Keeping in mind Caesar’s famous quote, change it to mean, “I used to come, I used to see, I used to conquer.” VENIĒBAM, VIDĒBAM, VINCĒBAM
B1. Finally, “I come, I see, I conquer.” VENIŌ, VIDEŌ, VINCŌ
B2. Now, change it to say in Latin, “I will come, I will see, I will conquer.” VENIAM, VIDĒBŌ, VINCAM
CULTURE. What did the Romans call a roll of papyrus paper, and thus yielding the English derivative “volume.” VOLUMEN
B1. What is the term for a bound collection of papyrus sheets, similar to our modern books? CODEX
B2. What did Romans call a piece of paper made from papyrus? CHARTA
MYTH. What name was given to Romulus after he supposedly ascended to heaven? QUIRINUS
B1. According to Livy, on what hill and how many birds did Romulus see as a sign from the gods?
PALATINE, TWELVE
B2. An appropriate question for today’s tournament, what did the Romans call the “cave” on the Palatine where Romulus and Remus were supposedly nursed by the she-wolf? LUPERCAL
Round 5:
HISTORY. Name the leader of a slave revolt that lasted from 73-71 BC and culminated in a defeat near the slopes of Mount Vesuvius? SPARTACUS
B1. What Roman’s legions actually defeated Spartacus and his slave revolt, despite another who took most of the credit? CRASSUS
B2. Who took most of the credit for the victory? POMPEY
LANGUAGE. Translate this sentence into good English: Icarus propissimē solem volāvit.
ICARUS FLEW VERY CLOSE/CLOSEST TO THE SUN.
B1. Now, what about, Daedalus Cumās volāvit. DAEDALUS FLEW TO CUMAE.
B2. Finally, translate, Daedalus Icarō iussit altē volāre. DAEDALUS ORDERED ICARUS TO FLY HIGH.
CULTURE. What kind of priest interprets the flight path of birds? AUGUR
B1. What kind of priest interpreted the entrails of a sacrificial victim? HARUSPEX
B2. What Roman priest derived its name from the Latin for “bridge-builder”? PONTIFEX
MYTH. Among what three Greek goddesses did Paris have to choose as “the fairest”?
APHRODITE, HERA, ATHENA
B1. What did Paris get for choosing Aphrodite? HELEN/MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN WORLD
B2. What did Hera promise him? RULE all of ASIA