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The Classics Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
The Classics Quizzes, Trivia

The Classics Trivia

The Classics Trivia Quizzes

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Here you will find quizzes on some of the earliest literature of which we are aware, from a variety of ancient cultures.
22 The Classics quizzes and 235 The Classics trivia questions.
1.
  Herodotus's Histories, Ch.1 1-5    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz on Herodotus's "The Histories"; Chapter 1, 1-5.
Tough, 10 Qns, mamallama128, Oct 02 21
Tough
mamallama128
Oct 02 21
311 plays
2.
  Greek is for Geeks   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A celebration of all that is intelligent, geeky, wise, nerdy, clever, or smart-alecky in ancient Greek literature.
Tough, 10 Qns, pu2-ke-qi-ri, Jun 16 18
Tough
pu2-ke-qi-ri
Jun 16 18
1226 plays
3.
  Old English Literature   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
This quiz explores the literature of the Old English period and some of the events that influenced it.
Tough, 20 Qns, skylarb, Nov 20 15
Tough
skylarb
2938 plays
4.
  Sayest Thou What?   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Guess the works of literature from which these clues are given. Have fun.
Average, 10 Qns, Creedy, Oct 22 21
Average
Creedy gold member
Oct 22 21
1899 plays
5.
  Latin is for Lovers   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Latin was the favored language for love poetry for over 1500 years. Explore this long and varied history in this quiz. Latin is truly the language of love!
Average, 15 Qns, pu2-ke-qi-ri, Nov 07 14
Average
pu2-ke-qi-ri
779 plays
6.
  The 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey'    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
THREE THOUSAND YEARS LATER and the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey' remain two of the most widely read books in the world. They are credited to a Greek named Homer, but no one knows for sure whether he was the single author.
Easier, 10 Qns, ncterp, Feb 28 24
Recommended for grades: 10,11,12
Easier
ncterp gold member
Feb 28 24
368 plays
7.
  Ancient Literature    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
These questions deal with the ancient Greek and Roman writers. Some questions are easy, some are more difficult. Most of the choices (but not all) are actual writers from ancient Greece and Rome.
Average, 10 Qns, robert362, Jan 21 23
Average
robert362
Jan 21 23
3607 plays
8.
  The Song of Roland    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The 'Song of Roland' is the oldest surviving of the Chansons de Gestes (Songs of Deeds) that were written in medieval France. This quiz covers some of the basics regarding this great epic work...please enjoy.
Tough, 10 Qns, thejazzkickazz, Sep 04 15
Tough
thejazzkickazz gold member
569 plays
9.
  Really Bad Classical Poetry    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You might think all Classical poetry attains the pinnacle of perfection. In reality, there's a fair amount of Greek and Latin poetry that's badly written, badly worded, or just in really bad taste. Take this quiz to find out more!
Tough, 10 Qns, pu2-ke-qi-ri, Nov 01 05
Tough
pu2-ke-qi-ri
405 plays
10.
  10 The Epic of Gilgamesh Questions    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz is about the basics of the book "The Epic of Gilgamesh".
Average, 10 Qns, Jungle_Fizz, Oct 06 12
Average
Jungle_Fizz
290 plays
trivia question Quick Question
From what work does this quote come? "Wonderful was the triumph-tree, and I stained with sins, wounded with wrongdoings."

From Quiz "Old English Literature"




11.
  The Republic    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
"The Republic" represents Plato's attempt to design a perfect society. How good of a job did he do?
Difficult, 10 Qns, ari1819, Jan 20 07
Difficult
ari1819
515 plays
12.
  Test yourself! The Epic of Gilgamesh Quiz    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The World's oldest piece of literature.
Average, 10 Qns, wdstk, May 05 18
Average
wdstk gold member
May 05 18
533 plays
13.
  The Greatest Epics of All Time    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
By greatest I objectively imply those which transgress multiple millennia. An epic is one of the hardest genres of stories to write, but these stories are proof of how great epics really can be.
Average, 10 Qns, theskink, Jun 18 10
Average
theskink
459 plays
14.
  Judith (poem translated by Mary Savelli)    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The Anglo-Saxon poem "Judith" is based on the Apocryphal book of the Bible. Quotations are from the translation by Mary Savelli. You can play even if you've never read the poem and are at least vaguely familiar with the story.
Average, 10 Qns, skylarb, May 29 22
Average
skylarb
May 29 22
404 plays
15.
  The Histories of Herodotus    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This quiz will test you knowledge of various parts of "The Histories" by Herodotus. Questions are based on the version translated and revised by Donald Lateiner and G C Macaulay, copyrighted 2004 by Barnes & Noble.
Tough, 10 Qns, jrrymaury, Oct 26 22
Tough
jrrymaury
Oct 26 22
232 plays
16.
  Chretien de Troyes' "Lancelot"    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Have you ever had a hard time winning someone's affection? I mean a REALLY hard time? You risked your life and reputation multiple times, and still you couldn't catch a break? Well, one poor guy did all that, once upon a time...
Average, 10 Qns, Eruditio, May 05 18
Average
Eruditio
May 05 18
410 plays
17.
  What do you know about The Epic Of Gilgamesh?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
For those who have read 'The Epic of Gilgamesh'. It's all multiple choice. If you have not read this classic, try the quiz anyway...see how well you do. Good luck.
Tough, 10 Qns, JCSon, Jan 22 18
Tough
JCSon gold member
Jan 22 18
986 plays
18.
  A Miscellany of Latin & Ancient Greek Literature    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Test your knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin Literature.
Tough, 10 Qns, maria36, Feb 17 07
Tough
maria36
618 plays
19.
  Homer's writings and Plato's philosophy    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Homer and Plato are two of the most important people of all time. I hope that you like the quiz.
Tough, 10 Qns, patriots555, Oct 20 18
Tough
patriots555
Oct 20 18
358 plays
20.
  Latin Literature    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some questions about Roman authors and their works.
Tough, 10 Qns, maria36, Sep 26 05
Tough
maria36
609 plays
21.
  Classic Epics Through Time    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some epics are known world-wide, and some aren't. See if you can name all of these 10 epics from Babylonia to Germany.
Average, 10 Qns, GWU_Boy, Jun 22 20
Average
GWU_Boy
Jun 22 20
1244 plays
22.
  Latin Literature Trivia    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a basic quiz on Latin Literature. For those of you who are Latin scholars this will be a walk in the park. The questions cover the works of Virgil, Catullus, and Ovid - mythology and translation. Bona Fortuna!
Average, 10 Qns, tuva, May 15 19
Average
tuva
May 15 19
1085 plays
Related Topics
  Aeschylus [Literature] (7 quizzes)

  Aesop [Literature] (4 quizzes)

  Ancient Greek Drama [Literature] (7 quizzes)

  Aristophanes [Literature] (2 quizzes)

  Homer [Literature] (21 quizzes)

  Virgil [Literature] (10 quizzes)


The Classics Trivia Questions

1. The Iliad is generally telling a story about which war(s)?

From Quiz
The 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey'

Answer: The Trojan War

The Peloponnesian War was fought between two Greek City States, Athens and Sparta. The Trojan War lasted for more than 10 years. The story told in the 'Iliad' covers only a brief period.

2. What city was Gilgamesh the ruler of?

From Quiz The Epic of Gilgamesh

Answer: Uruk

Gilgamesh was the King of Uruk. In the early stages of his rule, he was known as an evil tyrant. He was feared by his people and he would take advantage of their fear in several ways. Gilgamesh was known to sound the alarm just to watch the townspeople panic. He would also take boys from their families and enlist them in his army from a young age.

3. In Homer's 'Odyssey', what is the name of the prophet who gives Odysseus advice in the underworld? He also appears in Sophocles' work.

From Quiz Homer's writings and Plato's philosophy

Answer: Tiresias

Tiresias also appears in Sophocles' work including 'Antigone' and 'Oedipus the King'.

4. Which youth was lucky he didn't get arrested for peering up at windows waiting for a light to break through?

From Quiz Sayest Thou What?

Answer: Romeo

Romeo and Juliet - a pair of dills if ever they were. I believe they both were suffering from suppressed suicidal tendencies, which, unfortunately by the end of this play by Shakespeare, were no longer suppressed.

5. According to Chretien de Troyes, in "Lancelot", who exactly was Sir Lancelot du Lac?

From Quiz Chretien de Troyes' "Lancelot"

Answer: This story does not say.

Lancelot was a king's son. King Arthur had four nephews: the sons of his sister Morgause, Gawain being the eldest and most famous. In later versions, sometimes Lancelot is the foster-son of the otherworldly Lady of the Lake.

6. Chapters 5-34 of Book 2 deal with what?

From Quiz The Histories of Herodotus

Answer: geography of Egypt

Chapters 1-4 are an introduction. Chapters 5-34 deal with Egyptian geography. Chapters 35-98 deal with Egyptian customs. Chapters 99-146 deal with Egyptian history as told by Egyptians. Chapters 147-182 deal with Egyptian history as told by foreigners.

7. According to the Persians, who began the war?

From Quiz Herodotus's Histories, Ch.1 1-5

Answer: Phoenicians

1.1 "Those of the Persians who have knowledge of their stories declare that the Phoenicians first began the quarrel."

8. Plato's character Socrates designs the ideal city in order to find a definition for which virtue?

From Quiz The Republic

Answer: Justice

By designing a just city, Socrates hopes to understand the nature of a just man. He analogizes the various classes in the city to various faculties of man.

9. Catullus wrote of one aspiring poet, "Mentula tries to climb the mountain of the Muses." Note the word "tries." What do the Muses do?

From Quiz Really Bad Classical Poetry

Answer: Throw him out with pitchforks

"Mentula" in Latin means "Little Dick." Was this the poet's real name, or a name that Catullus made up for him? In any case, it seems the guy abandoned his career in literature for a very successful career in business.

10. Who wrote "De Constantia Sapientis"?

From Quiz A Miscellany of Latin & Ancient Greek Literature

Answer: Seneca

Seneca (born 4 BC, died AD 65) was a Roman Stoic philosopher as well as tutor to the emperor Nero. "On the Constancy of the Wise Man" is just a study on a stoic wise man and his values.

11. In which work does Tacitus describe Britannia?

From Quiz Latin Literature

Answer: Life of Cnaeus Julius Agricola

It is in 'De Vita et Moribus Iulii Agricolae' ('Life of Cnaeus Julius Agricola'), written in about 98 AD, that Tacitus (55-120 AD) gives a description of Britain, where his father-in-law was governor for seven years, from 77 or 78 AD.

12. The poem appears to be based on the version of "Judith" found in what translation of the Bible?

From Quiz Judith (poem translated by Mary Savelli)

Answer: The Latin Vulgate

The King James and Geneva translations were not yet in existence when "Judith" was composed. "The Septuagint" was, but the poem appears to have been based on "Judith" as it appears in St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate. Jerome used an Aramaic text and another Latin translation to compile his version. "Judith" is included in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles but not in Protestant and Jewish Bibles.

13. This is a French epic of the "songs of heroic deeds" genre. It follows Hruodlandus, who changes into Charlemagne's nephew after being ambushed by the Muslim warriors in 778. This anonymously written epic is "La Chanson de ______".

From Quiz Classic Epics Through Time

Answer: Roland

It was written in around 1100. Saracens was the term used by europeans to describe Muslims during the medieval era; Roncesvalles, located in the Pyrenees, is where the ambush took place.

14. The 'Song of Roland' takes place during the time of Charles the Great's (Charlemagne) reign over Frankish territory. Who were the adversaries of the Franks in this poem?

From Quiz The Song of Roland

Answer: Saracens

In the poem, the battle is against the Saracens. In actuality, this poem was based on a confrontation between the Franks and the Basques that occurred in 778. In that year, a portion of Charlemagne's army fought a battle to the death at the pass at Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees mountains. All members of this rearguard of Charlemagne's grand army were killed by the Basque fighters.

15. This author is best known for writing about myths and fables

From Quiz Ancient Literature

Answer: Aesop

Aesop's Fables. Demosthenes is best known as an orator.

16. Gilgamesh was king of which city?

From Quiz The Epic Of Gilgamesh

Answer: Uruk

17. Catullus' Poem 'odi et amo' conveys what emotions?

From Quiz Latin Literature Trivia

Answer: his conflicting emotions of love and hate

'Odi et amo' literally means 'I hate and I love'.

18. The stories told in these two epic poems take place during which historical age?

From Quiz The 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey'

Answer: Bronze Age

The epics are thought to have been written between 750 and 650 B.C. but the stories take place during the 12th century B.C., the Bronze Age.

19. Who was the companion of Gilgamesh that the Gods created?

From Quiz The Epic of Gilgamesh

Answer: Enkidu

Enkidu was molded from clay by the Gods. He roamed with animals until a woman taught him how to be civilized. In the city, he met Gilgamesh and they fought to see which was stronger. The fight was so evenly matched that they respected each other's strength and became friends.

20. In the 'Odyssey', what is the name of the housekeeper that recognizes Odysseus by his scar?

From Quiz Homer's writings and Plato's philosophy

Answer: Eurycleia

The scar is from a boar hunt. Odysseus swears her to secrecy.

21. Which ingrate topped his long-suffering wife by smothering her with a pillow?

From Quiz Sayest Thou What?

Answer: Othello

The nerve of the man. Othello is one of Shakespeare's tragedies alright. The tragedy was that silly Desdemona didn't hike it out of there after being given clear evidence that Othello was a homicidal maniac prone to pathological bursts of jealousy.

22. How did Queen Guinevere come to be taken from Arthur's court?

From Quiz Chretien de Troyes' "Lancelot"

Answer: Kay lost her in a challenge from a strange knight.

For those who don't know the story, this may seem a bit complicated. A strange knight challenged King Arthur's knights, if they were not afraid, to send a champion outside the walls. If the champion won, he would release the many prisoners he was holding, and if he lost, the stranger would take the queen away. Kay made a production of leaving Arthur's service, where he was not appreciated, until the king and queen both promised to grant him any one thing he asked. When Kay demanded to be allowed to accept the stranger's challenge, Arthur had to let the queen go, or be forsworn. As everyone had known he would, Kay lost.

23. According to Herodotus, how was the Great Pyramid built?

From Quiz The Histories of Herodotus

Answer: cranes

Book 2 Chapter 125 talks of the height of the pyramid being divided into stages. It then talks about machines made of timber on each stage which lifted the stones for the pyramid to the stage where they were needed.

24. Phoenician merchants came on ships to Argos (State of Hellas), and what happened?

From Quiz Herodotus's Histories, Ch.1 1-5

Answer: Argive woman, including Io, the Agrive princess, went to buy stuff from the merchants and were abducted.

1.1 "Phoenicians arrived then at this land of Argos, and had began to dispose of their ship's cargo. On the fifth or sixth day after they had arrived, when their goods had been almost all sold, there came down to the sea a great company of woman, and among them the daughter of the king; and her name... was Io the daughter of Inachos. These standing near the stern of the ship were buying wares that pleased them most, when suddenly the Phoenicians, passing the word from one to another, made a rush upon them; the greater part of the women escaped by flight, but Io and certain others were carried off. So they put them on board their ship, and immediately departed, sailing away to Egypt."

25. Who was Gilgamesh's best buddy?

From Quiz The Epic of Gilgamesh

Answer: Enkidu

He was created by the gods as an answer to the people's prayers for help with Gilgamesh, who wasn't an all around good guy. Enkidu was part human and part animal and almost Gilgamesh's equal.

26. Socrates (and his popularizer, Plato) were less concerned with What You Know than How You Know What You Know. According to Plato, how do you come to "know" something?

From Quiz Greek is for Geeks

Answer: If you know a concept, you are remembering it from a previous existence.

Plato's argument, as outlined in the "Phaedo," goes something like this: - You see two sticks of roughly equal length. - The two sticks remind you of the concept of equality. - But, the two sticks are not actually equal in length. There is some deficiency that prevents the sticks from being exactly Equal. - In order to think that the sticks are not exactly equal, you must have some prior concept of the Equal. - But, you have never perceived, through your senses, any two objects in your life which are exactly equal to each other. - So, you must have possessed knowledge of the Equal even before you were born. - Therefore, whenever you "learn" a concept in later life, you must really be just "remembering" it from a time before you were born. All learning is really recollection. Plato uses this argument to show that our souls exist beyond the scope of our earthly lives, so that, in the "Phaedo," Socrates can comfort his loving friends about his impending demise!

27. In Book 1 of "The Republic," Socrates refutes the definitions of justice offered by some of his less philosophic friends. Who argues that justice is whatever is best for the stronger party?

From Quiz The Republic

Answer: Thrasymachus

All four of the people above are involved in the dialogue with Socrates, but it is the fiery Thrasymachus who dares to challenge Socrates's logic and suggest that justice is whatever the ruler says it is, and no more.

28. Catullus also wrote a lovely poem about a noble and stately yacht. On the other hand, some anonymous author had to do a goofy take-off of the same. This take-off turns the yacht into what?

From Quiz Really Bad Classical Poetry

Answer: Sabinus the mule-driver

For a modern analogy, think "trucker." In an age before song parodies, the rip-off mimics the sounds of Catullus' original almost exactly. No translation can do it justice. On the other hand, if you want to look up both poems, the original is Catullus 4 and the take-off is Vergil Catalepton X. Not actually BY Vergil, by the way...

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