A.P.* Multiple Choice: In the Temple
* = Abney Practice

It takes several years of persistent effort to prepare successfully for the AP Latin Exam. This passage may serve as one step along the way. Read about a visit of our characters to a temple where they discuss the gods. You may wish to reread "Myth II: Major Gods and Goddesses" on pages 68-69 before you begin.

Read the conversation and then choose the correct answer for the questions that follow. Don't worry if you don't understand every word; that's not the goal on the AP Latin Exam. For vocabulary help, move the cursor over the underlined words, and a definition will appear.

 

In Templō

Marcus:   Ecce statuae deōrum! Hīc sunt multī dī quī Rōmānōs amant.

Sextus:    Mārs est deus bellī. Mārtis animal lupus est.

Marcus:   Sed tū lupum timēs et arborem ascendis ubi lupum vidēs.

Sextus:    Ego deum Mārtem amō quod Mārs pater Rōmulī est, et Rōmulus pater urbis Rōmae est.

Cornēlia: Minimē. Tū Mārtem amās quod Mārs quoque ignāvus est! Minerva est dea bellī et Mārtem semper superat. Ego
                 Minervam amō.

???
Jacques Louis Davis, Battle of Minerva and Mars
courtesy of copyright holder Kathleen Cohen

Sextus:    Estō. Tū Minervam amās quod Minerva lānam trahit et tū quoque lānam trahis quod tū puella es.

???
Diego Velázquez, The Spinners (The Fable of Arachne)
courtesy of VRoma
Click here to read a story about Minerva.

(NOTE: You may find all the forms of the irregular Latin noun deus available online.
Find forms of deus and other irregular Latin nouns online.)

1.  What do we learn about Mars from the remarks of

     Sextus?

He has many temples.
The outdoors is sacred to him.
The Romans love him.
The wolf is sacred to him.


2.  What "downer" does Marcus dredge up?
Sextus can't climb trees.
Sextus is irreligious.
Sextus is afraid of wolves.
The gods have cursed Rome.


3.  What is the relationship of Mars to Rome, according to

     Sextus?
Mars is the "father" of Rome.
Mars is the great protector of Rome.
Mars is the ancient enemy of Rome.
Mars is the "grandfather" of Rome.


4.  What do Mars and Minerva have in common, according

     to Cornelia?
Warfare is their joint realm of influence.
They both use fear to get what they want.
Both favor Cornelia.
They have nothing in common.


5.  What do Mars and Sextus have in common, according
     to Cornelia?
She dislikes both of them.
Wolves are their favorite animals.
They are always getting in fights.
Both are cowardly.


6.  Which word in Cornelia's remarks indicates that
     Minerva is a better fighter than Mars?
semper
superat
quoque
amō


7.  What difference about males and females in the
     Roman world may we infer from Sextus's last
     comment?
As a warrior goddess, Minerva favors males.
As a goddess, Minerva favors females.
Females are expected to do housework.
Only males worship Minerva.