2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
ROUND ONE
1. Welcome to the First AMSA Certamen Tournament. Just a little caveat, some rooms in our
school can be dangerous. Lets say you have wandered into a Physics lab at AMSAeheu! You
could be sucked into an experimental time machine. Well, no problem when you turn up on the
streets of ancient Rome. A passerby greets you. How does the Roman ask you, What is your
name?
QUID EST NOMEN TIBI/TUUM?
B1: After you have exchanged some pleasantries, you summon all your courage to ask if this is
truly Rome. Give one way the passerby could tell you Yes.
CERT; ITA/ITA VERO; SC EST
B2: When in Rome, do as the Romans dogo to the gladiator games. How would you ask in
Latin for directions to the structure where the games take place?
UBI EST AMPHITHEATRUM/DC M AD AMPHITHEATRUM
(PROMPT IF STUDENT SAYS COLOSSEUM - i.e., can you use a term other than
Colosseum? (It was not called the Colosseum during Classical Roman times)
2. What wily Greek faced the Cyclopes, Scylla, and Charybdis on his ten-year journey back from
Troy to Ithaca?
ODYSSEUS
B1: Who was Odysseus' faithful wife who waited for him in Ithaca despite many suitors wishing
to marry her?
PENELOPE
B2: Who was the son of Odysseus and Penelope who never saw his father while growing up and
went searching for him due to some divine advice?
TELEMACHUS
3. What tyrant king of Rome, the last of the seven, murdered his predecessor and was
responsible for the downfall of the monarchy?
TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS or TARQUIN THE PROUD
B1: Who was the son of Tarquinius Superbus, who disgracefully raped the married noblewoman
Lucretia?
SEXTUS TARQUINIUS
B2: Which Roman noble, whose descendant was an infamous assassin of Julius Caesar, led the
uprising against the Tarquins, which ultimately led to their expulsion and the establishment of
the Republic in 509 BC?
(LUCIUS IUNIUS) BRUTUS
4. What type of toga was worn by free-born boys and by some magistrates?
TOGA PRAETEXTA
B1: What type of toga was by candidates for political office?
TOGA CANDIDA

B2:What type of toga was adopted when boys reached manhood?

TOGA VIRILIS / TOGA ALBA / TOGA PURA
5. Which son of Zeus and Danae rashly promised to bring the head of the gorgon Medusa as a
wedding present for his mother's marriage to Polydectes?
PERSEUS
B1: What was the unique feature of a head of a gorgon?
IT TURNED EVERYTHING IT SAW TO STONE
B2: Name one of the two gods that helped Perseus complete his perilous task and how they did
so.
HERMES - PROVIDED PERSEUS WITH (ATLEAST ONE OF) PAIR OF FLYING
SANDALS, MAGIC WALLET, AND HELMET OF INVISIBILITY OR ATHENA PROVIDED PERSEUS WITH MIRROR-LIKE SHIELD
6. Quot sunt quattuor et qunque?
NOVEM
B1: Quot sunt novem et sex?
QUNDECIM
B2: Quot sunt qundecim et trs?
DUODVIGINT
7: What Latin phrase means a necessity, literally, that without which not?
SINE QU NN
B1: What Latin phrase is often translated as tit for tat?
QUID PR QU
B2: What Latin phrase is commonly translated as unanimously?
UN VOCE
8. What Roman general, who shares his name with a type of salad, was born in 100 BCE, led
successful political and military campaigns throughout his life, and was stabbed to death by
senators?
GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR
B1: On what day of the month was Caesar assassinated?
IDES OF MARCH or MARCH 15TH
B2: Name one of the two leading conspirators in the plot to murder Caesar.
MARCUS IUNIUS BRUTUS OR GAIUS CASSIUS LONGINUS
9: Its here again. That season of sore throats, chest colds, and the post nasal drip. If you got a flu
shot, maybe you will be spared these symptoms. From what Latin verb, with what meaning, do
we derive the word influenza?
FLU, FLUERE; TO FLOW

B1: If you do get sick, please keep your germs to yourself. From what Latin verb, with what
meaning,
do we derive the word contagious?
TANG, TANGERE; TO TOUCH
B2: The best way to get better is plenty of bed rest. From what Latin verb, with what
meaning, do we derive the word convalescence?
VALE, VALRE; TO BE STRONG
10. Which Greek god, immediately after he was born, stole the cattle of Apollo and disguised the
hoof tracks so nobody could discover his mischief?
HERMES
B1: After Apollo discovered Hermes' trick, what item which he made from a tortoise shell did
Hermes trade with Apollo for the cattle?
LYRE
B2: Who was the mother of Hermes, the eldest of the Pleiades, who had her son with Zeus on
Mount Cyllene?
MAIA
11. What Roman emperor, who was literally non compos mentis, named his horse a senator and,
wearing Alexander the Greats breastplate, tried to ride it across a two-mile pontoon bridge?
GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS OR CALIGULA
B1: Name, in order, Caligulas predecessor and successor.
TIBERIUS JULIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS AND
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS
B2: What does Caligula mean in Latin?
LITTLE BOOT
12. Quid Anglic significat rex?
B1: Quid Anglic significat pax?
B2: Quid Anglic significat vox?

KING
PEACE
VOICE

13. The Cattle of Geryon, Cretan Bull, Nemean Lion, and Cerberus were all monsters that what
Greek hero had to capture as part of his famous twelve labors?
HERACLES
B1: Proving his incredible strength, what music teacher did Heracles accidentally kill by bashing
him with a lyre?
LINUS
B2: Which uncle of Heracles, a king of Mycenae, forced him to complete his labors as
punishment from Hera?
EURYSTHEUS

14. Which of the following does not belong due to gender: ager, agricola, puer, nomen, cibus,
pater.
NMEN
B1: Which of the following does not belong due to conjugation: pno, port, pugn, narr,
voc.
PN
B2: Which of the following does not belong due to declension: canis, tempus, mors, mter,
nauta, navis.
NAUTA
15. Translate into English: Mter et lber in peristyl sedent.
MOTHER AND THE CHILDREN ARE SITTING/SIT IN THE
PERISTYLE/GARDEN / GARDEN ROOM.
B1: Translate into English: Mter fabuls narrat et lber audiunt fabuls.
MOTHER TELLS/IS TELLING STORIES AND THE CHILDREN LISTEN (TO
STORIES).
B2: Translate into English: Canis et feles quoque audiunt et tacent.
THE DOG AND CAT ALSO LISTEN AND ARE QUIET/SILENT.
16. At what battle, fought on August 2nd, 216 BC, did Hannibal decisively defeat the superior
Roman army through his shrewd battle tactics?
CANNAE
B1: From what powerful North African city-state was Hannibal from?
CARTHAGE
B2: Name one of the two Roman commanders at the Battle of Cannae.
LUCIUS AEMILIUS PAULLUS OR GAIUS TERENTIUS VARRO
17. Differentiate in meaning between doce and debe.
DOCE MEANS TEACH; DEBEO MEANS OWE/OUGHT/MUST
B1: Differentiate in meaning between scrb and sci.
SCRB MEANS WRITE; SCI MEANS KNOW
B2: Differentiate in meaning between st and d.
ST MEANS STAND; D MEANS GIVE
18. Listen carefully to this passage which I will read twice and then answer the questions that
follow in English.
Lucius, puer bonus, per agros ad silvam ambulabat. Puer animalia amabat; maxime cervos
amabat. Sub arbore magn exspectabat et tacbat. Cervus parvus et timidus ad eum ambulabat.
Lucius cibum e dabat et cervus iacbat ad puerum et dormibat.
The question: Where was Lucius walking on his way to the forest?
THROUGH THE FIELDS

B1: Where did Lucius wait quietly?

UNDER A (BIG) TREE
B2: How did Lucius get the deer to lie down next to him?
HE GAVE THE DEER FOOD
19. What sly king of Corinth, who tried to avoid death, was punished in the Underworld by
having to roll an eternally falling boulder up a mountain?
SISYPHUS
B1: Which treacherous man served his son Pelops to the gods at a feast, resulting in the eternal
hunger and thirst he suffered in Tartarus?
TANTALUS
B2: Which 49 sisters carried water in leaky jars in the Underworld because they atrociously
killed their husbands on their wedding night?
DANAIDES (DAUGHTERS OF DANAUS)
20. Change the verb ambulmus to the singular.
AMBUL
B1: Change ambul to the imperfect tense.
AMBULBAM
B2: Change ambulbam to the future tense.
AMBULB

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
ROUND ONE EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Of the following words: flumen, insula, silva, urbs, templum, ager, which is being
described here: Sunt multae arbors, folia, et animalia; avs, quae in rams sedent, cantant.
SILVA
B1: Of those same words, which is described here: Fluit ad mare; piscs in e natant.
FLUMEN
B2: Of those same words, which is described here: Bovs carrum trahant et agricolae laborant
in e.
AGER
2. When recognized by the spotter/moderator, perform the following command: Ostende linguam
et nsum tange.
STUDENT STICKS OUT TONGUE AND TOUCHES NOSEWITH TONGUE OR
OTHER MEANS, SUCH AS A FINGER
B1: Perform the following: Dux tantum: oculs oper cum manibus.
(THE TEAM CAPTAIN COVERS HIS/HER EYES WITH HANDS)
B2: Perform the following: Unus oculs oper, alius aurs oper, alius s oper, et alius dc
Anglic: Nullum malum vid, nullum malum aud, nullum malum dc.
(ONE EACH COVERS EYES, EARS, AND MOUTH; ONE STUDENT SAYS, SEE NO
EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL.)
MYTHOLOGY
1. Which twin gods born on Delos were the children of Zeus and Leto?
APOLLO AND ARTEMIS
B1: Where did Apollo establish his famous oracle after slaying the monstrous Python?
DELPHI
B2: The Python was protecting what stone at Delphi, known as the navel of the Earth and
believed to be the stone that Cronus swallowed thinking it was his son by Rhea?
OMPHALOS
2. What was the name of the three-headed watchdog of Hades?
B1: Who in the underworld ferried souls across the river Styx?
B2: Where in the underworld would you find the souls of sinners?

CERBERUS
CHARON
TARTARUS

HISTORY/CULTURE
1. What was the name for the bronze or ivory tablets hung up in the forum in 449 BC which

stated the first Roman law code ever made?

TWELVE TABLES
B1: How many men were assigned to the committee which wrote the Twelve Tables?
TEN
B2: Which Roman political office was responsible for the discipline of the people in following
this code of law?
CENSOR
2. Who was the last emperor of the Western Roman Emperor, deposed by Odoacer and replaced
with an Ostrogoth ruler?
ROMULUS AUGUSTULUS/AUGUSTUS
B1: The Eastern Roman Empire would continue much longer than the West. What would the
Eastern Roman Empire come to be called?
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
B2: In what century AD did the Western Roman Empire fall?
FIFTH CENTURY

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
ROUND TWO
1. Answer in English. From the Latin word for what body part do we derive the words manager,
manifest, manufacture, and manicure?
THE HAND
B1: From the Latin word for what body part do we derive the words pioneer, pedigree, expedite,
trivet, and pawn?
THE FOOT
B2: From the Latin word for what body part do we derive the words antler, inoculate, inveigle,
and ocular?
THE EYE
2. Which Theban hunter stumbled across a nude Artemis bathing in the forests and was afflicted

by the wrath of the goddess?

ACTAEON
B1: What did Artemis transform Actaeon into as punishment for him glimpsing her bathing with
her nymphs?
STAG
B2: What gruesome death did Actaeon suffer after being transformed into a stag?
HE WAS TORN APART AND EATEN BY HIS HUNTING DOGS
3. What did the Romans call the warm room of a bathhouse, where they began bathing?
TEPIDARIUM
B1: What did the Romans call the cold room of a bathhouse?
FRIGIDARIUM
B2: What did they call the entryway to a bathhouse, which also served as a changing room?
APODYTERIUM
4. The history of the early Roman Republic was marked by many heroic individuals. Which
young officer of the Roman army defended the Pons Sublicius against an invading army under
Lars Porsenna?
PUBLIUS HORATIUS COCLES
B1: Which Roman maiden, given as a hostage to the king Lars Porsenna, escaped from her camp
and, in some accounts, bravely swam across the Tiber River to Rome?
CLOELIA
B2: Which Roman citizen, who had been captured in his attempt to assassinate Lars Porsenna,
placed his right hand into a fire to display Romes determination?
GAIUS MUCIUS SCAEVOLA
5. 2. Which god took the place of of Hestia on Mount Olympus and was the son of a mortal
woman named Semele?
DIONYSUS
B1: Who tricked Semele into asking Zeus to reveal his true form and was burned alive, nearly
killing Dionysus?

HERA (AS A DISGUISED BEROE)

B2: How did Zeus salvage Semele's unborn son and keep him until he was ready to be born?
HE SEWED DIONYSUS INTO HIS THIGH
6. Give the form of the adjective laetus that agrees with the noun nauta.
LAETUS
B1: Change nauta laetus to the accusative plural.
NAUTS LAETS
B2: Give the form of the adjective tristis that agrees with nauts.
TRISTS
7. Differentiate in meaning between tempus and templum.
TEMPUS MEANS TIME; TEMPLUM MEANS TEMPLE
B1: Differentiate in meaning between nvis and avis.
NVIS MEANS SHIP; AVIS MEANS BIRD
B2: Differentiate in meaning between lx and lx.
LX MEANS LAW; LX MEANS LIGHT
8. At what battle in 321 BC did Rome surrender to the Samnites and shamefully walk under the
yoke?
CAUDINE FORKS
B1: During which of the three Samnite Wars did the battle of the Caudine Forks occur?
SECOND SAMNITE WAR
B2: Which later Samnite defeat of the Romans in 315 BC occurred under the Roman dictator
Fabius Rullianus?
LAUTULAE
9. Who had to yoke two fire-breathing bulls, plow a field of Ares, and sow the teeth of a dragon
in order to gain the golden fleece from Aeetes, king of Colchis?
JASON
B1: Which sorceress, a daughter of Aeetes, fell in love with Jason and helped him escape from
Colchis with the golden fleece, only to be betrayed by Jason later?
MEDEA
B2: To gain the throne of what kingdom did Jason go on a his expedition on the Argo with other
heroes?
IOLCUS
10: Looking ahead to 2012, the NJCL Convention will be held in North Carolina. Give the
English meaning of the motto of North Carolina, esse quam vder.
TO BE RATHER THAN TO SEEM
B1: Labor omnia vincit is the motto of Oklahoma. What does it mean?
WORK CONQUERS ALL
B2: Give the English meaning of the motto of Virginia, sc semper tyranns.

THUS ALWAYS TO TYRANTS

11. Listen carefully to this passage which I will read twice. Then answer the questions that
follow in English.
Hamilcar flium, puerum novem annrum, ante des patriae dxit. In templ, Hannibal
exclamvit, Semper cum Romns pugnb terr marque! Sine timre pugnb! Verba puer
patrem dlectavit.
The question: How old was Hannibal when his father led him before the gods?
NINE YEARS OLD
B1: Where does Hannibal proclaim he will fight with the Romans?
ON LAND AND SEA
B2: In what manner does Hannibal swear he will fight the Romans?
WITHOUT FEAR
12. In the year 69 AD, how many emperors ascended the imperial throne?
FOUR
B1/2: For five points each, name two of the four emperors who ascended the throne in 69 AD?
GALBA OR OTHO OR VITELLIUS OR VESPASIAN
13. Which hero volunteers to be a sacrifice for the Cretan Minotaur, hoping to successfully kill it

instead by traversing through the labyrinth?

THESEUS
B1: Which daughter of the Cretan king Minos falls in love with Theseus and provides him with a
spool of thread to trace his path out of the labyrinth?
ARIADNE
B2: Theseus breaks Ariadne's heart and abandons her on the island of Naxos. Which god later
visits Naxos and marries Ariadne jubilantly?
DIONYSUS
14. Which of the following does not belong due to derivation: marine, cormorant, marinate,
marry, rosemary?
MARRY
B1: Give the Latin noun and its meaning that is the root of marry.
MARITUS MEANING HUSBAND
B2: Give the Latin noun and its meaning from which the other words are derived.
MARE MEANING SEA

15. What Latin verb is the root of feasible, official, mollify, pacific, and perfect?
FACI, FACERE

B1: Which of the following is not a derivative of faci: confetti, face, fabricate, infect, terrific?
B2: What derivative of faci means to makes something invalid or worth nothing.

FABRICATE
NULLIFY

16. Which misfortunate man killed a man he met at a crossroads, rid Thebes of the plague of the
Sphinx, and unknowingly married his mother Jocasta to become the Theban king?
OEDIPUS
B1: According to Sophocles, what seer accused Oedipus of defiling Thebes by killing his father
Laius and marrying his mother Jocasta?
TEIRESIAS
B2: Name either of the foster parents of Oedipus who raised him in Corinth, altering receiving
him from the shepherd who was supposed to expose him.
MEROPE OR POLYBUS
17. Which Roman emperor, the first to convert to Christianity, followed a divine message by
painting the sign of the cross on the shields of his soldiers and was victorious in the ensuing
battle?
CONSTANTINE I or THE GREAT
B1: To what city did Constantine move the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, where it would
remain one of the largest and wealthiest cities until 1453?
CONSTANTINOPLE or BYZANTIUM
B2: What is the modern-day name of the city of Constantinople?
ISTANBUL
18. Translate into English: Caesar milits in Galliam duxit.
CAESAR LED THE SOLDIERS INTO GAUL.
B1: Translate into English: Vincere militibus placet.
CONQUERING PLEASES THE SOLDIERS/THE SOLDIERS LIKE TO
CONQUER
B2: Translate into English: Caesar cords omnium vincet.
CAESAR WILL CONQUER THE HEARTS OF ALL.
19:

When recognized by the spotter/moderator, perform the following command:

Surge et st pede n tantum.
(STUDENT STANDS ON ONE FOOT)

B1: Perform the following command: Surgite, currte in loc, et capita pulsate
(MORE THAN ONE STANDS, RUNS IN PLACE, AND TAPS HEAD)
B2: Perform the following command: Ambulte circum sells et mnsam et Anglic numerte ab
n ad octo.
(MORE THAN ONE WALKS AROUND THEIR TABLE AND CHAIRS AND COUNTS
FROM 1-8 IN ENGLISH)

20. In the sentence, The poet sends kisses to the girls, translate to the girls into Latin.
PUELLS
B1: In the sentence, The fathers see the naughty poet, translate poet into Latin.
POETAM
B2: In the sentence, The fathers chase this bad poet from the town, translate from the town
into Latin.
AB/EX OPPID/URBE

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
ROUND TWO EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Translate into English: In for, multae feminae cibum emunt.
IN THE FORUM/MARKETPLACE, MANY WOMEN BUY FOOD.
B1: Translate into English: Coquus preparat cnam bonam.
THE COOK PREPARES A GOOD MEAL.
B2: Translate into English: Serv cnam in triclinium portant.
THE SLAVES CARRY THE MEAL INTO THE DINING ROOM.
2. Give the Latin verb and its meaning from which muss, permit, promise, and
transmission are derived.
MITT, MITTERE MEANING TO SEND
B1: What derivative of mitt, mittere means to leave out?
OMIT, PRETERMIT
B2: What derivative of mitt, mittere describes something that takes place at the conclusion of
every class and school day, after all the chairs are pushed in, of course?
DISMISSAL / SCHOOL IS DISMISSED
MYTHOLOGY
1. What Trojan hero was the son of Anchises and Venus?
AENEAS
B1: During the sack of Troy, Aeneas was separated from his wife, who ended up getting left
behind in the turmoil. Who was this unfortunate spouse?
CREUSA
B2: With what Carthaginian queen does Aeneas have a romance with while on his way to Italy?
DIDO
2. Whose body was dragged around the walls of Troy three times after being killed in combat by
the Greek Achilles?
HECTOR
B1: What father of Hector had been the king of Troy during the fall of the city?
PRIAM
B2: What mother of Hector and second wife of Priam had been the queen of Troy during the fall
of the city?
HECUBA
HISTORY/CULTURE
1. Which pious king of Rome established the Vestal Virgins, the college of the pontifices and

flamines, and the priesthood of the Salii? He was also the second king of Rome.
NUMA POMPILIUS
B1: To which god did Numa Pompilius build a temple, whose gates would be closed only seven
known times in Roman history, signaling peace?
JANUS
B2: Which water nymph was thought to be Numa's divine consort and the source of his advice?
EGERIA
2. What famous Roman orator uncovered a conspiracy against the government during his 63 BC
consulship and delivered a series of speeches called the Phillippics, leading to his execution in 43
BC?
MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO
B1: During the last couple decades of the Republic, against which triumvir were his speeches
called the Philippics?
MARCUS ANTONIUS or MARK ANTHONY
B2: Cicero was a novus homo from the town of Arpinum, just like an earlier popular leader who
held seven consulships during his career and was the uncle of the future Julius Caesar. Who was
this early popular leader?
GAIUS MARIUS

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
ROUND THREE
1. It was seventy years ago that a film featuring a vir straminis, leo timidus, and bona lamia
septentrionalis was released. This perennial favorite included a main character who just wanted
to go home, and they sent her home. What is the meaning of the motto of her home state of
Kansas, ad astra per aspera?
TO THE STARS THROUGH DIFFICULTIES
B1: The film, of course, is The Wizard of Oz, and the main character is Dorothy. On her travels,
Dorothy meets many strange creatures, including the simiae cum als. What are simiae cum als?
WINGED MONKEYS/FLYING MONKEYS/MONKEYS WITH WINGS
B2: How would you say your little dog in Latin in the following sentence: Ill get you, my
pretty, and your little dog, too!
(TUUM) CANEM PARVUM
2. Give the Latin and English for the abbreviation etc.
ET CETERA MEANING AND THE REST/AND SO FORTH
B1: Give the Latin and English of the abbreviation QED, which is used to show that a problem
has been solved or a proof completed.
QUOD ERAT DEMONSTRANDUM MEANING THAT WHICH WAS TO BE
SHOWN
B2: Give the Latin and English for the abbreviation Q.
QUASI MEANING AS IT WERE/ALMOST/SEMI
3. Which Roman statesman gave several forceful speeches, which always ended with the phrase,
Carthago delenda est.?
MARCUS PORCIUS CATO THE ELDER
(Prompt to be more specific if "Cato" is given)
B1: What office had Cato the Elder famously held in 184 BC, the only one in his family to attain
it?
CENSOR
B2: Which Roman general finally destroyed Carthage in 146 BC?
PUBLIUS CORNELIUS SCIPIO AEMILIANUS
4. What son of Menoetius was the beloved comrade of Achilles who took his armor and led the
Myrmidons in the Trojan War, only to be slaughtered by Hector?
PATROCLUS
B1: In vengeance for the death of his companion, Achilles kills Hector in a duel. Who fatally
wounded Achilles by shooting his arrow in his only vulnerable spot, his heel?
PARIS

B2: Which son of Poeas used the poisonous arrows of Heracles to kill Paris?
5. Quid Anglic significat le?
B1: Quid Anglic significat ovis?
B2: Quid Anglic significat lupus?

PHILOCTETES
LION
SHEEP
WOLF

6. Translate into English: Feminae Rmnae virs forts amant.

ROMAN WOMEN LOVE BRAVE/STRONG MEN.
B1: Translate into English: Vr Rmn fortiors quam Graec sunt.
ROMAN MEN ARE BRAVER/STRONGER THAN GREEK (MEN)/GREEKS.
B2: Translate into English: Sed Graec Rmns stultissims esse putant.
BUT THE GREEKS THINK THE ROMANS (or ROMAN MEN) ARE
VERY STUPID.
7. With which kingdom did Rome fight four wars from 215-146 BC featuring generals such as
Philip V, Aemilius Paullus, and Flamininus?
MACEDONIA
B1: In which battle of 168 BC did Lucius Aemilius Paullus decisively defeat the Macedonians,
resulting in the division of Macedon into four disconnected republics?
PYDNA
B2: Which Macedonian general, the son of Philip V, was responsible for the loss at the battle of
Pydna?
PERSEUS
8. What daughter of a king of Miletus was taken by her parents to a rocky mount where
Zephyrus brought her to a serene land in which she met her future lover Cupid?
PSYCHE
B1: Who was the mother of Cupid, who was furious that her son chose Psyche and was jealous
of Psyche's beauty?
VENUS
B2: Name two of the four tasks Venus assigned to Psyche to prove that she was accomplished in
menial labor and not fit for Cupid.
TWO OF: SORT A MIXTURE OF GRAIN, FETCH GOLDEN FLEECE FROM FIERCE
SHEEP, RETRIEVE WATER FROM THE RIVER STYX, FILL BOX WITH
PERSEPHONE'S BEAUTY
9. What derivative of the Latin noun for moon means insanity?
LUNACY
B1: What derivative of the Latin noun for messenger means to pronounce clearly?
ENUNCIATE
B2: What derivative of the Latin noun for wound means incapable of being injured?
INVULNERABLE
10. What famous Roman had the favorite saying festin lent?
AUGUSTUS/OCTAVIAN

B1: What is the English translation of festin lent?

MAKE HASTE SLOWLY
B2: What is the meaning of Augustus reputed last words, acta est fabula?
THE PLAY IS OVER/THE STORY IS FINISHED
11. Listen carefully to this passage which I will read twice and then answer the questions that
follow in Latin.
Cornlius dus lbers habet, Sextum et Cornliam, et decem tantum servs. Pauc sunt serv
Cornli, quia Cornlius nn magnam pecniam habet. Neque magnam vllam habet Cornlius,
sed mults librs Latns et Graecs habet. Cornlius est dominus qu librs et litters amat.
The Question: Quot servs habet Cornlius?
DECEM/TANTUM DECEM

B1: Cr tantum decem servs habet Cornlius?

QUIA/QUOD NN MAGNAM/PARVAM PECNIAM HABET
B2: Quid amat Cornlius?
LIBROS; LITTERAS; or LIBRS ET LITTERS
12. What skilled lyre player was a member of the Argo and fell in love with a nymph who was
killed by a snakebite on their wedding day, and mourned for the rest of his life?
ORPHEUS
B1: What was the name of Orpheus wife, who was fleeing from the enamored Aristaeus when
she was bitten by a viper and died?
EURYDICE
B2: Who was the mother of Orpheus, one of the nine Muses?
CALLIOPE
13. Where, off the western coast of Greece, did Octavian and Marcus Antonius fight a naval
battle deciding the future undisputed ruler of Rome in 31 BC?
ACTIUM
B1: What lieutenant of Octavian commanded his fleet and used brilliant military tactics to win
the battle?
MARCUS VIPSANIUS AGRIPPA
B2: What naval device, previously invented to defeat Carthage in the First Punic War, did
Agrippa later modify to defeat a son of Pompey?
CORVUS or GRAPPLING HOOK WITH A PLANK ATTACHED
14.What form of the adjective pulcher agrees with the noun form urbem?
PULCHRAM
B1: What form of the adjective pulcher agrees with the noun form flumen?
PULCHRUM
B2: What form of the adjective pulcher agrees with the noun form montibus?
PULCHRS

15. Which of the Five Good Emperors, who had the longest reign since Augustus, was given his
agnomen after securing the deification of his predecessor Hadrian?
ANTONINUS PIUS
B1: In what modern day country did Antoninus Pius build a defensive wall?
(GREAT) BRITAIN or UNITED KINGDOM (DO NOT ACCEPT: SCOTLAND)
B2: Who were the two successors Antoninus Pius chose?
MARCUS AURELIUS AND LUCIUS VERUS
16. Say in Latin, This language is not difficult.
HAEC LINGUA DIFFICILIS NN EST.
B1: Say in Latin using the dative case: I like this contest.
HOC CERTAMEN MIHI PLACET.
B2: Say in Latin: I want to win.
(EGO) VOL VINCERE.
17. Name the three judges of the Underworld.
AEACUS, RHADAMANTHUS, MINOS
B1: What land did Rhadamanthus and Minos govern in life?
CRETE
B2: What island, eponymous for a lover of Zeus, did Aeacus rule?
AEGINA
18. What type of gladiator had a fish-shaped helmet?
MURMILLO/MYRMILLO
B1: Give the name of the gladiator who fought with a net and trident.
RETIARIUS
B2: Sagitarii were a type of gladiator who fought with what weapon?
BOW AND ARROW

19. Which grandson of Sisyphus murdered a fellow townsmen and his own brother and later rode

on Pegasus to kill the Chimera?

BELLEROPHON

B1: What three animal parts make up the Chimera?

FRONT OF LION, BODY OF GOAT, TAIL OF SERPENT
B2: Who received Bellerophon well at his court but then sent him on several dangerous missions
to try to finish him off as requested by Proetus?
IOBATES
20. Before we finish, here is an important reminder: Saturnalia is only one week away. In the
following sentence, identify the use of the ablative case: Glis coqu paratur.
PERSONAL AGENT
B1: Identify the use of the ablative case in this sentence: Ill di, bene cenbis.
ABLATIVE OF TIME WHEN / or
WITHIN WHICH

B2: Since all Latin students enjoy Saturnalia, perform the following: Clamte Anglice Glis
omnibus!
(MORE THAN ONE STUDENT SHOUTS/CALLS OUT DORMOUSE FOR
EVERYONE/ALL!)

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
ROUND THREE EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Which of the following, if any, do not belong due to derivation: obedience, audience, audit,
audacity, auditory?
AUDACITY
B1: Which of the following, if any, do not belong due to derivation: prepare, apart, separate,
severance, repair?
APART
B2: Which of the following, if any, do not belong due to derivation: portage, import, porch,
sport, report?
PORCH
2. Listen carefully to this passage which I will read twice and then answer the questions that
follow in English.
Duo retiarii et du murmillones arenam intraverunt. Postquam gladiatores spectatores
salutaverunt, tuba sonuit. Tum gladiatores pugnam commiserunt. Murmillones spectatores valde
delectabant, quod saepe victores erant. Spectatores igitur murmillones incitabant.
The question: How many gladiators entered the arena?
FOUR
B1: What happened after the gladiators greeted the crowd?
A TRUMPET SOUNDED
B2: Why did the spectators enjoy the murmillos greatly?
THE MURMILLOS OFTEN WERE THE VICTORS/OFTEN WON
MYTHOLOGY
1. To what mythological group do the following characters belong: Melpomene, Clio,
Terpsichore, Euterpe, Urania, Erato, Thalia, Polyhymnia, Calliope?
THE MUSES
B1: According to Hesiod, who was the mother of the Muses, the goddess of memory?
MNEMOSYNE
B2: On which mountain were the Muses dearly worshipped and there was a temple built in their
honor?
MOUNT HELICON

2. What fisherman discovered a chest in the water which contained the infant Perseus and his
mother Danae?
DICTYS
B1: What king of Seriphos sends Perseus on the dangerous quest to bring back the head of
Medusa?
POLYDECTES
B2: Upon returning to Seriphos with the head of Medusa, Perseus comes across an Ethiopian
maiden whom he saves from a sea monster. Who was this daughter of Cepheus & Cassiopeia?
ANDROMEDA
HISTORY/CULTURE
1. Asculum, Heraclea, and Beneventum were all battle sites fought by Rome against which
mercenary from Epirus hired by the city of Tarentum?
PYRRHUS
B1: Pyrrhus was the second cousin of what great Macedonian conqueror of Persia?
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
B2: What Roman general eventually defeated Pyrrhus at the Battle of Beneventum in 275 BC?
CURIUS DENTATUS
2. What daughter of Augustus was forced to marry Tiberius to secure his succession to the
imperial throne?
JULIA THE ELDER
B1: Which daughter of Agrippa was Tiberius forced to divorce by Augustus in order to allow
this marriage?
VIPSANIA AGRIPPINA
B2: Because Tiberius resented his position as princeps, which island in the Bay of Naples did he
retire to in 26 AD?
CAPRI / CAPREAE

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
FINAL ROUND
1. This is the Novice Division Final Round. Congratulations on making it this far. Harry Potter
mania leaves an indelible mark in the Certamen world. In honor of your typical Certamen
players love of the Harry Potter series, you can be on the lookout for many Harry Potter themed
questions in this round. In the extensive Weasley family, the twin brothers George and Fred were
reformers in their own sense against the bureaucratic Professor Umbridge. Which two Roman
brothers of the 2nd century BC were plebeian tribunes who proposed radical land and agrarian
bills?
TIBERIUS AND GAIUS GRACCHUS
(Prompt to be more specific if "Grachhi" is given)
B1: Although Ms. Weasley may not have been as outspoken about her filial affection, the mother
of the Gracchi brothers called them "her jewels." Who was this woman, the daughter of Scipio
Africanus?
CORNELIA
B2: Later in the series, George Weasley lost his ear by a Death Eater's curse. Which Roman
aristocrat, whose name refers to another facial feature, was directly responsible for the
assassination of Tiberius Gracchus?
PUBLIUS CORNELIUS SCIPIO NASICA
2. Differentiate in meaning between the Latin verbs dico and disco.
DICO MEANS TO SAY, DISCO MEANS TO LEARN
B1: Differentiate in meaning between stupeo and studeo.
STUPEO MEANS TO STAND STILL/BE AMAZED; STUDIO MEANS TO
STUDY/APPLY YOURSELF/BE EAGER/PURSUE/STRIVE AFTER
B2: Differentiate in meaning between lego and ligo.
LEGO MEANS TO READ, LIGO MEANS TO BIND
3. A most magical series of books, Harry Potter, includes many classical references and roots.
From what Latin noun, with what meaning, does the name Lupin ultimately derive?
LUPUS MEANING WOLF
B1: What is the meaning of the Latin word Bellatrix?
FEMALE/WOMAN WARRIOR
B2: What is the meaning of Exspecto Patronum?
I AWAIT/EXPECT A GUARDIAN/PROTECTOR/PATRON
4. Urgulanilla, Messalina, Aelia Paetina, and Agrippina the Younger were all wives of which
Roman emperor, the fourth member of a dynasty known as the Julio-Claudians?
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS
B1: Messalina was completely unfaithful to Claudius, going so far as to have a public wedding to
another lover. However, name one of the children Messalina bore to Claudius.
BRITANNICUS OR OCTAVIA
B2: Claudiuss fourth wife, Agrippina the Younger, had what blood relationship to Claudius?

HIS NIECE or HER UNCLE

5. Listen to the following passage, which I will read twice, then answer the questions that follow
in Latin.
Quid ibi habes, Potter? dixit Snape. Erat Ludus Quidditch per Saecla. Harrius librum ei
demonstravit. Dixit Snape, Harii, es pessimus puer. Gryffindor quinque puncta amittit.
The Question: What book does Harry have?
B1: How many points does Gryffindor lose?
B2: According to Snape, what is Harry?

LUDUS QUIDDITCH PER SAECLA

QUINQUE
PESSIMUS PUER

6. Which pair of purple-winged twins, sons of Boreas, helped rescue Phineus from his
harassment by the Harpies?
ZETES AND CALAIS
B1: Who was the mother of Zetes and Calais, a daughter of King Erechtheus of Athens and
Praxithea?
OREITHYIA
B2: In gratitude for the help he received from Zetes and Calais, Phineus told the Argonauts how
to pass through what perilous pair of rocks at the Bosphorus that clashed together randomly?
SYMPLEGADES OR CYANEAN ROCKS (DO NOT ACCEPT CLASHING ROCKS)
7. Say this command in Latin, Work now!
B1: Say in Latin, Study the Latin language well!
B2: Say in Latin, Answer correctly!

LABORA(TE) NUNC!
STUDE(TE) LATINAE LINGUAE
BENE!
RESPONDE(TE)
VERE/RECTE/CORRECTE!

8. Who won the hand of Hippodamia by defeating her father Oenomaus in a chariot race, thus
cursing his descendants eternally?
PELOPS
B1: What son of Pelops stole his brother Atreus wife and deceived his brother to claim the
throne of Mycenae?
THYESTES
B2: Who was the wife of Atreus who he entrusted with a golden lamb, which she gave to her
lover Thyestes to allow him to ascend to the throne?
AEROPE
9. Differentiate in English meaning between the Latin abbreviations i.e. and e.g.
I.E. IS THAT IS; E.G. IS FOR THE SAKE OF EXAMPLE.
B1: Give the Latin for those abbreviations.

I.E. IS ID EST; E.G. IS EXEMPLI GRATIA

B2: Give the Latin for the abbreviation, et al.
ET ALIA/ALII
10. For the verb capio, give the 2nd person plural imperfect active indicative form.
B1: Make capiebatis future.
B2: Make capietis 3rd person.

CAPIEBATIS
CAPIETIS
CAPIENT

11. Which Roman emperor, whose name derives from a type of Gallic cloak, murdered his
brother, built an extravagant bath complex, and let his mother Julia Domna carry out the legal
work of his reign?
CARACALLA
B1: Who was Caracallas brother, whom he lured into his mothers apartment and had the
centurions attack?
PUBLIUS SEPTIMIUS GETA
B2: What law did Caracalla pass in 212 AD granting Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants in
the Roman Empire?
CONSTITUTIO ANTONINIANA
12. In Vergils Aeneid, who was the wife of King Latinus who favors Turnus in the war between
the Latins and the Rutulians?
AMATA
B1: Which Fury incited Amata and Turnus against Aeneas?
ALLECTO
B2: Allecto also causes which young Trojan to kill a royal stag?
ASCANIUS/IULUS
13. Acca Laurentia, Titus Tatius, and Numitor are all associated with which king of Rome?
ROMULUS
B1: Mettius Fufetius, the Horatii, and the war with Alba Longa are all associated with which
king of Rome?
TULLUS HOSTILIUS
B2: Demaratus of Corinth, Lucomo, and Tanaquil are all associated with which king of Rome?
TARQUINIUS PRISCUS
14. Say in Latin: The sun is shining.
B1: Say in Latin: It is raining.
B2: Say in Latin: What is the weather?

SOL LUCET.
PLUIT.
QUAENAM TEMPESTAS EST?

15. From Latin verb with what meaning does the English word president ultimately derive?
SEDEO MEANING TO SIT
B1: From what Latin words with what meanings do liberal and conservative derive?
LIBERAL FROM LIBER MEANING FREE; CONSERVATIVE FROM (CON)SERVO
MEANING TO SAVE/GUARD/PRESERVE
B2: From what Latin noun with what meaning does sedition derive?
SEDITIO MEANING MUTINY
16. Arges, Brontes, and Steropes were all members of which mythological group?
CYCLOPES / CYCLOPS
B1: Aglaea, Thalia, and Euphrosyne were all members of which mythological group?
GRACES, GRATIAE, CHARITES, CHARITIES
B2: Deino, Enyo, and Pemphredo were all members of which mythological group?
GRAEAE
17. For the verb rogo, give the 1st person singular pluperfect active indicative form.
ROGAVERAM
B1: Give the same form for cado.
CECIDERAM
B2: Make rogaveram 3rd person.
ROGAVERAT
18. What modern city in northern Italy was known to the Romans as Mediolanum?
MILAN
B1: What English city, established by the Romans was known as Aquae Sulis?
BATH
B2: In what modern day country was Carthago located?
TUNISIA
19. Translate the following sentence into English, knowing that Peeves is a proper noun:
Peeves nasum tuum rapit et exclamat, HABEO NASUM!
PEEVES GRABS YOUR NOSE AND YELLS, I GOT/HAVE YOUR NOSE!
B1) Translate into English: Peeves terrre parvos liberos amat.
PEEVES LOVES TO SCARE SMALL
CHILDREN.
B2) Translate into English: Peeves ex Hogwarte eieci debet.
PEEVES SHOULD BE THROWN OUT OF
HOGWARTS.

20. In the seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry turns down an opportunity to
become the master of death by refusing to accept the Elder Wand. What character in mythology
had a staff much like the elder wand that was made for him by the goddess Athena? He was also
the famed seer of Thebes who predicted the sad fate of Oedipus.
TEIRESIAS
B1: Another Deathly Hallow was the Resurrection Stone, which brought back temporary
shadows of loved ones who had passed on, but ultimately caused the user of the stone to commit
suicide in order to fully be with their dear ones. Who killed herself to join her husband
Protesilaus in the underworld after he had been brought back to life for a mere three hours after
being the first to die at Troy?
LAODAMIA
B2: The final hallow was the invisibility cloak. What mythological character had a cap of
darkness that allowed him to be invisible and creep up on the Olympians he so greatly envied?
HADES

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
FINAL ROUND EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Differentiate in meaning between the Latin adjectives albus and ater.
ALBUS MEANS WHITE, ATER MEANS BLACK
B1: Give another Latin adjective that mean white.
CANDIDUS/CANUS (after response, say the possible correct answers)
B2: What derivative of a Latin adjective meaning white is an English adjective meaning
honest?
CANDID
2. In the Latin question Licetne mihi ire ad Latrinam? what is the case and use of mihi?
DATIVE WITH SPECIAL VERBS
B1: What Latin verb form, which also takes the dative, means it is pleasing?
PLACET
B2: In the Latin sentence Mihi nomen est Marcus what is the case and usage of Mihi?
DATIVE OF POSSESION
MYTHOLOGY
1. According to some accounts, who was the only female Argonaut?
ATALANTA
B1: Which famous pair of twin brothers, one a boxer and the other a tamer of horses, was aboard
the Argo?
CASTOR AND POLYDEUCES/POLLUX
B2: Which of the talented Argonauts could run across waves so fast that his feet did not get wet?
EUPHEMUS
2. Which race of cannibalistic giants were encountered by Odysseus in the city of Telepylus or
Lamos while he traveled back from Troy?
LAESTRYGONIANS
B1: How many of Odysseus ships survived after their catastrophic encounter with the
Laestrygonians?
ONE
B2: Who was the king of the Laestrygonians who hears from his daughter that Odysseus men
have arrived?
ANTIPHATES
HISTORY/CULTURE
1. What First Punic War battle in 260 BC was the first Roman naval victory?
MYLAE

B1: At what later battle in 249 BC, in which the Romans were not as fortunate, did the general
Claudius Pulcher throw sacred chickens overboard due to his impatience in following the
necessary auspices?
DREPANA/DREPANUM
B2: Which Roman general negotiated the peace terms of the First Punic War with Hamilcar
Barca, acquiring for Rome its first province of Sicily?
LUTATIUS CATULUS
2. Which king of Pontus, whom Rome defeated mildly at battles such as Chaeronea,
Orchomenus, and Lycus, was finally defeated in 63 BC?
MITHRIDATES VI / MITHRIDATES THE GREAT
B1: Who rushed peace talks with Mithridates in 84 BC because he was in a hurry to get back to
Rome and deal with political trouble there?
LUCIUS CORNELIUS SULLA
B2: What was the name of the hasty treaty Sulla made with Mithridates?
TREATY OF DARDANUS

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

NOVICE DIVISION
FINAL ROUND TIE-BREAKER QUESTIONS
1) From what Latin verb with what meaning do the following English words derive:
summon,money, monster, admonish.
MONEO, MONERE - TO WARN, ADVISE, REMIND
2) Translate the following sentence into Latin: He bravely fought with a sword.
FORTITER PUGNAVIT GLADIO.
3) What Phrygian couple was transformed into a pair of intertwining linden and oak trees when
they died, so they could be eternally together?
BAUCIS AND PHILEMON
4) Place the following battles of the Second Punic War in chronological order: Zama, Ticinus
River, Cannae, and Lake Trasimene.
TICINUS RIVER, LAKE TRASIMENE, CANNAE, ZAMA
5) Give the Latin cardinal numeral for the total when you add the following three numbers: the
number of Punic Wars, the number of years in the Trojan War, and the number of Latin verb
conjugations.
SEPTENDECIM

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
ROUND ONE
1. Welcome to the First AMSA Certamen Tournament. While we hope Certamen fosters your
competitive spirit and inspires you to better yourself in your endeavors in the Classics as well as
Certamen strategies, it is always vital to remain amiable towards even your toughest competitors.
Give the Latin verb and its meaning at the root of the English word amiable.
AMO MEANING LOVE/LIKE
B1: A popular thing to do with friends is to eat! What English word meaning friend means
literally someone with whom you have bread?
COMPANION (cum + pnis)
B2: A friend who offers you food when you arrive might be called hospitable. What word for a
special kind of Roman friend is at the root of the word hospitable?
HOSPES
2. What group of nine goddesses, the head of which was Calliope, was often invoked by Greek and
Roman authors as their inspiration for the literary work they were about to begin?
THE MUSES
B1: What Greek deity was the father of the muses?
ZEUS
B2: Who was the mother of the muses?
MNEMOSYNE
3. Say in Latin, two daughters.
DUAE FLIAE
B1: Leaving all else the same, make duae fliae genitive.
DURUM FLIRUM
B2: Leaving all else the same, make durum flirum ablative.
DUBUS FLIBUS
4. What conflict began with a dispute over the island of Sicily between Rome and its long time
rival Carthage?
FIRST PUNIC WAR
B1: What band of Campanian mercenaries had appealed to both parties for help after failing to
invade the city of Syracuse?
MAMERTINES
B2: What tyrant of Syracuse had managed to hold off the Mamertine invasion by defeating them at
the Longanus River in 270 BC?
HEIRO (II)
5. What mythological creatures were known as the hounds of Zeus and bothered the blind seer
Phineas by stealing his food and also making it smell bad?
THE HARPIES
B1: What goddess of the rainbow was a sister of the Harpies?
IRIS

B2: Which group of adventurers stopped near Phineas place of torment where Zetes and Calais
helped to drive the Harpies away?
THE ARGONAUTS
6. What king of Rome was said to have received from heaven a sacred buckler shield, known as the
Ancile?
NUMA POMPILIUS
B1: To what god, worshipped by the twelve jumping priests, did this shield purportedly belong?
MARS
B2: Of what tribe was Numa Pompilius a member?
SABINES
7. The Flamen Dialis was a priest of what major Roman god?
JUPITER

B1 and B2: For 5 points each, name the two other Roman gods who had Flamines.
MARS and QUIRINUS
8. Welcome to the Cinema Romana! What classic childhood movie would the Romans have called
Pulchra Bestiaque?
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
B1: What movie re-released this fall would they have called Le Rex?
THE LION KING
B2: What 2010 movie would they have called rti Rgis?
THE KINGS SPEECH
9. What prince of Calydon had a strange fate in that his life was tied to a log?
B1: Who was his mother?

MELEAGER

ALTHAEA
B2: Who was his girlfriend during the Calydonian boar hunt, the first warrior to wound it?
ATALANTA
10. What Latin word with what meaning is at the root of the English word diary?
DIES MEANING DAY
B1: Bats and owls (and some high school students!) are nocturnal. What Latin word with what
meaning is at the ultimate root of nocturnal?
NOX MEANING NIGHT
B2: If bats and owls are nocturnal, what are most humans?
DIURNAL
11. Distinguish in meaning between flamen and flumen.
FLAMEN MEANS PRIEST; FLUMEN MEANS RIVER
B1: Distinguish in meaning between os, oris and os, ossis.
OS, ORIS MEANS MOUTH; OS, OSSIS MEANS BONE

B2: Distinguish in meaning between gens and genu.

GENS MEANS RACE OR CLAN; GENU MEANS KNEE
12. Listen to the following passage, which I will read twice. Then answer in English the question
that follows.
Zo est fmina Graeca. Habitbat Athns, sed nunc Rmae habitat. Zo vult redre
Athns quod putat Athns pulchrires quam Rmam esse.
The question: Where does Zoe live?
IN ROME
B1: What does Zoe wish to do?
B2: Why does she want to go back to Athens?

RETURN/GO BACK TO ATHENS

SHE THINKS IT IS PRETTIER THAN ROME

13. Who murdered her husband because he had sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia?
CLYTEMNESTRA
B1: At what port had this travesty occurred?
AULIS
B2: What Greek seer convinced the reluctant Agamemnon that sacrificing his eldest daughter was
the only way to appease the angry Artemis?
CALCHAS
14. Translate this sentence into English: Hic est vir qui mihi libros dedit.
THIS IS THE MAN WHO GAVE ME THE BOOKS
B1: Try this one: Canes puellarum pulchrarum video.
I SEE THE DOGS OF THE PRETTY GIRLS.
B2: How about this one? Dixistine Corneliae eadem?
DID YOU SAY THE SAME THINGS TO CORNELIA?
15. Who before his death in 395 AD was the last man to rule a united Roman empire?
THEODOSIUS I/THEODODIUS THE GREAT
B1: Which of his sons took control of the Western half of the empire?
HONORIUS
B2: What half-Vandal served as magister militum and a regent for the young Honorius?
STILICHO
16. Translate into English the motto of the state of West Virginia, Montani semper liberi
MOUNTAINEERS ARE ALWAYS FREE.
B1: Translate into English the motto of North Carolina, Esse quam videri
TO BE RATHER THAN TO SEEM.

B2: Translate into English the motto of Connecticut, Qui transtulit, sustinet
HE WHO HAS TRANSPLANTED SUSTAINS.
17. Translate this sentence into English: Livia est pulchrior quam Aemilia.
LIVIA IS PRETTIER THAN AEMILIA.
B1: Try this one: Messalina certe non est optima omnium feminarum Romanarum.
MESSALINA IS CERTAINLY NOT THE BEST OF ALL THE ROMAN WOMEN.
B2: Now this: Hercules labores facillime perficiebat.
HERCULES WAS COMPLETING HIS LABORS/TASKS VERY/MOST EASILY.
18. Greek mythology is quite renowned for its many seers, or prophets, who had the power to tell
the future. Not all of these seers were lucky though. What prophetess had the misfortune of telling
accurate prophecies that no one would ever believe?
CASSANDRA
B1: Which god had bestowed this curse upon Cassandra?
APOLLO
B2: Of what city was Cassandra a princess?
TROY
19. What tribune of 133 BC proposed a series of radical land reforms which earned him great
disfavor and ultimately led to his murder in the Forum?
TIBERIUS GRACCHUS
B1: What ex-consul led the mob which had Tiberius and 300 of his supporters clubbed to death?
SCIPIO NASICA
B2: Who followed in his brothers footsteps by proposing equally as radical reforms during his
tribunate in 122 BC?
GAIUS GRACCHUS
20. Quid Anglice significat narro?
B1: Quid Anglice significat cresco?
B2: Quid Anglice significat emo?

(I) TELL, RELATE, NARRATE

(I) GROW
(I) BUY

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
ROUND ONE EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Translate into English the motto of Brooklyn College, Nil sine magno labore.
NOTHING WITHOUT GREAT EFFORT
B1: Translate into English the motto of Brown University, In deo speramus.
IN GOD WE HOPE
B2: Translate into English the motto of Canadas Wilfried Laurier University, Veritas omnia
vincit.
TRUTH CONQUERS ALL
MYTHOLOGY
1. Complete the following analogy: Neptune is to Poseidon as Mulciber is to _________?
HEPHAESTUS
B1: Who was Hephaestus wife?
APHRODITE
B2: Whose company did Aphrodite prefer to that of her husband?
ARES
2. What pair of twins were warned to beware the black bottom?
CERCOPES (or PASSALUS AND ACMON)
B1: What hero caught but spared the Cercopes?
HERACLES
B2: What was the topic of the funny jokes told by the twins to avoid death?
THE HAIRYNESS OF HERACLES BEHIND
HISTORY/CULTURE
1. What dictator, who nicknamed himself felix or lucky, controlled Rome between 82 and 80
B.C.?
SULLA
B1: What general, whose name meant coal was an ally of Cinna and Gaius Marius and was later
killed by Pompey?
GNAEUS PAPIRIUS CARBO
B2: What renegade Marian, whose name meant pleasant or likeable, rebelled in 78 B.C. and
was also killed by Pompey while trying to ally himself with Sertorius?
MARCUS AEMILIUS LEPIDUS
2. Which Greek enemy of Rome, who aspired to be another Alexander the Great, was unable to
save the city of Tarentum from falling to the Romans in 272 B.C.?
PYRRHUS
B1: Which dynasty, of which Philip V and Perseus were members, refused help to Pyrrhus?
ANTIGONIDS
B2: Which commander later captured the city of Tarentum from the Romans during the Second
Punic War?
HANNIBAL

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
ROUND TWO
1. What king of the Sabine town Cures attacked Rome and captured the Capitoline in response to
the rape of his women?
TITUS TATIUS
B1: How had Romulus attracted the Sabines to his city?
HELD A FESTIVAL IN HONOR OF CONSUS
B2: In what other way had Romulus attempted to populate his city?
OFFERED ASYLUM ON CAPITOLINE FOR OUTLAWS
2. The Hippocrene spring was created by the stamping of the hoof of which equine mythological
figure?
PEGASUS
B1: Upon which mountain did this incident occur?
MT. HELICON
B2: Who tamed Pegasus?
BELLEROPHON
3. Whose forty nine daughters murdered their husbands on their wedding nights?
DANAUS
B1: How were the Danaides punished for this heinous crime in Hades?
CARRY WATER IN SIEVES/LEAKY JARS
B2: Who was the only Danaide to spare her husband?
HYPERMNESTRA
4. Listen to the following passage, which I will read twice. Then answer in English the question
that follows.
Sevrus erat parvus puer qu magcae studbat. Amca optima e erat Lily nmine. Mults
anns amc erant, sed deinde Sevrus amcam maledxit. Lily nn iam eum ambat.
The question: Cui Sevrus studbat?
B1: Quis erat Lily?
B2: Cur Lily nn iam Sevrum ambat?

MAGIC
SEVERUS BEST FRIEND
HE INSULTED or SPOKE BADLY OF HER

5. Give the meaning of the Latin word at the root of the English word digital.
FINGER (OR TOE)
B1: Give the meaning of the Latin word at the root of the English word cordial.
HEART
B2: Give the meaning of the Latin word at the root of the English word pedestal.
FOOT

6. Which 2nd century emperor was the first to have a co-regent to maintain affairs while he was
away fighting in the East?
MARCUS AURELIUS
B1: Who was this co-emperor who died in 169 AD?
LUCIUS VERUS
B2: Upon false reports of Aurelius death in 175 AD, who attempted to proclaim himself emperor?
AVIDIUS CASSIUS
7. What ancient sea god was a son of Pontus and Gaea, and was referred to by both Homer and
Hesiod as the Old Man?
NEREUS
B1: Name one of two supernatural powers Nereus had.
SHAPE SHIFTING/PROPHECY
B2: Which hero captured Nereus and forced him to disclose the whereabouts of a certain garden?
HERACLES
8. Using the adjective vetus, say in Latin, the old cat.
VETUS FLES
B1: Leaving all else the same, make vetus fles plural.
VETERS FLS
B2: Leaving all else the same, make veters fls genitive.
VETERUM FLIUM
9. What lieutenant of Marius fled to Lusitania in 80 BC and established a counter-senate in
rebellion against the Sullan party?
Q. SERTORIUS
B1: What commander who became jealous of Sertorius victories killed him and usurped his
command?
M. PERPERNA
B2: In 72 BC who defeated Perperna and put down the rebellion?
GNAEUS POMPEIUS MAGNUS (POMPEY THE GREAT)
10. Translate this sentence into Latin: She had run for four hours.
(EA) QUATTUOR HORAS CUCURRERAT.
B1: Translate this sentence into Latin: He will go to the Forum within one hour.
(IS) UN HOR AD FORUM (AD)IBIT
B2: Translate this sentence into Latin: He walked ten miles yesterday.
HERI DECEM MILIA PASSUUM AMBULAVIT/AMBULABAT.
11. Give the first three principal parts and the definition for the Latin verbs pono and possum.
PONO, PONERE, POSUI MEANS TO PUT OR PLACE
POSSUM, POSSE, POTUI MEANS TO BE ABLE
B1 and B2: For five points each, give the first three principal parts, and the definition, for the Latin
verbs fero and sto.
FERO, FERRE, TULI MEANS TO BRING, CARRY

STO, STARE, STETI MEANS TO STAND

12. Which of the following, if any, is not derived from the Latin word levis: relieve, alleviate,
level, levity?
LEVEL
B1: What is the meaning of levis?
LIGHT IN WEIGHT (I.E. NOT HEAVY)
B2: What English derivative of the Latin adjective for heavy means sadness that accompanies a
loss.
GRIEF
13. What warrior, often referred to as Pyrrhus, was the son of Deidameia and the grandson of
Thetis?
NEOPTOLEMUS
B1: What young Trojan prince did Neoptolemus wrench out of his devastated mothers hands and
fling down the high walls of Troy?
ASTYNAX
B2: Which Trojan princess did Neoptolemus slaughter and sacrifice on the grave of his father,
Achilles?
POLYXENA
14. What Latin term refers to the dividing wall in the center of a circus arena, sometimes called the
backbone of the arena?
SPINA
B1: Give a term that signifies one lap of a chariot race.
SPATIUM OR CURRICULUM
B2: What was the term for the full seven laps?
MISSUS
15. Say in Latin, enough food
B1: Now say in Latin: two of the soldiers

SATIS CIBI
DUO EX MILITIBUS

B2: Finally, say in Latin, Marius wants to kill all the senators!
MARIUS OMNES SENATORES NECARE/INTERFICERE VULT/CUPIT/DESIDERAT.
[ANY VARIANTS OF VOLO AND NECO ARE ACCEPTABLE.]

16. When you are recognized, perform the following command: St, et pne num digitum in
capite tu.
PLAYER SHOULD STAND AND PLACE ONE FINGER ON HIS/HER HEAD
B1: Now, try this one: Stt omns, et dcite mihi Anglic Salv!
PLAYERS SHOULD ALL STAND AND SAY HELLO! IN ENGLISH
B2: And this one: Stt in sells et rdt magnis vcibus.
PLAYERS SHOULD ALL STAND ON THEIR CHAIRS AND LAUGH LOUDLY
17. Who in mythology were transformed into a pair of kingfishers for lovingly calling each other
Zeus and Hera?

CEYX AND HALCYONE

B1: Who in mythology was struck down by Zeus thunderbolt for having the presumption to
pretend that he was Zeus himself?
SALMONEUS
B1: Who in mythology tried to sneak into Heras bed disguised as Zeus, but was caught?
IXION
18. Give the Latin and the English for the abbreviation cf.
CONFER MEANING COMPARE
B1: Give the Latin and the English for the abbreviation ibid.
IBIDEM MEANING IN THE SAME PLACE
B2: Give the Latin and the English for the abbreviation t.i.d.
TER IN DIE MEANING THREE TIMES A DAY
19. Distinguish in meaning between hostis and inimicus.
HOSTIS MEANS ENEMY TO ONES COUNTRY
INIMICUS MEANS ONES PERSONAL ENEMY
B1: Distinguish in meaning between equus and eques.
EQUUS MEANS HORSE
EQUES MEANS CAVALRYMAN/KNIGHT
B2: Distinguish in meaning between somnus and somnium.
SOMNUS MEANS SLEEP
SOMNIUM MEANS DREAM
20. From 191 to 188 BC Rome warred with what ruler of the Seleucid Empire?
ANTIOCHUS III (THE GREAT)
B1: What Roman commander issued Antioch an initial defeat at Thermopylae?
M'. ACILIUS GLABRIO
B2: Where was a final treaty drawn up which forced Antioch to surrender all land north of Mt.
Taurus?
APAMEA

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
ROUND TWO EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Translate this sentence into English: Vir ab uxore amatur.
THE MAN IS LOVED BY HIS WIFE
B1: Nuntii ab imperatore Romam mittebantur.
THE MESSENGERS WERE SENT TO ROME BY THE GENERAL.
B2: Scelesti, ad carcerem mox ducemini!
WICKED ONES, YOU WILL SOON BE LED TO JAIL!
2. Distinguish in meaning between traho and trado.
TRAHO MEANS TO DRAG; TRADO MEANS TO HAND OVER, SURRENDER
B1: Because it could be two different Latin verbs, what two ways might the verb form volo be
translated?
I FLY OR I WISH, I WANT
B2: Distinguish in meaning between maneo and moneo.
MANEO MEANS TO STAY, REMAIN; MONEO MEANS TO WARN
MYTHOLOGY
1. By what river in the underworld must a god never break his oath?
B1. What river of the underworld is known as the River of Forgetfulness?
B2. What river was supposedly a River of Fire?

STYX
LETHE

(PYRI)PHLEGETHON
2. What goddess had as her epithet the name of a childhood playmate?
ATHENA
B1: What was this epithet?
PALLAS
B2: What object, sacred to the city of Troy, was also named after Pallas?
THE PALLADIUM
HISTORY/CULTURE
1. By the conspiracy of whose son was Servius Tullius killed?
TARQUINIUS PRISCUS
B1. What city fell to Tarquinius Superbus due to the treachery of his son Sextus?
GABII
B2. What Tarquin resigned from his consulship as a result of his familial status?
LUCIUS TARQUINIUS COLLATINUS
2. Name two of Agrippas three sons whom Augustus adopted as his heirs.
TWO OF: GAIUS CAESAR, LUCIUS CAESAR, AND AGRIPPA POSTUMUS
B1. Who was their maternal grandfather?
OCTAVIAN/AUGUSTUS
B2. Which of them was the last to die?
AGRIPPA POSTUMUS

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
ROUND THREE
1. Who was transformed into a heliotrope because she wasted away after being rejected by her
lover Helius?
CLYTIE
B1: What maiden, the daughter of Orchamenus, was actually preferred by Helius?
LEUCOTHOE
B2: Into what was Leucothoe transformed?
A FRANKINCENSE TREE/BUSH
2. Whose bravery and resolve to urge on his troops compelled him to commit a heroic devotio at
the battle of Sentinum in 295 BC?
DECIUS MUS
B1: Who led the inspired Roman forces to victory at Sentinum after his comrades self-sacrifice?
FABIUS RULLIANUS
B2: What conflict was resolved as a result of this victory?
THIRD SAMNITE WAR
3. When Cicero complains, O tempora! O mores! what is he literally saying?
(ANYTHING CLOSE TO) OH THE TIMES, OH THE CUSTOMS!
B1: When Tacitus says that libertatem et consulatum Brutus instituit, what is he saying?
THAT BRUTUS INSTITUTED FREEDOM AND THE CONSULSHIP
B2: When Catullus says, Ille mihi par esse deo videtur, how does he characterize the man he
calls ille?
THE MAN SEEMS TO BE EQUAL TO A GOD
4. According its Latin roots, what does the Harry Potter spell aguamenti create?
IT CREATES WATER
B1: Two of the so-called Unforgivable Curses come from Latin. One, crucio (say croo-see-oh), is
a real Latin word, cruci meaning to torture. The other, imperio (say im-peer-io), is not. What
Latin verb meaning to command is it imitating?
IMPER
B2: Severus Snape created his own spell, levicorpus (say lev-ee-corpus), that dangles people
upside down. Give the dictionary entry, including the gender, for the noun at the root of levicorpus.
CORPUS, CORPORIS, NEUTER MEANING BODY
5. Which of the following is not derived from the same Latin root as the others: mansion, manual,
permanent, remain?
MANUAL
B1: What is the Latin root of manual, and what does that root mean?
MANUS, MEANING HAND
B2: What is unusual about the gender of manus?
FEMININE IN THE FOURTH DECLENSION

6. Who was the task-master and cousin of Heracles?

EURYSTHEUS
B1: Eurystheus was, as some Classicists like to put it, a scaredy cat. What was he fond of doing
every time Heracles brought back something particularly dangerous?
HIDE IN A JAR/URN/POT
B2: Who was Eurystheus father?
STHENELUS
7. Translate this sentence into English: Puellane puerum vexat?
IS THE GIRL ANNOYING THE BOY?
B1: Translate this sentence into English: Nonne puer puellam vexat?
(SURELY) THE BOY IS ANNOYING THE GIRL(, ISN'T HE)? (requires one or the other
signals that an affirmative answer is expected)
B2: Translate this sentence into Enligsh: Num ille porcus volat?!
(SURELY) THAT PIG ISNT FLYING(, IS IT)? (requires one or the other signals that an
negative answer is expected)
8. Who relied heavily on the Pannonian legions led by Antonius Primus to secure his assent to the
imperial throne in the tumultuous year of four emperors?
VESPASIAN
B1: Under whom were the armies of the upper and lower Rhine united to make a challenge for the
throne that year?
VITELLIUS
B2: Where did Vespasian issue a final defeat to the Vitellian forces, thanks to the brilliance of
Antonius Primus?
BEDRIACUM/CREMONA
9. Of which group of people were all of the following a leader: Myrene, Penthesilea, Antiope,
Hippolyta?
AMAZONS
B1: Which of these Amazon queens is also a character in a Shakespearean play set in Athens?
HIPPOLYTA
B2: Which of these Amazon queens fought Mopsus in single combat?
MYRENE
10. What Latin noun with what meaning is at the root of the English word vulnerable?
VULNUS MEANING WOUND/INJURY
B1: What Latin noun with what meaning is at the root of the English word veritable?
VERITAS MEANING TRUTH
B2: What Latin adjective with what meaning is at the root of the English word variable?
VARIUS MEANING DIFFERENT/DIVERSE/VARIOUS
11. Which emperor earned the title Restitutor Orientis after quelling the threat posed by the
Palmyran queen Zenobia?
AURELIAN
B1: For what infant son did Zenobia claim the title Augustus in 271 AD?

VABALLATHUS
B2: What title did Aurelian earn after his victories over Zenobia in the East and Tetricus in the
West?
RESTITUTOR ORBIS
12. Say in Latin, We had arrived.
ADVNERMUS
B1: Leaving all else the same, make advnermus imperfect.
ADVENIBMUS
B2: Leaving all else the same, make advenibmus second person singular.
ADVENIBS
13. What friend of Heracles was lost at the spring of Pegae?
HYLAS
B1: What nephew of Heracles helped him in his 2 labor by cauterizing the neck stumps of the
Hydra?
IOLAUS
B2: What concubine of Heracles made his wife Deinara so jealous that she inadvertently killed her
own husband as she tried to make him faithful to her?
IOLE
nd

14. What was the profession of a designator?

B1: What about an argentarius?
B2: What about a pistor?

UNDERTAKER
BANKER
BAKER

15. For the verb meaning to stand, give the third person plural future perfect active indicative.
STETERINT
B1: Leaving all else the same, make steterint second person future.
STBITIS
B2: Leaving all else the same, make stbitis singular and perfect.
STETIST
16. Who was the first king of Athens?
B1: Who was the first king of Thebes?
B2: Who was the first king of Buthrotum?

CECROPS
CADMUS
HELENUS

17. Identify the use of the ablative case in this sentence: Scipio militem Punicum gladio necavit.
MEANS
B1: Identify the use of the ablative in this sentence: Caesar a Bruto interfectus est.
AGENT

B2: Identify the use of the accusative in this sentence: Horatius trans pontem celeriter cucurrit.
HORATIUS RAN QUICKLY ACROSS THE BRIDGE
18. Quid Anglice significat fortasse?
B1: Quid Anglice significat cotidie?
B2: Quid Anglice significat ubique?

PERHAPS
DAILY
EVERYWHERE

19. What legislation passed in the same year as Caesars first consulship gave him proconsular
command in Cisalpine Gaul?
LEX VATINIA
B1: What law of 66 BC transferred the command against Mithridates to Pompey?
LEX MANILIA
B2: In what year was the Lex Canuleia, a legislation which permitted intermarriage between
plebeians and patricians, passed?
445 BC
20. Listen to the following passage, which I will read twice. Then answer in English the question
that follows.
Lcius est puer bonus, qu semper mtr eius pret. Tullia, autem, scelesta soror est, quae
saepe frtrem vexat. Itaque, mter erum fliam pnit.
The question: Qulis puella est Tullia?
A WICKED GIRL
B1: Quid semper agit Lcius?
HE OBEYS HIS MOTHER
B2: Quem mter pnit, Lcium aut Tulliam?
TULLIA

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
ROUND THREE EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Listen to the following passage, which I will read twice. Then answer in English the question
that follows.
In certmine, quaestins sunt difficillimae. Necesse est lectr clre dcere, et necesse est
discipuls dligenter audre.
The question: What sort of questions are in a Certamen?
VERY/MOST DIFFICULT ONES
B1: Who must speak clearly?
THE READER
B2: What must the students do?
LISTEN CAREFULLY/DILIGENTLY
2. The English word pound is often abbreviated lb (say L-B). From what Latin word with what
meaning does this abbreviation come?
LIBRA MEANING POUND OR A PAIR OF SCALES
B1: In England, a pound is a unit of money. From what Latin word with what meaning do we
derive the word money?
MONTA MEANING MINT (or MONEO MEANING WARN)
(an explanation that Monta was a surname of Juno, and that originally the mint was in the temple
to Juno Moneta is also acceptable.)
B2: From what Latin word with what meaning do we derive the word unit?
NUS MEANING ONE
MYTHOLOGY
1. What mythological princess was chained to rocks at Troy because Laomedon neglected to pay
Apollo and Poseidon for helping to build the city walls?
HESIONE
B1: Who eventually married her?
TELAMON
B2: Who was the famous son of Telamon and Hesione who had Tecmessa as his concubine at
Troy?
AJAX THE GREATER/AJAX SON OF TELAMON/TELAMONIAN AJAX
2. Who were the parents of Odysseus?
LAERTES AND ANTICLEA
B1: Who was Odysseus son by Penelope?
TELEMACHUS
B1: Who was Odysseus son by Circe?
TELEGONUS
HISTORY/CULTURE

1. Differentiate between the familial terms Avunculus and Patruus.

AVUNCULUS IS A MATERNAL UNCLE AND PATRUUS IS A PATERNAL UNCLE
B1: Do the same for Amita and Matertera.
AMITA IS A PATERNAL AUNT AND MATERTERA IS A MATERNAL AUNT
B2: And for Patruelis and Consobrinus.
PATRUELIS IS A PATERNAL COUSIN AND CONSOBRINUS IS A MATERNAL
COUSIN
2. There were originally four Roman chariot racing factions. Name the two which were added
later.
PURPLE AND GOLD
B1: What emperor added these two factions?
DOMITIAN
B2: What other emperor had previously added the green and blue factions to chariot racing?
AUGUSTUS

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
FINAL ROUND
1. This is the Intermediate Division Final Round. Congratulations on making it this far. At AMSA,
all students must take a half year of Earth Science. Keeping your Earth Science knowledge in
mind, tell us which cloud formation or type of cloud has a name derived from the Latin word for
curl or fringe?
CIRRUS
B1: Which cloud formation or type of cloud has a name derived from the Latin word for
spreading?
STRATUS
B2: Which cloud formation or type of cloud has a name derived from the Latin word for a heap
or a pile?
CUMULUS / CUMULONIMBUS
2. What emperor was skinned, stuffed with straw, and dyed purple after being captured at Edessa
by the Persians in 260 AD?
P. LICINIUS VALERIAN(US)
B1: What Persian king succeeded in capturing the emperor, the first man to ever do so?
SHAPUR (I)
B2: What son of Valerian became the sole emperor after his fathers death?
GALLIENUS
3. For the verb uro meaning "to burn", give the second person plural, perfect, active subjunctive.
B1: Keeping everything else the same, change usseritis to the passive.
B2: Keeping everything else the same, change usti sitis to the imperfect.

USSERITIS
USTI SITIS
UREREMINI

4. What daughter of Cecrops betrayed Athenas trust by spying on Erichthonius in a box and was
later loved by Hermes?
HERSE
B1: What jealous sister of Herse tried to stop the amorous Hermes from entering her sisters room?
AGLAURUS
B2: Into what was Aglaurus transformed?
A ROCK
5. Thank you for listening to WROM, the premier station for todays hit music, all in Latin! What
song might the Romans have called volvens in alto?
ROLLING IN THE DEEP
B1: While youre down there in the deep, you may visit a hortus polypi, made famous in a song.
What would you be visiting?

OCTOPUS GARDEN
B2: And of course, to return to the surface, you need a machina sub aqueana flava. Also made
famous in a song, what is this?
YELLOW SUBMARINE
6. Who was the king of Crete and father of Androgeus?
B1: Who was his wife, the mother of the Minotaur?

MINOS

PASIPHAE
B2: Name the the sister of Androgeus whose actions helped lead to the death of the Minotaur.
ARIADNE
7. Olisipo was the Roman name for what modern Portuguese city?
LISBON
B1: What Libyan city, called Oea by the Romans, has been in the news frequently over the past
year?
TRIPOLI
B2: What European capital was known to the Romans as Lutetia?
PARIS
8. An early reformer, this tribune of the plebs in 232 BC tried to donate land taken from the Gauls
to poor citizens. He was later responsible for the building of a major Roman road joining Rome
and Ariminium, which bears his name. He served as a consul in 217 BC, and died commanding the
Roman army at Lake Trasimene in April of that year. Who was he?
GAIUS FLAMINIUS
B1: This road, which continued the path of the Via Flaminia up to the Padus River, bears the name
of an important Roman family, whose members include a triumvir, one of the commanders at
Cannae, and the admiral of the Roman fleet at the battle of Myonessus. What was the name of it?
VIA AEMILIA
B2: This road, which originally connected Rome and Capua, bears the name of the censor who
built it. Who was the name of it?
VIA APPIA
9. Since were here at AMSA, lets test out your Chemistry knowledge! Which elements
chemical symbol derives from the Latin word stannum?
TIN (SN)
B1: Which elements chemical symbol derives from the Latin word is derived from the Latin word
rubidus meaning dark red?
RUBIDIUM (RB)
B2: Which elements chemical symbol derives from the Latin word calx, calcis meaning
lime?
CALCIUM (CA)
10. What mythological figure was only nine years old when her promiscuous mother left her? Her

name is famous today because it shared by a popular character in the Harry Potter novels.
HERMIONE
B1/2: While the Hermione of the novels is extremely brainy, the Hermione of mythology was all
about beauty. For 5 points each, name the two men who quarreled for Hermione of Spartas hand.
ORESTES AND NEOPTOLEMUS/PYRRHUS
11. Differentiate in meaning between the verbs pareo and pario.
PAREO MEANS TO OBEY AND PARIO MEANS TO BEGET, BRING FORTH, OR
GIVE BIRTH TO
B1: Differentiate in meaning between the verbs rideo and rigeo.
RIDEO MEANS TO LAUGH AND RIGEO MEANS TO BE STIFF
B2: Differentiate in meaning between ultor and ultro.
ULTOR MEANS AVENGER AND ULTRO MEANS BESIDES OR VOLUNTARILY
12. At what battle in Britain did Claudiuss forces defeat Caratacus in 43 A.D.?
MEDWAY
B1: What religion did Rome consider subversive and attempt to stamp out in both Britain and Gaul
in the first century AD?
DRUIDISM (DO NOT TAKE CHRISTIANITY)
B2: Which of Claudiuss wives gave him a son whom he named Britannicus?
MESSALINA
13. Euge! The new iPod touch came out! You absolutely need this so that you can download
that Flashcards app and study Certamen! What Latin phrase for an absolute necessity might you
tell your parents so that they buy it for you?
SINE QUA NON
B1: Sadly, your parents catch you listening to a song with dirty lyrics in it on your brand new iPod
touch and they take it away. What Latin phrase, famously used by Ovid, might describe why you
got your awesome new toy taken away?
CARMEN ET ERROR
B2: Youre beating yourself up over losing your beloved iPod, but your friend tries to console
you with the Latin phrase errare humanum est. What does that mean?
TO ERR IS HUMAN (ACCEPT ANYTHING CLOSE)
14. Who defeated Oenomaus in a chariot race and won the hand of the Pisan princess Hippodamia?
PELOPS
B1: What charioteer of Oenomaus, a son of Hermes, helped Pelops cheat?
MYRTILUS
B2: After Pelops secured the bride, he flung Myrtilus off a cliff so that no one would be able to
disclose the fact that his victory was not honest. As what constellation was Myrtilus immortalized?
AURIGA
15. Listen carefully to the following passage, which I will read twice, and answer in English the
question that follows:

Discipulus, cui Congressum Nationale placebat, erat in civitate Kentuckiense cum amicis
suis et magistra sua. Tredecim eventos iucundos in aedificia participavit. Tamen, latrinae tam.
sordidae erant ut magistra territa domum recurrere coepisset. Eheu!
The question: Where was the student?
IN THE STATE OF KENTUCKY
B1: What did the student do while he was there?
HE PARTICIPATED IN THIRTEEN (FUN) EVENTS
B2: Describe the bathrooms and the teachers reaction to them.
THEY WERE SO DIRTY THAT THE (FRIGHTENED) TEACHER BEGAN TO RUN
HOME
16. When recognized by a spotter, perform the following command: surge et clama Anglice:
Carolina, nemo es dulcior quam tu!
STUDENT RISES AND YELLS/SAYS, CAROLINE/CAROLINA, NO ONE IS
SWEETER THAN YOU!
B1: Now, perform the following: clamate Anglice, Agite, Impilia Rubra!
STUDENTS SHOUT LETS GO RED SOX OR GO RED SOX
B2: Now, perform this command: currite semel circum sellas.
STUDENTS RUN ONCE AROUND THEIR CHAIRS
17. The following commanders were all enemies of Rome during the reign of which emperor:
Decebalus, Calgacus, Saturninus?
DOMITIAN
B1: The following commanders were all enemies of Rome during the reign of which emperor:
Artaxias II, Phraates IV, Arminius?
AUGUSTUS
B2: The following commanders were all enemies of Rome during the reign of which emperor:
Eugenius, Magnus Maximus, Arbogast?
THEODOSIUS
18. Which of the following if any is not derived from the same Latin root as the others:
intermission, omit, mitigate, demise, commissariat.
MITIGATE
B1: Does the word uncompromising come from the same root as mitigate or the same root as
the other words?
SAME ROOT AS THE OTHER WORDS
B2: What is that Latin root and its English meaning from which intermission, omit, demise,
commissariat, and uncompromising are derived?
MITTO, MITTERE MEANING TO SEND
19. Which of the assassins of Caesar became one of the first to die soon after being aided by
Octavian, Hirtius, and Pansa at the siege of Mutina?
DECIMUS BRUTUS (PROMPT ON BRUTUS)
B1: What former assistant of Cato and assassin of Caesar does Plutarch quote as saying before his
death, Forget not, Zeus, the author of these crimes?

MARCUS IUNIUS BRUTUS

B2: Which assassin, who gave the signal to attack, had formerly been a major ally of Caesars,
receiving the governorship of Bithynia and Pontus at his hand?
TILLIUS CIMBER
20. What daughter of Epopeus was transformed into an owl?
NYCTIMINE
B1: What deity had caused this transformation in order to preserve the maidens modesty?
ATHENA
B2: What had Epopeus done to Nyctimine?
HE RAPED HER

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
FINAL ROUND EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Differentiate in meaning between canus and canis.
CANUS MEANS WHITE, AGED, OR VENERABLE AND CANIS MEANS DOG
B1: Differentiate in meaning between the verbs domo and dono.
DOMO MEANS TO DOMINATE, TAME, OR SUBDUE AND DONO MEANS TO
GIVE OR PRESENT
B2: Differentiate in meaning between the verbs impedio and impendeo.
IMPEDIO MEANS TO HINDER AND IMPENDEO MEANS TO THREATEN OR
HANG OVER
2. Translate the following sentence: Si hic moderator/haec moderatix magister/magistra
meus/mea esset, miserabilis essem!
IF THIS MODERATOR WERE MY TEACHER, I WOULD BE MISERABLE!
B1: (moderator turns and says to scorer, theyre crazy!) Now, translate this sentence:
Audivistisne illud?! Dixit nos insanos esse!
DID YOU HEAR THAT? SHE/HE SAID WE ARE/WERE CRAZY!
B2: You have one last chance to save your reputation with this moderator! Dicite ei vos optimos
discipulos esse.
STUDENTS SAY, WERE THE BEST STUDENTS! (OR ANYTHING TO THAT
EFFECT)
3. Translate the following sentence: Propter tempestatem, schola incepit sero hoc anno.
ON ACCOUNT OF/BECAUSE OF THE STORM, SCHOOL BEGAN LATE THIS YEAR.
B1: Translate the following sentence: Fulmentibus fulgentibus, Athenis discessimus.
(WITH) LIGHTNING/THUNDERBOLTS FLASHING, WE LEFT ATHENS.
B2: Translate this sentence: Nescivi ubi Graecia esset.
I DID NOT KNOW WHERE GREECE IS/WAS.
MYTHOLOGY
1. Which Titan refused to receive Perseus as a guest and was turned to stone as a consequence?
ATLAS
B1: What evil king of Seriphos did Perseus also turn to stone?
POLYDECTES
B2: Who replaced Polydectes as king?
DICTYS
2. What two giants stuffed Ares in a bottle?
B1: What two brothers quarreled even in the womb?

OTUS AND EPHIALTES

ACRISIUS AND PROETUS (DO NOT TAKE PROTEUS)

B2: What two sisters were both the daughters and granddaughters of Jocasta?
ANTIGONE AND ISMENE
3. Who was the task-master of Bellerophon?
B1: What fire breathing monster did Bellerophon vanquish?
B2: Against what tribe, other than the Amazons, was Bellerophon sent to fight?

IOBATES
CHIMERA
SOLYMI

HISTORY/CULTURE
1. Julia Maesa claimed that what grandson of hers was the son of Caracalla in order to support his
claim to the throne, despite the fact that his mother was actually Julia Soemias?
ELAGABALUS
B1: Which other grandson did Julia Maesa promote to the throne after Elagabaluss death?
SEVERUS ALEXANDER
B2: Who was his mother?
JULIA MAMAEA
2. Which port city, whose forces were commanded by Pompeian Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus,
did Julius Caesar lay siege to on his way to root out Pompeys supporters in Spain in 49 BC?
MARSEILLE OR MASSILIA
B1: Soon after Pompeys death, in what city did Caesar find himself besieged by a foreign enemy?
ALEXANDRIA
B2: After the republicans loss battle of Thapsus, in what African city did Cato the Younger
commit suicide?
UTICA
3. What emperor died in 251 AD during a battle with the Goths, thereby becoming the first
emperor to die in battle with a foreign enemy?
DECIUS
B1: What emperor, who preceded Decius, ruled during the millennial year of 247 AD?
PHILIP THE ARAB
B2: Philip the Arab, according to some historians, was the first emperor to commit what important
act?
CONVERSION to CHRISTIANITY
4. Which Jewish brothers became allies of Rome after expelling the Seleucid empire from Judea in
the 160s B.C due to the religious restrictions imposed by Antiochus IV?
MACCABEES
B1: In what year was another Jewish revolt, this time against the Roman Empire, finally crushed
by Titus with the capture of Masada?
73 AD
B2: Yet another Jewish revolt in 115 AD was part of a rash of rebellions in the eastern half of the
empire during the reign of what emperor?
TRAJAN

5. Differentiate in imperial province between the cities of Londinium and Lugdunum.

BRITANNIA AND GALLIA LUGDUNENSIS (PROMPT ON GALLIA)
B1. Differentiate in imperial province between the cities of Masada and Massilia.
JUDAEA AND GALLIA NARBONENSIS (PROMPT ON GALLIA)
B2. Differentiate in imperial province between the cities of Tarsus and Tarraco.
CILICIA AND HISPANIA TARRACONENSIS (PROMPT ON HISPANIA)

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION
FINAL ROUND TIE-BREAKER QUESTIONS
1) Which of the following does not belong due to gender: aper, quercus, arcus, collis?
QUERCUS (FEMININE; OTHERS ARE MASCULINE)
2) What use of the subjunctive is found in the following sentence: meum patrem rogo ut carrum
emat.
INDIRECT COMMAND (DO NOT ACCEPT INDIRECT QUESTION)
3) Aello, Ocypetes, Podarge, and Celaeno were all members of what mythological group of
vicious women?
HARPIES
4) What emperor died in 251 AD during a battle with the Goths, thereby becoming the first
emperor to die in battle with a foreign enemy?
DECIUS
5) Take the number of Greek muses, add the number of Flavian emperors, subtract the number of
Latin cases, add the number of Latin subjunctive tenses, and tell me the answer.
NINE

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
ROUND ONE
1. Welcome to the First AMSA Certamen Tournament. Though AMSA is known in the JCL for
Certamen, during school hours, one of our strongest core areas is Science whether it is
physics, biology, or chemistry. Many scientific terms have Greek origins so, its time to
test your knowledge of Greek roots. Which of the following, if any, does not share the same
root as the others: dynamic, dynamo, dinosaur, dynamite?
DINOSAUR
(Dinosaur comes from two Greek roots: deinos (terrible) and saura (lizard). The rest
originate with the Greek word dynamis (possibility or capacity)
B1. A dynamo is an electric generator that produces direct current with the use of a commutator.
What is the Greek word at the origin of electric?
A (pronounced elektron)
B2. What does this word mean?
AMBER
2. What son of Aethlius and Calyce was prominently featured on Roman sarcophagi and can be
considered as the sleeping beauty of Greek mythology?
ENDYMION
B1: What goddess fell in love with Endymion and bore him fifty sons?
SELENE
B2: Although Endymion could have slept eternally in peace, he ended up going to Olympus and
winding up in trouble because he seduced which off-limits goddess?
HERA
3. What Latin author cheerfully satirized city life and the scandalous activities of his
acquaintances while romanticizing his provincial upbringing in his Epigrams?
MARTIAL
B1: Of what Roman province was Martial a native?
HISPANIA/SPAIN
B2: Translate these famous lines by Martial: Non amo te, Sabidi, nec possum dicere - quare; Hoc
tantum possum dicere, non amo te.
I DO NOT LOVE YOU, SABIDIUS; I CANNOT SAY WHY. I AM ONLY ABLE TO SAY
THIS: I DO NOT LOVE YOU.
(Accept any similar vocabulary.)
4. What was unique about the way an Essedarius would fight a gladiatorial match?
HE WOULD USE/FIGHT FROM A CHARIOT
B1: What type of gladiator faced the unique disadvantage of a blindfold?
ANDABATA
B2: If the Andabata was unlucky and perished, through what gateway would he exit the arena?
THE PORTA LIBITINENSIS
5. Who founded a new city on the site of Byzantium in 324AD?
CONSTANTINE
B1. What city was this?

CONSTANTINOPLE
B2. What famous victory by Constantine over Maxentius in 312AD did the city commemorate?
MILVIAN BRIDGE
6. When recognized by the spotter preform the following command Surge et dic Floridam esse
calidam et te malle Massachusettam!
PLAYER SHOULD STAND AND PROCLAIM THAT FLORIDA IS HOT AND
THAT HE/SHE PREFERS MASSACHUSETTS
B1. Nunc surge et ter celeriter dic haec verba latine O tite tute tati tibi tanta tyranne tulisti.
ONE PLAYER SHOULD STAND AND QUICKLY SAY O TITE TUTE TATI TIBI
TANTA TYRANNE TULISTI 3 TIMES
B2. Nunc vos omnes surgite et cantate verba ullius Carminis quod placet vobis.
PLAYERS SHOULD ALL STAND AND SING THE WORDS TO A SONG
THEY LIKE
7. What king pursued Britomartis for nine months, until she finally jumped into the sea and
escaped his amorous pursuits?
MINOS
B1: What was Britomartis deified name?
DICTYNNA
B2: Which of Minos daughters bore children by Apollo and was banished to Libya?
ACACALLIS
8. What philosophical work of Cicero was preserved in part by a commentary of Macrobius and
partly only on palimpsests?
DE RE PUBLICA
B1: What special name is given to the sixth book of De Re Publica?
SOMNIUM SCIPIONIS
B2: Who is the Scipio that Cicero refers to?
SCIPIO AEMILIANUS
9. Translate the following sentence into English Servi coxerunt cenam ne magister illos
verberaret.
THE SLAVES COOKED DINNER SO THAT THEIR MASTER WOULD NOT BEAT
THEM.
B1. Translate this sentence into English Timeo ne mei servi me occidere temptent.
I FEAR THAT MY SLAVES MAY TRY TO KILL ME.
B2. Translate this sentence into English Magister cucurrit quo celerius servos evitaret.

THE MASTER FLED TO MORE QUICKLY AVOID THE SLAVES.

10. What Latin phrase can be used to mean there is no accounting for taste?
DE GUSTIBUS NON EST DISPUTANDUM.
B1. What Latin phrase can be used to mean without end?
AD INFINITUM
B2. What Latin phrase can be used to mean at first sight?
PRIMA FACIE
11. During his military career, Caesar only suffered two defeats of note. The first came during
the Gallic wars in 52 B.C. Who was the Gallic commander at that battle?
VERCINGETORIX
B1: Where did the battle take place?
GERGOVIA
B2: Caesars other defeat came at the hands of his chief rival, Pompey Magnus. Where and
when did this battle occur?
DYRRHACIUM, 48 B.C
12. Give an antonym of turpis.
PULCHER/FORMOSUS
B1. Give a synonym of intentus.
STUDIOSUS
B2. Give an antonym of mane.
NOCTU / SERO
13. Identify the speaker of the following lines from the Aeneid:
O terque quaterque beati, quis ante ora partum Troaie sub moenibus altis contigit oppetere! O
Danaum fortissime gentis Tydide! Mene Iliacis occumbere campis non potuisse tuaque animam
hanc effundere dextra.
AENEAS
B1: Who does Aeneas believe are terque quaterque beati?
THOSE WHO DIED DEFENDING TROY
B2: What figure of speech is this passage?
APOSTROPHE
14. For the verb rideo, give the first person plural perfect active subjunctive.
RISERIMUS

B1. Give the masculine plural dative perfect participle of cado, cadere
CASIS
B2. Translate into Latin: We would have laughed, if the teacher was not standing nearby.
RISISSEMUS, SI MAGISTER NON PROPE STETISSIT
15. What author who supposedly had three hearts claimed to be a reincarnation of Homer?
QUINTUS ENNIUS
B1: What were Ennius three hearts?
OSCAN, GREEK, LATIN
(He could speak those three languages.)
B2: In the introduction of what work does Ennius make the claim mentioned in the toss up?
ANNALES/ANNALS
16. What Greek god had the epithet Loxias?
APOLLO
B1: What Greek god had the epithet Bromios?
DIONYSUS
B2: What Greek god had the epithet Enyalius ?
ARES
17. What hero, born Alcides, was renamed in an attempt to appease his stepmothers wrath?
HERACLES
B1: What hero was born with the name Ligyron?
ACHILLES
B2: What hero was deified with the name Indiges?
AENEAS
18. Differentiate in meaning between the nouns Bos and Mos.
BOS COW, MOS - CUSTOM/HABIT
B1. Differentiate between the nouns Frons and Fons.
FRONS - FOREHEAD OR LEAF, FONS - FOUNTAIN, SPRING
B2. Differentiate between the nouns Pontus and Pondus.
PONTUS SEA, PONDUS - BURDEN/WEIGHT
19. What two groups of brothers fought to determine the outcome of the war between Rome and
Alba Longa?
HORATII AND CURIATII
B1. Who was the king of Alba Longa at the time?
METTIUS FUFETIUS
B2. Who was the king of Rome who would later destroy Alba Longa?
TULLUS HOSTILIUS

20. Listen carefully to the following passage about three brothers and answer the question in
English about it.
Olim, tres fratres venerunt ad flumen in sylva. Sed non erat pons quo poterant flumen
transire. Pontem, igitur, creaverunt baculis. Mors quamquam apparuit et erat iratus quia
fratres non mortui erant in flumine. Callide Mors praemium fratribus dedit quod poterant
vivere
The Question: Who appeared to the brothers when they made a bridge?
DEATH
B1. How did the brothers make a bridge?
BY USING WANDS
B2. Why was Death angry?
BECAUSE THE BROTHERS DID NOT DIE

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
ROUND ONE EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Translate into English Si vicisset, laeta fuisset.
IF SHE HAD WON, SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN HAPPY
B1. What type of condition is illustrated in the sentence Si vicisset, laeta fuisset
PAST CONTRARY TO FACT
B2. Translate this sentence into English Si fias optimus lusor certaminis, omnes te ament
IF YOU SHOULD BECOME THE BEST CERTAMEN PLAYER, EVERYONE WOULD
LOVE YOU
2. Quid Anglice significat testis?
WITNESS
B1. Quid anglice significant reus?
DEFENDANT
B2. Quid anglice significant lis?
LAWSUIT
MYTHOLOGY
1. Though Hermes seduced many mortal women, according to Edward Tripp, for whom was his
greatest passion reserved?
APHRODITE
B1: Aphrodite certainly did not want sleep with Hermes. What possession of hers did Zeus help
Hermes steal in order to seduce her?
HER SLIPPER
B2: Their son of course, was Hermaphroditus. Who loved Hermaphroditus so much that she
prayed to the gods to never be separated quite physically from him?
SALMACIS
2. What tribes capital city was Themiscyra?
THE AMAZONS
B1: What tribe was ruled by the boxing king Amycus?
THE BEBRYCES
B2: What tribe clashed their spears and swords against their shields in order to hide the infant
Zeus existence?
THE CURETES or CORYBANTES
HISTORY/CULTURE
1. What Marcomannic chieftains personal rivalry with Arminius prevented a concerted attack
on Roman territory in the wake of the Battle of Teutoberg forest?

MAROBODUUS
B1: Of what Germanic tribe was Arminius the chieftain?
CHERUSCI
B2: How many Germanic tribes composed Arminius anti-Roman coalition?
6
2. According to the Historia Augusta, how many usurpers revolted during the reign of
Gallienus?
THIRTY
B1: Who established the so called Imperium Galliarum during Gallienuss reign?
POSTUMUS
B2: Gallienus also had to deal with foreign invasions, particularly in the Balkans. What
barbarian tribe captured the city of Byzantium in 267 A.D?
THE HERULI
LITERATURE
1. What character of Atellan farce is the simpleton?
PAPPUS
B1: What character of Atellan farce is the flatterer who is often looking for a handout or free
meal?
PARASITUS
B2: What character of Atellan farce is the fine courtesan?
MERETRIX
2. Toss-Up: Name one figure of speech can be identified in the following sentence from Vergils
Aeneid: interea magno murmure misceri pontum
ALLITERATION / ONOMATOPOEIA / ASSONANCE
B1: Name another.
SEE ABOVE
B2: Name another.
SEE ABOVE

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
ROUND TWO
1. Which emperor of the early 3rd century died in Britain while campaigning in Scotland?
SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS
B1: Where in Britain did Septimius Severus die? You must answer with the Roman name of this
location.
EBORACUM
B2: What Scottish chieftain had earlier successfully repulsed the efforts of the emperor
Domitian?
CALGACUS
2. What sister of Agenor was fondly referred to as Elissa by her lover Aeneas?
DIDO
B1: What other name was given to Dido as a result of Carthages geographic location?
PHOENISSA
B2: What was the name of Carthages citadel?
BYRSA
3. What is the meaning of the Latin verb Vereor?
TO FEAR
B1. What is the meaning of the Latin verb Vagor?
TO WANDER
B2: What is the meaning of the Latin verb Ulciscor
TO AVENGE
4. The earliest known speech of Latin literature was the apologue of the belly and the members,
delivered prisco illo decendi et horrido modo according to Livy. Who is attributed with that
speech?
MENENIUS AGRIPPA
B1: A much more prolific speech writer, however, was Cicero. In fact, he managed to deliver
several important speeches in 56 BC alone. Name two.
PRO SESTIO / IN VATINIUM / PRO CAELIO / PRO BALBO
B2: Cicero also delivered multiple speeches in 63 BC, most famously the four Catilinarian
Orations. Name any one of the other three speeches he gave.
CONTRA RULLUM (or DE LEGE AGRARIA)/ PRO C. RABIRIO (or
PURDUELLIONIS REO) / PRO MURENA
5. What Augustan age prolific author was banished to Tomi for Carmen et Error?
OVID

B1: Quintilian wasnt a big fan of Ovid and said that he was nimium amator ingenii sui
Translate this quote into English, literally or figuratively.
TOO MUCH IN LOVE WITH HIS OWN GENIUS/STUCK UP BECAUSE HE WAS A
GOOD WRITER
B2: What book of sad lamentations did Ovid write during his exile?
TRISTIA
6. What war began with the Roman peoples vote to send an army overseas for the first time in
264 BC?
FIRST PUNIC
B1: What group, which had captured Messana, invited the Romans to interfere in Sicily?
MAMERTINES
B2: In what year had the Mamertines seized Messana?
288 B.C.
7. Give the accusative plural of the phrase the same two farmers.
EOSDEM DUOS AGRICOLAS
B1. Make eosdem duos agricolas genitive.
EORUNDEM DUORUM AGRICOLARUM
B2. Make eorundem duorum agricolarum dative.
EISDEM DUOBUS AGRICOLIS
8. Identify the figure of speech in the following Latin quotation from Catullus: Odi et amo.
Quare id faciam, fortasse requiris. Nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.
CHIASMUS OR ANTITHESIS
B1: Identify the figure of speech excluding alliteration in the following Latin quotation from
Ennius: At tuba terribili sonitu taratantara dixit.
ONOMATOPOEIA
B2: Identify the figure of speech in the following Latin quotation from Ennius: Saxo cere
comminuit brum.
TMESIS
9. Name any six of the seven of the Seven Against Thebes according to the traditional account of
Aeschylus.
ADRASTUS/AMPHIARIUS/CAPANEUS/HIPPOMEDON/PARTHENOPAEUS/
POLYNEICES/TYDEUS
(must list all but one of the above names)
B1/2: For five points each, name the two allies of the Seven who also perished in the battle.

ETEOCLUS (NOT ETEOCLES, ask for spelling if pronunciation is unclear) /MECISTEUS

10. Listen carefully to the following passage which is also about the three Peverell brothers and
answer the question about it in English.
Primus ex fratribus cupivit potissimum baculum ut hostem occideret. Secundus frater voluit
stonum quo mortuos resuscitare poterat. Sed alius hostis cecidit primum fratrem, et secundus
frater mortuus est dolore mortuae amicae. Tertius frater quamquam callidissimus ex fratribus
erat. Voluit paludamentum sub quo non videri poterat. Mortem igitur evitavit.
The Question: Why did the first brother want the most powerful wand?
TO KILL HIS ENEMY
B1. What killed the second brother?
GRIEF (OF HIS DEAD GIRLFRIEND)
What was unusual about the third brothers cloak?
HE COULD NOT BE SEEN UNDER IT
11. You are walking with some serious swag in ancient Rome when a man walks up to you and
asks Potesne me docere quomodo dugias? Assuming the verb dugio, dugere means to
dougie, what is this man saying?
CAN YOU TEACH ME HOW TO DOUGIE / HOW YOU DOUGIE?
B1. Upon teaching this man your sweet dougie-ing skills a woman comments that Habes
mots tamquam es Iagger. Assuming the Latin noun Iagger, Iaggeris means Jagger, what is this
woman saying?
SHE IS SAYING THAT YOU HAVE MOVES LIKE JAGGER.
B2. Perform the following command. Nunc demonstrate, vos omnes, spectatoribus tuos dulces
motus (long u) saltando
ALL THE PLAYERS SHOULD SHOW THE SPECTATORS THEIR SWEET DANCE
MOVES BY DANCING.
12. When recognize, perform the following command: Sta, age ad sinistrum, age retro, deinde
sali semel.
THE STUDENT SHOULD GET UP, GO TO THE LEFT, GO BACKWARDS,
AND JUMP ONCE
B1. Nunc omnes ostendete dextros, deinde illos retrahite, deinde ostendete pedes sinistros,
deinde illos retrahite.
THE TEAM SHOULD STAND UP, EXTEND THEIR RIGHT HANDS, RETRACT
THEIR RIGHT HANDS, EXTEND THEIR LEFT FEET, THEN RETRACT
THEIR LEFT FEET

B2. Agite tamquam togae tuae ardeant!

THE TEAM SHOULD ACT AS THOUGH THEIR TOGAS WERE ON FIRE
13. What Stoic satirist claimed that his muse was his stomach or belly?
B1: Who was Persius teacher and cherished friend, eulogized in the fifth satire?
B2: Who says that his own works are trivial when compared to those of Persius?

PERSIUS
CORNUTUS
LUCAN

14. Translate this sentence into Latin: Certamen is wonderful to play.

CERTAMEN EST MIRABILE LUSU.
B1. Translate this sentence into Latin It is hard to win.
VINCERE EST DIFFICILE.
B2. Translate this sentence into Latin using a subjunctive in the singular: Dont think too hard.
CAVE PUTES DURIUS/NE PUTAVERIS DURIUS.
15. Who was the son of the goddess of love and the Argonaut Butes?
B1: Who killed Eryx in a wrestling match?
B2: What later hero worshipped Eryx as his ancestor?

ERYX
HERACLES
AENEAS

16. What Roman ruler willingly resigned power after three years in power?
(CORNELIUS) SULLA
B1: Who did Sulla deny a triumph in 80 B.C?
POMPEY
B2: Who violated Sullas law by daring to stand for the consulship against him?
(QUINTUS) LUCRETIUS OFELLA
(OR AFELLA)
17. Who, the eldest son of Heracles and Deineira, married his fathers concubine Iole and took
revenge against Eurystheus by capturing and/or killing him?
HYLLUS
B1: Who killed Hyllus is single combat during the expedition of the Heraclids?
ECHEMUS
B2: Who was the son of Hyllus by Iole?
CLEODAEUS
18. What derivative of the Latin verb scio means pleasing, agreeable, or delightful?
NICE

B1: What derivative of the Latin verb nascor means showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or
judgment?
NAVE
B2: What derivative of the Latin verb vinco means to reveal the presence of?
EVINCE
19. Which, if any, of these provinces was not fully conquered during the reign of Claudius?
Thrace, Noricum, Pamphylia, Lycia, Judaea, Britain.
BRITAIN
B1: What relation, besides adopted son, did Claudius have with his successor Nero?
CLAUDIUS WAS NEROS GREAT UNCLE
B2: What ancestor of Nero had been a staunch enemy of Caesar, served as consul in 54 B.C.
fought against Caesar at the Battle of Pharsalus?
L. DOMITIUS (AHENOBARBUS)
20. The motto of the University of Chicago is Crescat scientia; vita excolatur. What is this
motto translated into English?
LET KNOWLEDGE GROW; (AND SO) LIFE BE IMPROVED (or LET LIFE BE
ENRICHED)
B1. What type of subjunctive is found in the phrase Crescat scientia?
JUSSIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
B2. The motto of Miami University is Prodesse quam conspici. What is this phrase in English?
TO ACHIEVE (BE BENEFICIAL, etc.) RATHER THAN TO BE SEEN

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
ROUND TWO EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. The English words rally, alloy, rely, league, and obligatory are all derived from what Latin
verb with what meaning?
LIGO, TO BIND
B1: From what Latin word do we derive the English words coil, cull, and lesson?
LEGO
B2: The derivation of the English word lava is disputed. Give either of the two Latin verbsfrom
which lava is believed to have originated.
LAVO OR LABOR
2. What Roman Author said Rident stolidi verba Latina.?
OVID

B1: What Roman author said the line Nemo liber est qui corpori servit
SENECA THE YOUNGER
B2: What Roman author said the line Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere fidus interpres.?

HORACE
MYTHOLOGY
1. Who in mythology can be considered as a female Oedipus because of her love she had for
her father on the island of Cyprus?
MYRRHA
B1: Who was Myrrhas father, the same man who sent 49 ships of clay to Troy?
CINYRAS
B2: Who was Myrrhas mother, the very woman who evoked Aphrodites wrath which caused
Myrrha to lust for her father?
CENCHREIS
2. What river-god was the father of Cyrene, Stilbe, and Daphne?
PENEUS
B1: What river god wrested Heracles for the hand of Deianeira?
ACHELOUS
B2: What river god pursued the nymph Arethusa?
ALPHEUS
HISTORY/CULTURE
1. During the Social War, the forces of the Italian rebels could be divided into two distinct
categories; One group was comprised of Marsic tribes and the other of Samnite tribes. Who
was the leader of the Samnite Group?
(GAIUS PAPIUS) MUTILUS
B1: Who was the lesser known leader of the Marsic group?
(QUNITUS) POPPAEDIUS SILO

B2: Rome was eventually successful in placating her allies with the passing of the Lex
Iulia in 90 B.C. For what did this law provide?
THE ENFRANCHISEMENT OF THE ITALIAN ALLIES
2. The traditional date for the fall of Rome is 476 A.D. What Barbarian warlord sacked the city
of Rome in that year?
ODOACER
B1: Who was the Emperor of the Eastern Empire in 476 A.D?
ZENO
B2: What Ostrogothic chieftain did Zeno send West to deal with Odoacer in 488 A.D?
THEODORIC
LITERATURE
1. What figure of speech is the repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive phrases
or clauses?
ANAPHORA
B1: What figure of speech is the repetition of a vowel sound?
ASSONANCE
B2: What figure of speech is the repetition of the last word of a verse or phrase at the beginning
of the next verse or phrase?
ANADIPLOSIS
2. Latin used many meters, although most were adaptations from Greek. Which early meter was
considered as the only refined native verse of Latin?
SATURNIAN
B1: Later on, Latin adopted dactylic hexameter from the Greeks and used it for satires, epics, and
other various genres of literature. What are the last two feet of dactylic hexameter?
DACTYL, SPONDEE (in that order)
B2: Exemplified in dactylic hexameters long and short emphases, what is the term for metric
stress?
ICTUS

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
ROUND THREE
1. What Titaness married Hyperion and gave birth to Helius, Eos, and Selene?
THEIA/ EURYPHAESSA
B1: Give an alternate name for this Titaness.
SEE ABOVE
B2: Other than wife, what other relation did Theia have to Hyperion?
SISTER
2. What Golden Age author, considered to be the most endearingly affable of all Roman authors,
is believed to have complained about a dish with too much garlic to his patron, Maecenas?
HORACE
B1: What work of Horace begins by calling a painter who joined a human head to a horses neck
crazy?
ARS POETICA/EPISTULA AD PISONES
B2: What does Horace call Lucilius?
HIS LANTERN/LIGHT/LUCERNA
3. Whose political machinations led to the death of her grandson Elagabalus at the hands of the
Praetorian guards in 222 AD?
JULIA MAESA
B1: Elagabalus was not the only person killed by the Praetorian Guard that day. Name his
mother who was also killed.
JULIA SOAEMIAS
B2: When Elagabalus had come to power he had defeated the usurper Macrinus and his son.
What was the name of Macrinus son?
DIADUMENIANUS
4. You are traveling on a spaceship in the farthest frontiers of space. Your ship gets sucked into a
black hole, and you are not teleported forward in time, where the Earth is ruled by primates, but
back in time to the glory days of Rome. How would you say, in Latin, Take me to your
leader?
DUCE/DUCITE ME AD DUCEM TUUM/VESTRUM (imp. mood necessary)
B1. Now that theyve taken you to their leader, Caligula, you sit down with him in the triclinium
and discuss his military campaigns. Trying to curry favor with him, you want to compliment his
victories. How would you say, in Latin, These armies, which are the best of all, are invincible.
HI EXERCITUS, QUI OPTIMI OMNIUM SUNT, INVICTI SUNT

B2. After leaving Caligula company and journeying through the forum, a disheveled old man
with a wild beard comes chasing after you pursuing you through every street and yelling
feverishly Cave! Spectavi te cadentem e caelo, simulac magnum sonitum audivi! Imperator
vultte interficere, quod cogitat te deum esse! According to the old man, why does the emperor
want to kill you?
HE THINKS YOU ARE A GOD
5. Before they ever fought against each other, the Romans and Carthaginians had been allies. In
what year did Rome and Carthage sign their first treaty?
509 B.C
B1: The friendly relations between Carthage and Rome continued well into the third century
B.C. Against what common enemy did Carthage and Rome unite in 280 B.C.?
PYRRHUS (OF EPIRUS)
B2: Even after the first Punic war, Rome and Carthage maintained amicable relations. What
privilege did Rome grant to Carthage during the Truceless war?
ROME ALLOWED CARTHAGE TO RECRUIT MERCENARIES FROM ITALY
6. A medication has the abbreviation H.S. on it. According to this abbreviation, when should
this medication be taken?
IN THE HOUR OF SLEEP / BEDTIME (prompt on Night time)
B1: When should a medication be taken if it has the abbreviation A.C. written on it?
BEFORE FOOD
B2: What does it mean if a medication has T.I.D. written on it?
IT SHOULD BE TAKEN THREE TIMES A DAY
7. Who says the following lines in Vergils Aeneid and to whom: Anna soror, quae me
suspensam insomnia terrent! Quis novus hic nostris successit sedibus hospes, quem sese ore
ferens, quam forti pectore et armis!
DIDO to ANNA
B1: Who says the following lines in Vergils Aeneid and to whom: O luce magis dilecta sorori,
solane perpetua maerens carpere iuuenta nec dulcis natos Veneris nec praemia noris? Id
cinerem aut manis credis curare sepultos?
ANNA to DIDO
B2: Who says the following lines in Vergils Aeneid and to whom: Egregiam vero laudem et
spolia ampla refertis tuque puerque tuus (magnum et memorabile numen), una dolo diuum si
femina uicta duorum est.
JUNO to VENUS

8. For the verb parco, give the third person plural imperfect active subjunctive
PARCERENT
B1: Change parcerent to the pluperfect.
PEPERICISSENT
B2: Make pepercissent passive.
PARSI ESSENT
9. Give a synonym of the preposition absque.
SINE
B1: The preposition apud has several meanings. What does it mean in the phrase Ego sum apud
te hodie.
AT YOUR HOUSE
(accept equivalent phrasing)
B2: When found in works of literary criticism, what does the phrase apud Vergilium mean?
WITHIN THE WORKS OF VERGIL
(accept equivalent phrasing)
10. Listen to the following passage which I will read twice and answer in English the question
that follows.
Olim urbs ingens fuit, ubi astrologus doctus notusque habitabat. Ille laboravit multos annos ut
favorem imperatoris recipiat. Itinera stellarum diu spectavit et tandem imperatori proclamavit:
Ecce! Sol non circum terram venit, sed terra circum solem! imperator iratus astrologum non
laudavit, sed in carcem deposuit.Eheu! gemuit astrologus. Labor meus numquam admiratus
est!
The Question: What did the astrologer do for a long time?
WATCHED THE PATHS OF THE STARS
B1. Why did the astrologer work for many years?
TO RECEIVE THE FAVOR OF THE EMPEROR
B2. What declaration made the emperor angry?
THAT THE EARTH ORBITS (GOES AROUND) THE SUN / THAT THE SUN
DOESN'T GO AROUND THE EARTH

11. What mythological character taught us to never refuse a wedding invitation?

CHELONE

B1: Into what was Chelone transformed for ditching a wedding?

TORTOISE/TURTLE

B2: Whose wedding was it?

ZEUS AND HERAS

12. In what modern country were all the following cities located: Memphis, Heliopolis,
Nicopolis, and Alexandria?
EGYPT
B1: In what modern country were: Verulamium, Deva, Eburacum, and Aquae Sulis located?
BRITAIN / UNITED KINGDOM / ENGLAND
B2: In what modern country were: Smyrna, Carrhae, Zela, and Ephesus located?
TURKEY
13. Who, the son of a man who had fought on the losing side at the Battle of Bedriacum wrote
the De Vita Caesarum in which he covered the lives of 12 Caesars?
SUETONIUS
B1: Give the names of the first and last of the 12 Caesars covered in Suetonius' work.
JULIUS CAESAR AND DOMITIAN
B2: What other biographical work did Suetonius author, of which the De Grammaticis et
Rhetoribus is the only extant section?
DE VIRIS ILLUSTRIBUS
14. Which of the following does not belong by derivation: courage, court, cordial, record?
COURT
B1. From what Latin noun do we derive the English court?
COHORS
B2. Which of these nouns does not belong by derivation: corset, cuirass, scourge?
CUIRASS
15. In what year was a Roman colony founded on the site of Jerusalem by the emperor Hadrian?
136 A.D
B1: Whose revolt directly led to this act?
SIMON BARKOKHBA / KOSIBA
B2: During construction of the colony, a Pagan temple was built on the future site of the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre. To what goddess was the temple dedicated?
VENUS
16. Who was the only ally of Perseus turned to stone during confrontation over Andromeda?
ACONTEUS
B1: Who was turned to stone after mocking the love of a Cypriot youth and showing no emotion
at his suicide?

ANAXERETE
B2: Who was turned to stone when he proved his untrustworthiness when he told a disguised
Hermes about Hermess theft of Apollos cattle?
BATTUS
17. Thank you for listening to WROM, the premier station for todays hit music, all in Latin!
One classic hit song is Non potes accipere quod vis by the Saxa Volvens. What is this songs
name in English?
YOU CANT ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT
B1. Many modern songs can actually be traced back to ancient Roman melodies what would
we have called in English the hit Roman song dum cithara mea leniter lacrimat?
WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS
B2. What song, probably by the same band, would the Romans have simply called Fiat?
LET IT BE
18. Translate the following into English: Ille qui numquam errat numquam quid novum captavit.
HE WHO NEVER MAKES A MISTAKE HAS NEVER TRIED SOMETHING
NEW.
B1: Translate the following into Latin: If we had not gone to school, we would not have learned
Latin.
SI NON AD SCHOLAM VENISSEMUS, LINGUAM LATINAM NON DIDICISSEMUS.
B2: What conditional clause is present in this sentence?
NEGATIVE PAST CONTRARY TO FACT
19. What shepherd of Priam exposed the infant Paris?
B1: What son of Priam by Arisbe predicted that Paris would be the ruin of Troy?
B2: Into what was Aesacus transformed?

AGELAUS
AESACUS

A DIVER BIRD
20. Which play of Plautus ends with the phrase surge, amator, i domum repeated four times?
ASINARIA
B1: Which play of Plautus did the author call Patruos, meaning Uncle, after the uncle of the
central figure, Agorastocles?
POENULUS
B2: Which play of Plautus, containing three separate scenes, was distinctly valued because it was
a social document?
STICHUS

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
ROUND THREE EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Listen carefully to the following passage and answer the question in English about it
Olim erant duae linguae, lingua Latina et lingua Graeca. Plurimi saepe mirabantur utra
lingua optima sit. Lingua Latina erat lingua Romanorum, qui erant magni et fortes.
Lingua Graeca erat lingua Graecorum, qui erant noti propter eruditionem et labores. Sed si
me roges, dicam Linguam latinam esse meliorem quod lingua latina est lingua certaminis
The Question: Cur est lingua Latina melior quam lingua Graeca?
BECAUSE IT IS THE LANGUAGE OF CERTAMEN/STRUGGLE
B1. Qualis erat Populus Romanus?
GREAT AND STRONG
B2: Quibus rebus erant graeci noti?
EDUCATION AND LABORS
2. What Latin phrase is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and
abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character,
ability, or object?
DEUS EX MACHINA
B1: What Latin phrase is figurative equivalent to the English saying blood from a stone?
LANA AB ASINO
B2: What Latin phrase refers to a slip of the pen?
LAPSUS CALAMI
MYTH
1. Of what race was Lamus the founder?
LAESTRYGONIANS
B1: What other Laestrygonian was often said to be king when Odysseus visited their island?
ANTIPHATES
B2: What was the name of the Laestrygonian city?
TELEPYLOS
2. What bronze giant guarded the island of Crete?
TALOS
B1/2: For 5 points each, name the two people who were said to have killed Talos (in separate
traditions).
MEDEA/POEAS

HISTORY/CULTURE
1. What hostile tribe entrapped a Roman consul and his army on Mt. Algidus circa 460 BC?
AEQUI/AEQUIANS
B1: Give the full name of the person appointed dictator to rescue the entrapped army?
LUCIUS QUINCTIUS CINCINNATUS
B2: Who was the consul that Cincinnatus rescued at Mt. Algidus?
(L.) MINUCIUS
2. In the context of slavery, the phrases sub corona venire and sub hasta venire both mean
what?
TO SELL INTO SLAVERY
B1: What was the name for a wholesale slave dealer?
MANGO
B2: Another major industry of slave dealers was reviled for its depravity. Give the name for a
dealer involved in prostitution.
LENO
LITERATURE
1. What genre of literature is a serenade before a mistresss locked door?
PARAKLAUSITHYRON
B1: What genre of literature is a play of nonsense?
EXODIUM
B2: What genre of literature is a form of mime used for ethical teaching?
BIOLOGOI
2. Which satire of Juvenals excoriates the vice of homosexuality?
B1: Which satire of Juvenals laments the inadequate remuneration received by learned
professionals?
B2: Which satire of Juvenals is a tirade against legacy hunters, who would sacrifice even a
hecatomb of elephants to secure a place in a rich mans will?

2
7
12

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
FINAL ROUND
1. This is the Advanced Division Final Round. Congratulations on making it this far. Since were
at AMSA, lets start off by testing your math vocabulary in addition to your knowledge of
English words derived from Latin. What English derivative of the Latin word limax, meaning
snail, is a special type of a polar curve that is defined to be a roulette formed when a circle
rolls around the outside of a circle of equal radius?
LIMAON (say lee-mah-sohn)
B1: What English derivative of the Latin word for heart is a special case of a limaon in which
the polar curve has a cusp?
CARDIOID
B2: Give the Latin root and its meaning from which the word that is both the formal name of the
infinity sign and the name of another common polar curve is derived.
LMNISCTUS, MEANING DECORATED WITH RIBBONS
(The word itself is lemniscate.)
2. What future enemy of Rome served as an auxiliary commander for the Romans during the
siege of Numantia in 133 B.C.?
JUGURTHA
B1: What Numidia city did Jugurtha hold as his capital?
CIRTA
B2: With what two half brothers did Jugurtha initially share power?
ADHERBAL AND HIEMPSAL
3. Differentiate in meaning between the verbs miror and minor.
MIROR MEANS TO WONDER OR BE SURPRISED, AMAZED AND MINOR
MEANS TO THREATEN
B1: Differentiate in meaning between the verbs neco and necto.
NECO MEANS TO KILL AND NECTO MEANS TO INTERTWINE OR
WEAVE
B2: Differentiate in meaning between praeda and praedo.
PRAEDA MEANS LOOT, BOOTY, PLUNDER AND PRAEDO MEANS
PIRATE
4. Toss-Up: Who speaks the following lines in Vergils Aeneid: Aeole, namque tibi divom
pater atque hominum rex et mulcere dedit fluctus et tollere vento, gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum
navigat aequor, Ilium in Italiam portans victosque Penates?
JUNO
B1: Who says the following lines in Vergils Aeneid: Tuus, O regina, quid optes explorare
labor; mihi iussa capessere fas est?
AEOLUS

B2: Who says the following lines in Vergils Aeneid: Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri?
Iam caelum terramque meo sine numine, venti, miscere, et tantas audetis tollere moles? Quos
ego?
NEPTUNE / NEPTUNUS
5. Eheu! You have so much homework to do after you get home from this CertamenTournament
that you are SURE you will be finished with it ad Kalendas Graecas. Idiomatically speaking,
when will you finish your homework?
NEVER
(Do not accept At the Greek Kalends)
B1: Why is this phrase ironic?
BECAUSE THE GREEK CALENDAR DID NOT HAVE A KALENDS.
B2: What English phrase, involving airborne animals, is an equivalent to ad Kalendas Graecas?
WHEN PIGS FLY
6. Pandora was given a box that she was instructed to never open. What other mythological
woman of Bisaltian origins reversed the role when she gifted somebody else with a box that
came with an ultimatum?
PHYLLIS
B1: According to some versions, what brother of Demophon was Phyllis husband, the recipient
of the box?
ACAMAS
B2: After Acamas married Phyllis, he sailed away, but promised to return. Phyllis gave him the
box as he departed, instructing him to only open it if he decided that he wasnt going to come
back after all. Well, as mythological men were wont to do, Acamas forgot all about his wife and
settled happily on Cyprus. After some time, he opened the box and went insane upon seeing its
contents. He tried to escape the horrors, but as he was galloping away on his horse, he met a
tragic death. What exactly happened to him?
HE FELL ON HIS OWN SWORD
7. Where were the forces of Lars Porsena defeated in 506 B.C?
B1: Who was the victorious general at this battle?

ARICIA

ARISTODEMUS OF CUMAE
B2: Despite fighting on the behalf of the Latins in the battle of Aricia, to what enemy of Rome
did Aristodemus offer refuge?
TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS
8. Thank you for listening to WROM, the premier station for todays hit music, all in Latin!
What song might the Romans have called Finis Gloriae?
EDGE OF GLORY
B1: Say in Latin, Im on the edge with you.
IN FINE SUM TECUM (Do NOT accept cum te.)
(Ora, margine, labro, fimbriis and aciei also work for edge.)
B2: What other Lady Gaga song might the Romans have called Nata sicut?
BORN THIS WAY

9. In Catullus 13th poem, he says that a friend of his can have a scrumptious dinner at his place,
provided that the friend brings along lots of good food, pretty girls, wine, jokes, and
entertainment. To which unfortunate friend does Catullus propose this bring your own bottle
policy?
FABULLUS
B1: Catullus kindly reminds Fabullus to bring his wallet, because Catullus own is supposedly
filled with what?
COBWEBS
B2: The one thing Catullus does offer Fabullus is perfume. The scent of this perfume supposedly
smells so good that it will make Fabullus wish he was nothing but a what?
NOSE
10. What Tegean king bought Arsinoe as a slave and succeeded Echemus on the throne?
AGAPENOR
B1: Agapenor was a suitor of which famous mythological woman?
HELEN
B1: What city did he found on the island of Cyprus?
PAPHOS
11. What Latin historian participated with Ammianus Marcellinus in Julian's expedition of 363
A.D. against the Persians?
EUTROPIUS
B1: Which of his works was a compendium of Roman history in 10 books?
BREVIARIUM AB URBE CONDITA
B2: At the behest of which emperor, who wanted sparknotes for the long Roman histories, did
Eutropius write the Breviarium Ab Urbe Condita?
VALENS
12. For the Latin verb suesco, give the first person plural perfect active subjunctive.
SUEVERIMUS
B1: Keeping everything else the same, change this form to the imperfect.
SUESCEREMUS
B2: Keeping everything else the same, change suesceremus to the pluperfect.
SUEVISSEMUS
13. What Greek god traveled to India where the tiger became one of his sacred animals and was
and his frenzied followers as he attempted to subject its Asian people to his worship?
DIONYSUS
B1: What elderly advisor of Dionysus also was part of his entourage?
SILENUS
B2: Who were Dionysuss caretakers on Mt. Nysa? Today, there is a racing horse with the same
name.
THE NYSAEAN NYMPHS
14. What Roman commander was sent to put down the revolt of the Macedonian pretender

Andriscus in 148 B.C.?

Q. CAECILIUS METELLUS
B1: By what other name was Andriscus known?
PSEUDO-PHILLIP(US)
B2: After the third Macdeonian War, the Romans had divided Perseus Macedonian kingdom
into four federal republics. What earlier Illyrian had seen his kingdom suffer a similar fate after
being defeated by the Romans in 168 B.C?
GENTHIUS
15. Listen carefully to the following passage, which I will read twice, and answer in English the
question that follows:
Capitaneus Latinus Americanus ad Congressum Nationale ivit. Ibi, fuit puella tam pulchra, ut
cor Capitanei cantaret. Ad puellam cucurrit ut rogaret ea Capitaneo nuptura esset. Infeliciter,
Lingua Latina Capitanei pessimus est. Ergo, ut puella eum spectaret, Capitaneus dixit,
Chica! Puella offensa propter Linguam Hispanicam, monstravit manum suam et dixit,
loquere cum manu mea.
The Question: How did Captain Latin Americas heart react to the girl?
HIS HEART SANG
B1: What did Captain Latin America want to ask the girl?
TO MARRY HIM/IF SHE WOULD MARRY HIM
B2: How did the girl react to his attempt to get her attention?
SHE SHOWED HIM HER HAND AND SAID TALK TO MY HAND/ TALK TO THE
HAND (accept anything close)
16. Bob has 3 apples, and Jane has 6 apples. Jane says, Dabo patri omnia mala mea. Bob, upset
that Jane will upstage him yet again, replies, Oh yeah? Well, dabo patri omnia mala mea et
tua! Correct the any grammatical errors, if any, in Bobs Latin.
THERE ARE NONE
B1. Jane, always ready to show off her own Latin knowledge, says Ha-ha! Sum melior te non
solum numerante malis sed etiam dicente linguam Latinam. What grammatical error in Latin, if
any, has Jane made now?
SHE USES THE ABL. PL. OF MALUM INSTEAD OF THE ACC. PL.
B2. Their father, hearing the argument, comes outside and shouts Do you kids ever get along?
If Bob translates this phrase into Latin in his head, he comes up with Cooperatis, liberi,
umquam? What grammatical error in Latin, if any, has Bob made?
HE FORGOT TO ADD THE ENCLITIC NE TO THE VERB COOPERATIS

18. Which book of the Eclogues, known as the Messianic Eclogue was later interpreted by
Christian critics as a reference to Christ?
THE FOURTH BOOK
B1: Other critics believe that Vergil is actually referring the child of which famous political
couple?
MARC ANTONY AND OCTAVIA
B2: Yet another group of literary critics believe that Vergil is alluding to the child of his early
patron. Who was this patron?
ASINIUS POLLIO
19. What ruler of the Iceni named the Emperor coheir to kingdom, along with his two daughters,
around the year 60 A.D.?
PRASUTAGUS
B1: Who was Prasutagus more famous wife who led a revolt against the Romans after they
disregarded his will and raped their daughters?
BOUDICCA
B2: Where had the Roman commander in Britain, Suetonius Paulinus been when he heard of
the revolt?
THE ISLAND OF MONA
20. When recognized by a spotter, perform the following action: Surge, ascende sellam, et clama
Anglice Quantum materiae materiari possit marmot monax si marmota monax materiam possit
materiari?
STUDENT STANDS ON THEIR CHAIR AND YELLS HOW MUCH WOOD COULD
A WOODCHUCK CHUCK IF A WOODCHUCK COULD CHUCK WOOD?
B1: Now perform this command: Surgite et cantata Anglice Da nobis omnia hac nocte.
STUDENTS RISE AND SING GIVE ME/US EVERYTHING TONIGHT.
B2: Ok, now perform the following action: Se vertite ad spectatores et dicite, Nolite plaudere.
Modo date pecuniam nobis.
STUDENTS TURN TO THE AUDIENCE AND SAY DONT CLAP. JUST GIVE US
MONEY!

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
FINAL ROUND EXTRA QUESTIONS
LANGUAGE
1. Which of the following words, if any, is not derived from the same Latin root as the others:
lecture, eligible, legume, diligent, coil.
LEGUME
B1: Please give all the principle parts of the verb from which the other words are all derived.
LEGO, LEGERE, LEGI, LECTUM
B2: Give the Latin root and its meaning from which legume is derived.
LEGUMEN, LEGUMINIS meaning pulse or bean
2. Differentiate in meaning between funis, funis and funis, funeris.
FUNIS, FUNIS MEANS ROPE AND FUNIS, FUNERIS MEANS FUNERAL.
B1: Differentiate in meaning between the verbs foveo and faveo.
FOVEO MEANS TO LOVE, ESTEEM, OR CHERISH AND FAVEO MEANS TO
FAVOR
B2: Differentiate in meaning between the verbs furor and furo.
FUROR MEANS TO STEAL OR PLUNDER AND FURO MEANS TO RAVE OR
RAGE
MYTH
1. What daughter of Catreus was a sister of Clymene and Aerope?
APEMOSYNE
B1: Which god raped Apemosyne? He specially laid traps of leather hides for her to trip over so
that she could not escape him.
HERMES
B2: What brother of Apemosyne kicked her to death while she was pregnant because he did not
believe that her rapist was a god?
ALTHAEMENES
2. What Calydonian priest of Dionysus was spurned by his prideful lover?
CORESUS
B1: Who was his lover?
CALLIRHOE
B2: The people of Calydon were struck with a lethal intoxication when Dionysus unleashed his
wrath upon them. Only after they consulted which oracle did they hear of the tragic solution to
their predicament?
HISTORY/CULTURE
1. What third century emperor first made an impression in the Roman Army by wrestling
himself into the bodyguard of Septimius Severus?
MAXIMINUS THRAX
B1: What emperor, appointed by the Senate in 238 A.D., was said to be a descendant of both the
Gracchi and the emperor Trajan?

GORDIAN I
B2: Of what province had Gordian been the proconsul?
AFRICA
2. Where in 58 BC did Caesar defeat a large force of migrating Helvetians?
BIBRACTE
B1: What chieftain led the Helvetians at the Battle of Bibracte?
ORGETORIX
B2: What sub tribe of the Helvetians, who had once joined the Cimbri and Teutones in their
invasions of Italy, also fought at the battle of Bibracte?
THE TIGURINI
LITERATURE
1. Who says the following lines in Vergils Aeneid: O sate gente deum, Troianam ex hostibus
urbem qui reuehis nobis aeternaque Pergama seruas, exspectate solo Laurenti aruisque
Latinis, hic tibi certa domus, certi (ne absiste) penates. Neu belli terrere minis; tumor omnis
et irae concessere deum.
THE TIBER RIVER / TIBERINUS
B1: Who says the following lines in Vergils Aeneid: Optime Graiugenum, cui me Fortuna
precari et uitta comptos uoluit praetendere ramos, non equidem extimui Danaum quod ductor et
Arcas quodque a stirpe fores geminis coniunctus Atridis.
AENEAS
B2: Who says the following lines in Vergils Aeneid: Haec nemora indigenae Fauni
Nymphaeque tenebant gensque uirum truncis et duro robore nata, quis neque mos neque cultus
erat, nec iungere tauros aut componere opes norant aut parcere parto, sed rami atque asper
uictu uenatus alebat.
KING EVANDER
2. What literary form is a farewell song?
PROPEMPTICON
B1: What literary form is a thanksgiving song?
EUCHARISTICON
B2: What literary form is a birthday song?
GENETHLIACON

2011 AMSA CERTAMEN

ADVANCED DIVISION
FINAL ROUND TIE-BREAKER QUESTIONS
1) Whom did Anaxibia, the daughter of Bias, marry?
AESON
2) In Greek mythology, Ocnus was punished in Hades because he had a spending wife. It
seems that the Romans too, frowned upon female shopping sprees. What law of 215 BC,
the first of leges sumptuariae, restricted women from purchasing excess clothing, gold,
carriages, and other luxuries?
LEX OPPIA
3) What meaning does the correlative pair qu. . .qu have?
ON THE ONE HAND. . .ON THE OTHER HAND / ASSO / AS
MUCHAS/ NOWNOW / BOTHAND / ALIKE (THIS) AND (THAT)
4) Give the Latin noun and its meaning from which coward is derived.
CAUDA MEANING TAIL
5) What Roman author encounters someone he describes as ntus mihi nmine tantum
while walking along the Via Sacra?
(QUINTUS) HORATIUS (FLACCUS) / HORACE