Deck 18: The Roman Vision: Greek Myths and Roman Realities

Question 1

The Romans, feeling culturally inferior to the Etruscans, adopted Etruscan literature and mythology, while changing names and adapting the concepts to fit their ideas and values.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Romulus's followers acquired women by sending messengers to neighboring cities and inviting the daughters of prominent citizens to become Roman wives.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Romulus and Remus were set adrift on the river Tiber and nursed by a she-wolf.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

According to Plutarch, the myth of Romulus and Remus implies that Rhea Silvia was raped by her uncle.

Question 5

Romulus's ancestor is Aeneas, the Greek hero of the battle of Troy.

Question 6

The twins quarreled, and Remus was killed. Rome was later named in his honor.

Question 7

Roman mythology has borrowed elements from the Etruscan culture.

Question 8

An important group of spirits in the Roman household were the Penates.

Question 9

The poet Horace reinterprets Zeus's appearance to Danae as a shower of gold as an image of bribery.

Question 10

The Lupercalia, a ritual associated with Romulus and Remus, was historically celebrated on February 15.

Question 11

According to the myth of Romulus and Remus, Rhea Silvia was seduced by the god Mars, thus conceiving the twins.

Question 12

One of the major Roman deities is Ceres, the Roman version of Demeter.

Question 13

Contrary to Greek mythology, Roman mythology is teleological.

Question 14

In Rome patriotism was a civic virtue; if someone defied the gods, it was tantamount to committing treason.

Question 15

The Lares were guardian spirits of the home.

Question 16

Roman mythology has a strongly matriarchal character, as is clear from the importance of the Vestal Virgins.

Question 17

Duty requires the Roman hero to control his desires for the greater good of Eternal Rome.

Question 18

Three early Roman qualities are essential: gravitas, pietas, and veritas.

Question 19

Roman myth emphasizes fewer fantastic components than Greek myth.

Question 20

The Romans invited the Lapiths to their banquet and proceeded to abduct and rape the Lapith women.

Question 21

How did the Romans persuade the Sabines to allow intermarriage between the Romans and Sabine women?

A) They showed them the wonders of the new city.
B) They never were able to persuade the Sabine men.
C) They assured them that the young women would be valued as human beings.
D) They offered them rich gifts as bribes.

Question 22

Three gods were the public counterparts of the three household spirits. Which was NOT one of these gods?

A) Jupiter
B) Minerva
C) Juno
D) Ceres

Question 23

Three early Roman qualities were essential; which one wasn't?

A) gravitas
B) geritas
C) pietas
D) frugalitas

Question 24

In Rome, although not in the small Greek polis, we can see the beginnings of the modern nation-state.

Question 25

What does it mean for myths to have a didactic function? Choose the most precise definition.

A) They function as a political charter.
B) They are not supposed to be taken seriously: a comic relief.
C) They are intended to teach a lesson.
D) They are stories about feminine powers.

Question 26

What is meant by the statement that mythology is teleological?

A) It is goal-oriented.
B) It focuses on divine powers.
C) It is less than logical.
D) It is a remnant of a very ancient tradition.

Question 27

The power of the Roman pater familias

A) extended to decisions about the life and death of all members of his household.
B) was narrowly limited by law.
C) increased as time passed.
D) was always surpassed by the power of the Roman mother.

Question 28

Who gave birth to Romulus and Remus?

A) a she-wolf
B) a sea-wolf
C) Rhea Silvia
D) Juno

Question 29

From where did Romulus get his army of men?

A) They grew from dragon's teeth that he had sowed in a field.
B) They were disgruntled farmers and runaway slaves from the region.
C) They were recruited from the Sabines.
D) They were descendants of the Trojans in northern Italy.

Question 30

Which was not one of the three types of deities in the Roman household?

A) the Penates
B) the Vesta
C) the Lares
D) the Mores

Question 31

What Roman personality traces his ancestry to Aeneas's son?

A) Julius Caesar
B) Horace
C) Cicero
D) Virgil