Passage Comprehension in Poetry Passages
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Inde per inmensum croceo velatus amictu
aethera digreditur Ciconumque Hymenaeus ad oras
tendit et Orphea nequiquam voce vocatur.
adfuit ille quidem, sed nec sollemnia verba
nec laetos vultus nec felix attulit omen. 5
fax quoque, quam tenuit, lacrimoso stridula fumo
usque fuit nullosque invenit motibus ignes.
exitus auspicio gravior: nam nupta per herbas
dum nova naiadum turba comitata vagatur,
occidit in talum serpentis dente recepto. 10
In lines 1-10, we learn that __________.
Orpheus is searching for his wife in vain
Orpheus is getting married
Orpheus is battling a serpent
Orpheus has been bitten by a serpent
Explanation
In lines 1-10, we learn that Orpheus is searching for his wife, Eurydice. The passage makes use of words like "nequiquam" - in vain, and "vagatur" - wanders, in addition to others indicating wandering and desperation. The tone, communicated through Ovid's diction and stylistic choices, is one of futile desperation.
(Passage adapted from Ovid's Metamorphoses, 10.1-10)
Cui dono lepidum novum libellum
arida modo pumice expolitum?
Corneli, tibi: namque tu solebas
meas esse aliquid putare nugas.
Iam tum, cum ausus es unus Italorum 5
omne aevum tribus explicare cartis . . .
Doctis, Iuppiter, et laboriosis!
Quare habe tibi quidquid hoc libelli—
qualecumque, quod, o patrona virgo,
plus uno maneat perenne saeclo! 10
Why does the author give his book to Cornelius?
Cornelius believed in the author's work
Cornelius is a friend
Cornelius is his patron
Cornelius is famous
Explanation
In line 3-4, the author gives the reason as to why he wants Cornelius to have his book: you were accustomed to think that my trifles were something. In other words, he believes in/likes the author's writing, even though the author thought that they were nothing significant.
(Passage adapted from "Catullus 1," ln.1-10)
Cenabis bene, mi Fabulle, apud me
paucis, si tibi di favent, diebus,
si tecum attuleris bonam atque magnam
cenam, non sine candida puella
et vino et sale et omnibus cachinnis. 5
haec si, inquam, attuleris, venuste noster,
cenabis bene; nam tui Catulli
plenus sacculus est aranearum.
sed contra accipies meros amores
seu quid suavius elegantiusve est: 10
nam unguentum dabo, quod meae puellae
donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque,
quod tu cum olfacies, deos rogabis,
totum ut te faciant, Fabulle, nasum.
In lines 1-5, we learn that __________.
The author wants to feast with his friend
The author's dog is favored by the gods
The author's dog is well
The author has a girlfriend
Explanation
In the first few lines of this poem, the author is urging his friend to feast with him. He goes into some detail about how great the meal will be and some of the things that he plans to have at the feast.
(Passage adapted from "Catullus 13," ln.1-14)
Nulli se dicit mulier mea nubere malle
quam mihi, non si se Iuppiter ipse petat.
dicit: sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti,
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.
The author claims that the woman in the poem __________.
is a liar
loves him very much
has met Jupiter
wants to marry Jupiter
Explanation
The author states in the last two lines: She says this, but that which a woman says to a passionate lover ought to be written in the wind and swift water. This idiom, common in English as well, is used to indicate that a person is lying about something.
(Passage adapted from "Catullus 70," ln.1-4)
Tertia post illam successit aenea proles,
saevior ingeniis et ad horrida promptior arma,
non scelerata tamen; de duro est ultima ferro.
protinus inrupit venae peioris in aevum
omne nefas: fugere pudor verumque fidesque; 5
in quorum subiere locum fraudesque dolusque
insidiaeque et vis et amor sceleratus habendi.
vela dabant ventis nec adhuc bene noverat illos
navita, quaeque prius steterant in montibus altis,
fluctibus ignotis insultavere carinae, 10
communemque prius ceu lumina solis et auras
cautus humum longo signavit limite mensor.
nec tantum segetes alimentaque debita dives
poscebatur humus, sed itum est in viscera terrae,
quasque recondiderat Stygiisque admoverat umbris, 15
effodiuntur opes, inritamenta malorum.
According to lines 2-3, what was the Bronze Age like?
Savage
Full of evil people
It was the best age
Decent, once the Gods removed wicked people
Explanation
Lines 2-3 state that the Bronze Age was savage, at least more so than the previous age ("saevior"), but it was not wicked or filled with evil("non scelerata tamen").
(Passage adapted from Ovid's Metamorphoses, 1.125-141)
Ni te plus oculis meis amarem,
iucundissime Calve, munere isto
odissem te odio Vatiniano:
nam quid feci ego quidve sum locutus,
cur me tot male perderes poetis? 5
isti di mala multa dent clienti,
qui tantum tibi misit impiorum.
quod si, ut suspicor, hoc novum ac repertum
munus dat tibi Sulla litterator,
non est mi male, sed bene ac beate, 10
quod non dispereunt tui labores.
di magni, horribilem et sacrum libellum!
quem tu scilicet ad tuum Catullum
misti, continuo ut die periret,
Saturnalibus, optimo dierum! 15
non non hoc tibi, false, sic abibit.
nam si luxerit ad librariorum
curram scrinia, Caesios, Aquinos,
Suffenum, omnia colligam venena.
ac te his suppliciis remunerabor. 20
vos hinc interea valete abite
illuc, unde malum pedem attulistis,
saecli incommoda, pessimi poetae.
Who are Caesios, Aquinos, and Suffenus?
Other bad poets
Other friends of the author who have also sent him bad poetry
The poem does not say
Poets the author admires
Explanation
The author refers to all of these people as "venena"(poisons)shortly after naming them. Furthermore, he uses the word "colligam"(to collect) in tandem with these words. Since the entire poem so far has been talking about bad poetry and he uses the word for collect, we can assume these are other bad poets the author does not like.
(Passage adapted from "Catullus 14," ln.1-23)
Ni te plus oculis meis amarem,
iucundissime Calve, munere isto
odissem te odio Vatiniano:
nam quid feci ego quidve sum locutus,
cur me tot male perderes poetis? 5
isti di mala multa dent clienti,
qui tantum tibi misit impiorum.
quod si, ut suspicor, hoc novum ac repertum
munus dat tibi Sulla litterator,
non est mi male, sed bene ac beate, 10
quod non dispereunt tui labores.
di magni, horribilem et sacrum libellum!
quem tu scilicet ad tuum Catullum
misti, continuo ut die periret,
Saturnalibus, optimo dierum! 15
non non hoc tibi, false, sic abibit.
nam si luxerit ad librariorum
curram scrinia, Caesios, Aquinos,
Suffenum, omnia colligam venena.
ac te his suppliciis remunerabor. 20
vos hinc interea valete abite
illuc, unde malum pedem attulistis,
saecli incommoda, pessimi poetae.
This poem is addressed to a person named Calvus. How does the author feel about this person?
He loves Calvus
He hates Calvus
He does not care about Calvus
He is happy to speak to Calvus
Explanation
The author expresses how he feels about Calvus in the line that translates as I f I did not love you more than my eyes. Even though the word for hateis mentioned later, he is talking about his affection for his friend.
(Passage adapted from "Catullus 14," ln.1-23)
Disertissime Romuli nepotum,
quot sunt quotque fuere, Marce Tulli,
quotque post aliis erunt in annis,
gratias tibi maximas Catullus
agit pessimus omnium poeta, 5
tanto pessimus omnium poeta,
quanto tu optimus omnium patronus.
Marcus Tullius is a(n) __________.
lawyer
poet
advisor
entertainer
Explanation
The author reveals who Marcus Tullius is in the last line of the poem: a "patronus"(lawyer).
(Passage adapted from "Catullus 49," ln.1-7)
Postquam Saturno tenebrosa in Tartara misso
sub Iove mundus erat, subiit argentea proles,
auro deterior, fulvo pretiosior aere.
Iuppiter antiqui contraxit tempora veris
perque hiemes aestusque et inaequalis autumnos 5
et breve ver spatiis exegit quattuor annum.
tum primum siccis aer fervoribus ustus
canduit, et ventis glacies adstricta pependit;
tum primum subiere domos; domus antra fuerunt
et densi frutices et vinctae cortice virgae. 10
semina tum primum longis Cerealia sulcis
obruta sunt, pressique iugo gemuere iuvenci.
In this passage, we learn that ___________.
this age is worse than the age before it
the seasons are very chaotic
Jupiter is causing a storm
even the Gods have issues with the weather
Explanation
The passage states in line 2-3 ("subiit \[...\] aere") that: the silver generation followed, worse than gold, bur more valuable than tawny broze. In other words, it admits that this age (Silver) was worse than the age before it, but was not the worst of the ages of man.
(Passage adapted from Ovid's Metamorphoses, 1.113-125)
Lesbia mi praesente viro mala plurima dicit:
haec illi fatuo maxima laetitia est.
mule, nihil sentis? si nostri oblita taceret,
sana esset: nunc quod gannit et obloquitur,
non solum meminit, sed, quae multo acrior est res, 5
irata est. hoc est, uritur et loquitur.
In lines 1-2, we learn that Lesbia ___________.
is slandering the author
is insulting the author's friends
is telling the author about someone she dislikes
hates the author
Explanation
According to lines 1-2, Lesbia is insulting the author to some other man, the lines can be roughly translated as: Lesbia presently says many bad things about me to that man: this is a source of the greatest joy for that idiot.
Passage adapted from "Carmen 83" by Gaius Valerius Catullus