AP Latin › Passage Comprehension in Poetry Passages
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
at non Hectoreis dubitavit cedere flammis,
quas ego sustinui, quas hac a classe fugavi.
tutius est igitur fictis contendere verbis,
quam pugnare manu, sed nec mihi dicere promptum,
nec facere est isti: quantumque ego Marte feroci 5
inque acie valeo, tantum valet iste loquendo.
nec memoranda tamen vobis mea facta, Pelasgi,
esse reor: vidistis enim; sua narret Ulixes,
quae sine teste gerit, quorum nox conscia sola est!
praemia magna peti fateor; sed demit honorem 10
aemulus: Aiaci non est tenuisse superbum,
sit licet hoc ingens, quicquid speravit Ulixes;
iste tulit pretium iam nunc temptaminis huius,
quod, cum victus erit, mecum certasse feretur.
In this passage, we learn that ____________.
the speaker thinks he is more adept as a warrior than as a speaker
the speaker does not like Ulixes
the speaker does not like Ajax
the speaker wants to be remembered for his speaking capabilities
In the passage, the speaker ("Ajax") is explaining that he thinks it is time to have a discussion (line 3-5, "tutius...isti"), but that it is not his place to speak _(_line 5-9, "quantumque...est"), since he is better at waging war and Ulixesis a much better speaker.
(Passage adapted from Ovid's Metamorphoses, 8.7-21)
Miser Catulle, desinas ineptire,
et quod vides perisse perditum ducas.
fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles,
cum ventitabas quo puella ducebat
amata nobis quantum amabitur nulla. 5
ibi illa multa cum iocosa fiebant,
quae tu volebas nec puella nolebat,
fulsere vere candidi tibi soles.
nunc iam illa non vult: tu quoque impotens noli,
nec quae fugit sectare, nec miser vive, 10
sed obstinata mente perfer, obdura.
vale puella, iam Catullus obdurat,
nec te requiret nec rogabit invitam.
at tu dolebis, cum rogaberis nulla.
scelesta, vae te, quae tibi manet vita? 15
quis nunc te adibit? cui videberis bella?
quem nunc amabis? cuius esse diceris?
quem basiabis? cui labella mordebis?
at tu, Catulle, destinatus obdura.
How does the author feel?
Miserable
In Love
Happy
Angry
The author uses many negative words to describe what it going on in the poem. Foremost, he starts off using the word "miser " (miserable), and he goes on to talk about other negative things that he needs to come to terms with.
(Passage adapted from "Catullus 8," ln.1-19)