AP Latin : Grammar, Syntax, and Scansion in Vergil
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Example Questions
Example Question #87 : Vergil
Sic pater Anchises, atque haec mirantibus addit:
'aspice, ut insignis spoliis Marcellus opimis
ingreditur victorque viros supereminet omnis.
hic rem Romanam magno turbante tumultu
sistet eques, sternet Poenos Gallumque rebellem, 5
tertiaque arma patri suspendet capta Quirino.'
atque hic Aeneas (una namque ire videbat
egregium forma iuvenem et fulgentibus armis,
sed frons laeta parum et deiecto lumina vultu)
'quis, pater, ille, virum qui sic comitatur euntem? 10
filius, anne aliquis magna de stirpe nepotum?
qui strepitus circa comitum! quantum instar in ipso!
In line 1, "pater" is an example of __________.
an appositive
an adjective
a direct object
a name
an appositive
In this sentence, "pater" is being used to describe Anchises, but is a nominative noun, just like the word "Anchises." When you use one noun to rename another, it is acting as the appositive of that noun.
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.854-865)
Example Question #88 : Vergil
Sic pater Anchises, atque haec mirantibus addit:
'aspice, ut insignis spoliis Marcellus opimis
ingreditur victorque viros supereminet omnis.
hic rem Romanam magno turbante tumultu
sistet eques, sternet Poenos Gallumque rebellem, 5
tertiaque arma patri suspendet capta Quirino.'
atque hic Aeneas (una namque ire videbat
egregium forma iuvenem et fulgentibus armis,
sed frons laeta parum et deiecto lumina vultu)
'quis, pater, ille, virum qui sic comitatur euntem? 10
filius, anne aliquis magna de stirpe nepotum?
qui strepitus circa comitum! quantum instar in ipso!
"Filius" in line 11 is an example of __________.
prolepsis
simile
oxymoron
tmesis
prolepsis
The word "filius" appears in this line/sentence much sooner than it normally would. It would make the most sense for "filius" to appear before "magna" in this sentence. This use of a word sooner than expected is called prolepsis.
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.854-865)
Example Question #89 : Vergil
Sic pater Anchises, atque haec mirantibus addit:
'aspice, ut insignis spoliis Marcellus opimis
ingreditur victorque viros supereminet omnis.
hic rem Romanam magno turbante tumultu
sistet eques, sternet Poenos Gallumque rebellem, 5
tertiaque arma patri suspendet capta Quirino.'
atque hic Aeneas (una namque ire videbat
egregium forma iuvenem et fulgentibus armis,
sed frons laeta parum et deiecto lumina vultu)
'quis, pater, ille, virum qui sic comitatur euntem? 10
filius, anne aliquis magna de stirpe nepotum?
qui strepitus circa comitum! quantum instar in ipso!
The phrase "insignis spoliis opimis" (line 2) is an example of __________.
ablative place where
ablative of comparison
ablative absolute
ablative of accompaniment
ablative absolute
In the phrase "insignis spoliis opimis," we have the use of an adjective denoting some sort of action (participle) and a noun in the ablative case in order to indicate a completed action. This is characteristic of an ablative absolute.
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.854-865)
Example Question #91 : Vergil
inter quas Phoenissa recens a vulnere Dido
errabat silva in magna; quam Troius heros
ut primum iuxta stetit agnovitque per umbras
obscuram, qualem primo qui surgere mense
aut videt aut vidisse putat per nubila lunam, 5
demisit lacrimas dulcique adfatus amore est:
'infelix Dido, verus mihi nuntius ergo
venerat exstinctam ferroque extrema secutam?
funeris heu tibi causa fui? per sidera iuro,
per superos et si qua fides tellure sub ima est, 10
inuitus, regina, tuo de litore cessi.
The phrase "per umbras obscuram" (line 3-4) is an example of which of the following?
Hysteron Proteron
Zeugma
Metaphor
Pleonasm
Pleonasm
In lines 3 and 4, Vergil uses the words "per umbras obscuram" to emphasize the difficulty Aeneas is having seeing Dido. She is referred to as "obscuram"—shadowy or barely visible, but, as is stated in the previous lines, we already know that Dido is walking away from Aeneas and that he is viewing her through shadows. The addition of "obscuram" is a little redundant. This redundant or superfluous use of words is an example of pleonasm.
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.450-460)
Example Question #35 : Grammar, Syntax, And Scansion In Vergil
inter quas Phoenissa recens a vulnere Dido
errabat silva in magna; quam Troius heros
ut primum iuxta stetit agnovitque per umbras
obscuram, qualem primo qui surgere mense
aut videt aut vidisse putat per nubila lunam, 5
demisit lacrimas dulcique adfatus amore est:
'infelix Dido, verus mihi nuntius ergo
venerat exstinctam ferroque extrema secutam?
funeris heu tibi causa fui? per sidera iuro,
per superos et si qua fides tellure sub ima est, 10
inuitus, regina, tuo de litore cessi.
"Vidisse . . . lunam" (line 5) is an example of what sentence construction?
Indirect statement
Conditional sentence
Relative clause
Ablative absolute
Indirect statement
In this phrase, you have a main verb—"putat"—followed by the infinitive "vidisse." The infinitive, however, is governing the rest of the phrase "per nubila lunam," which all function as the object of "vidisse." This is an example of an indirect statement, which is a type of phrase typically introduced by some sort of thinking verb like "putat" and is characterized by the presence of an accusative subject and an infinitive main verb. No subject is present here, however, because that is all being handled by the verb "vidisse." The phrase translates as: She thought that she saw the moon through the clouds.
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.450-460)
Example Question #92 : Vergil
1 Quod genus hoc hominum? Quaeve hunc tam barbara morem
2 permittit patria? Hospitio prohibemur harenae;
3 bella cient, primaque vetant consistere terra.
4 Si genus humanum et mortalia temnitis arma
5 at sperate deos memores fandi atque nefandi.
6 Rex erat Aeneas nobis, quo iustior alter,
7 nec pietate fuit, nec bello maior et armis.
In line 1, what is the grammatical function of "hominum"?
Partitive genitive
Genitive of quality
Direct object
Adjective describing genus
Partitive genitive
The noun "homo, hominis", meaning man, is a third declension noun. It is thus genitive plural, which allows you to eliminate both "direct object" (which would have to be accusative), and "adjective describing genus". Don’t get it confused with second declension nouns! A genitive of quality describes a trait or a quality of something or someone, for example, “A man of great virtue.” This genitive is modifying "genus," or type, race, rendering the translation race of men. Thus, it is denoting part of something, not describing something.
(Passage adapted from The Aeneid of Vergil 1. 539-546)
Example Question #93 : Vergil
1 Quod genus hoc hominum? Quaeve hunc tam barbara morem
2 permittit patria? Hospitio prohibemur harenae;
3 bella cient, primaque vetant consistere terra.
4 Si genus humanum et mortalia temnitis arma
5 at sperate deos memores fandi atque nefandi.
6 Rex erat Aeneas nobis, quo iustior alter,
7 nec pietate fuit, nec bello maior et armis.
In line 6, what case is "nobis"?
Ablative of agent
Dative of possession
Dative of agent
Ablative of comparison
Dative of possession
You have to use context here, because "nobis" could be either ablative or dative. There is no passive verb, so we can eliminate “ablative of agent.” Without a comparative adjective, we can also eliminate “ablative of comparison.” We are left with the two datives. Because the clause has a nominative, a form of "sum," and a dative noun (or in this case, pronoun), "nobis" is a dative of possession.
(Passage adapted from The Aeneid of Vergil 1. 539-546)
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