Quizzes and Tests: To be Made and to be Taken
This subject has been on my mind since the very first week of teaching. What are assessments for, and how do they best achieve their purpose? A former professor of mine was known for his summation of introductory pedagogy: “quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz quiz” … etc. His was a good, robust class, though for other reasons, too. Now, perhaps there exists somewhere an ideal situation where students do not need such incentives, odious as they sometimes appear. Even aside from necessities, however, there are several things about a good quiz which are to my mind real benefits: a concrete goal; another pause in reading and translating (or other activities); yet more review and rereading; the teacher’s practice at the Greek keyboard; bonus and anti-bonus points (see below); style, humour, and *beautiful* “word-processing” — to name a few. Which is what must be said after the list has exhausted the author’s invention. But this post is not really meant to be an apology for quizzing students; rather, some thoughts about making them useful in the teaching and the learning, as a kind of guide.
Allow me then to present my own philosophy on the distinction between a “quiz” and a “test”. The former should be small(-ish), and cohesive in matter, the latter larger, and more comprehensive or diverse. Subjects for quizzes would include, individually: vocabulary (these are maybe vulgar, but sometimes good — see Rogerius’ recent post on vocabulary acquisition), grammar forms, a specific part of syntax to practice, scansion, phrases and quotes for memorization, or even a couple basic grammar or comprehension questions on a specific and short chunk of Latin or Greek prepared the previous evening. As I say, I usually keep these short, ½ a page.
Tests (or exams or quizortests or tuizzes or quests or certamina graviora {heavy-duty}), unless they are a final exam, I keep to a page, or maybe a bit onto the second. This is both for grading’s sake and for the practicality of setting an appropriate amount of text (in a more advanced course) for review and assessment. They are more comprehensive in the sense that I include any combination of things from the “quiz” matter mentioned above, with the addition of questions dealing with comprehension, interpretation of rhetoric, character and motivation, explication of devices rhetorical or literary, etc. I’ll end with two examples of somewhat recent “tests” I have given:
Example 1 - Latin
Ex. I:
L A T I N V
8 Nov. 2022
Name: _______________________
Aeneid Reading Quiz: I.50–91
Talia flammato secum dea corde volutans 50
nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus Austris,
Aeoliam venit. hic vasto rex Aeolus antro
luctantis ventos tempestatesque sonoras
imperio premit ac vinclis et carcere frenat.
illi indignantes magno cum murmere montis 55
circum claustra fremunt ; celsa sedet Aeolus arce
sceptra tenens mollitque animos et temperat iras.
ni faciat, maria ac terras caelumque profundum
quippe ferant rapidi secum verrantque per auras;
Sed pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris 60
hoc metuens molemque et montis insuper altos
imposuit, regemque dedit qui foedere certo
et premere et laxas sciret dare iussus habenas.
Ad quem tum Iuno supplex his vocibus usa est.
‘Aeole, namque tibi divum pater atque hominum rex 65
et mulcere dedit fluctus et tollere vento,
gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum navigat aequor
Ilium in Italiam portans victosque penatis:
incute vim ventis submersasque obrue puppis,
aut age diversos et dissice corpora ponto. 70
Sunt mihi bis septem praestanti corpore nymphae,
quarum quae forma pulcherrima, Deiopea,
conubio iungam stabili propriamque dicabo,
omnis ut tecum meritis pro talibus annos
exigat, et pulchra faciat te prole parentem.’ 75
Aeolus haec contra: ‘Tuus, O regina, quid optes
explorare labor; mihi iussa capessere fas est.
Tu mihi, quodcumque hoc regni, tu sceptra Iovemque
concilias, tu das epulis accumbere divum,
nimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem.’ 80
Haec ubi dicta, cavum conversa cuspide montem
impulit in latus; ac venti velut agmine facto,
qua data porta, ruunt et terras turbine perflant.
incubuere mari totumque a sedibus imis
una Eurusque Notusque ruunt creberque procellis 85
Africus, et vastos volvunt ad litora fluctus.
Insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum.
Eripiunt subito nubes caelumque diemque
Teucrorum ex oculis; ponto nox incubat atra.
Intonuere poli, et crebris micat ignibus aether, 90
praesentemque viris intentant omnia mortem.
Aeneid Reading Quiz: I.50–91
- Scan line 53:
luctantis ventos tempestatesque sonoras
- Scan line 62:
imposuit, regemque dedit qui foedere certo
- Scan line 62:
concilias, tu das epulis accumbere divum,
- What place, in Latin (nom.) is called “nimborum in patriam/the native soil of the clouds” (l. 51)? ________________
- Which god, according to Vergil (and Juno), gave Aeolus his power? __________________
- What is his (Aeolus’) job? ______________________________
______ - What would happen if he did not do his job? ______________________________
____ - What (in Latin) does luctantis modify? ______________________________
_ - Who (in English) are indignantes? ______________________________
_ - Parse faciat: ______________________________
_ - Whom (in English) does rapidi modify? ______________________________
_ - How many divisions would you give to Juno’s speech? _______
- What does she ask Aeolus to do? ______________________________
_____________________________ - How does she convince him? ______________________________
_____________________________ - What is Aeolus’ claim in his response? ______________________________
_____________________________ - To what does Vergil compare the winds? ______________________________
_____________________________ - Translate the last 5 lines (underlined):
Example 2 - Greek
Ex. II:
G R E E K I I
7 Dec., 2022
Reading Quiz: Iliad I.124–147 ὄνομα: _______________________
τὸν δ᾽ ἠμείβετ᾽ ἔπειτα ποδάρκης δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς·
“ Ἀτρείδη, κύδιστε, φιλοκτεανώτατε πάντων, 1)
πῶς γάρ τοι δώσουσι γέρας μεγάθυμοι Ἀχαιοί;
οὐδέ τί που ἴδμεν ξυνήια κείμενα πολλά,
ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν πολίων ἐξεπράθομεν, τὰ δέδασται,
λαοὺς δ᾽ οὐκ ἐπέοικε παλίλλογα ταῦτ᾽ ἐπαγείρειν.
1[ ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν νῦν τήνδε θεῷ πρόες, αὐτὰρ Ἀχαιοὶ
τριπλῇ τετραπλῇ τ᾽ ἀποτίσομεν, αἴ κἐ ποθι Ζεὺς
δῷσι πόλιν Τροίην ἐυτείχεον ἐξαλαπάξαι.” ] ______________________________
τὸν δ᾽ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων· 2)
“ μὴ δὴ οὕτως, ἀγαθός περ ἐών, θεοείκελ᾽ Ἀχιλλεῦ,
κλέπτε νόῳ, ἐπεὶ οὐ 2[ παρελεύσεαι οὐδέ με πείσεις.
ἦ ἐθέλεις, ὄφρ᾽ αὐτὸς ἔχῃς γέρας, αὐτὰρ ἔμ᾽ αὔτως
ἧσθαι δευόμενον, κέλεαι δέ με τήνδ᾽ ἀποδοῦναι; ]
ἀλλ᾽ εἰ μὲν δώσουσι γέρας μεγάθυμοι Ἀχαιοί,
ἄρσαντες κατὰ θυμόν, ὅπως ἀντάξιον ἔσται —
3[ εἰ δέ κε μὴ δώωσιν, ἐγω δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕλωμαι
ἢ τεὸν ἢ Αἴαντος ἰὼν γέρας, ἢ Ὀδυσῆος
ἄξω ἑλών· ὁ δέ κεν κεχολώσεται, ὅν κεν ἵκωμαι. ______________________________
ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι μὲν ταῦτα μεταφρασόμεσθα καὶ αὖτις, 3)
νῦν δ᾽ ἄγε νῆα μέλαιναν ἐρύσσομεν εἰς ἅλα δῖαν, ]
ἐς δ᾽ ἐρέτας ἐπιτηδές ἀγείρομεν, ἐς δ᾽ ἑκατόμβας
θήομεν, ἂν δ᾽ αὐτὴν Χρυσηίδα καλλιπάρῃον
βήσομεν. εἷς δέ τις ἀρχὸς ἀνὴρ βουληφόρος ἔστω,
ἢ Αἴας ἢ Ἰδομενεὺς ἢ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς
ἠὲ σύ, Πηλείδη, πάντων ἐκπαγλότατ᾽ ἀνδρῶν,
ὄφρ᾽ ἡμῖν ἑκάεργον ἱλάσσεαι, ἱερα ῥέξας.”
______________________________
- Translate the bracketed portions.
- scan: ἀλλ᾽ ἦ τοι μὲν ταῦτα μεταφρασόμεσθα καὶ αὖτις, // ἢ Αἴας ἢ Ἰδομενεὺς ἢ δῖος Ὀδυσσεὺς
- What is the Greek subject of δώσουσι? ____________________
- Parse δώσουσι: ___________________________
- In which case is γέρας? ____________________
- What gender and number is τὰ here? ____________________
- Translate “τὸν δ᾽ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη κρείων Ἀγαμέμνων”: ______________________________
_____________ - What does δὴ mean? ____________________
- Parse ἀγαθός: ____________________
- In which case is ἄρσαντες? ____________________
- Which part of speech is ἄρσαντες? ____________________
- Which part of speech is κατὰ? ____________________
- A noun in which case is it’s (κατὰ’s) object here? ____________________
- Give the first principle part of θήομεν: ____________________
- Give the first principle part of βήσομεν: ____________________
TURN THE PAGE
- Is Achilleus’ proposal fair? How would you characterize Agamemnon’s response? Is it irrational, or calculated? (He names several heroes twice: is there an explanation for this?) (Reference the Greek as much as you can in responding.)
______________________________
SOME VOCABULARY HELP:
to sack (utterly):
ἐκπέρθω (ἐξεπράθομεν)
ἐξαλαπάζω (ἐξαλαπάξαι)
sitting/reposing:
κεῖμαι (κείμενα)
ἧμαι (ἧσθαι)
gathering:
ξυνήιος, η, ον (in common)
παλίλλογος, η, ον (re-gathered_
ἐπαγείρω/ἀγείρω (to collect, gather)
(ἄγω)
don’t confuse:
εἶμι (to come, go)
εἰμί (to be)
ἡμῖν (dat. pl.)
ἧσθαι (inf. of ἧμαι)
– Ambulator
Photo Credit – Quintus Horatius Flaccus, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons