HSC Latin Continuers case studies
HSC Latin Continuers · Put your knowledge to work in context.
HSC Latin Continuers is a New South Wales senior secondary course and external written examination for students who have studied Latin for several years and can read authentic prose and verse with a dictionary and commentary support. It suits candidates preparing for university study in classics, ancient history, law, linguistics or medieval and Renaissance studies, and it is also taken by students who simply want to read Virgil, Cicero or Livy in the original. The HSC Latin Continuers case studies are 5 cases and about 1,387 words.
1The Ambiguous Ablative in a Vergilian Storm
A student translates a line from Aeneid 1 in which Aeneas, caught in the storm, is described with a noun in the ablative case that could be read three ways: as an ablative of means ("by the wave"), an ablative of manner ("with a wave-like force"), or an ablative absolute if a participle nearby is taken with it. The surrounding lines contain two other ablatives and one genitive.
338 words, about 2 min2Comprehension Under a Lexical Gap
In an unseen passage from a prose author, a student meets an unfamiliar noun used twice: once as the subject of a verb of fearing and once inside a purpose clause introduced by ut. The student knows the verb of fearing takes a subjunctive in a noun clause, and knows ut can introduce purpose or result.
309 words, about 2 min3Character Judgement in a Set Text Speech
A student analysing a speech from a prescribed Latin text must judge whether the speaker's self-praise is sincere or ironic. The passage contains three superlatives, one praeteritio ("I pass over..."), and a rhetorical question.
236 words, about 1 min4Unseen Translation and the Historic Present
An unseen narrative passage mixes past tenses: perfect, imperfect, and three historic presents in quick succession during a battle scene. A student translates all three historic presents as English present tense, producing a jarring shift in the middle of an otherwise past-tense narrative.
252 words, about 1 min5Context and the Interpretation of a Civic Ritual
A prescribed passage describes a public ritual involving a procession, a sacrifice, and an address to the people. A student interprets the scene as "private family religion" because the address mentions a household deity.
252 words, about 1 min