QCAA Latin (SEE) case studies
QCAA Latin (SEE) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The QCAA Latin Senior External Examination is a Queensland external written examination that lets a student earn a senior secondary subject result in Latin without sitting the subject at a school. It suits private candidates, home-educated students, adults returning to study, and anyone whose school cannot offer Latin, and it can contribute to a Queensland Certificate of Education or a tertiary entrance pathway. The QCAA Latin (SEE) case studies are 5 cases and about 2,567 words.
1The Ablative Absolute That Isn't
A student is translating a passage from a set prose text describing a siege. The sentence reads: His rebus cognitis, Caesar legatos ad oppidum misit, ut frumentum peterent.
509 words, about 3 min2Enclitic -que and the Scope of a Conjunction
A student translating an unseen verse passage encounters the line: arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris. The student translates: "I sing of arms and the man, who first from the shores of Troy." The teacher asks about the placement of -que .
484 words, about 2 min3Register and the Translation of a Set Speech
A student is preparing a translation of a set speech from a prescribed Latin prose author for the external exam. The passage contains a series of short, clipped clauses, several rhetorical questions, and a striking metaphor comparing the speaker's opponent to a snake shedding its skin.
532 words, about 3 min4Metre, Word Order, and the Unseen Verse Translation
A student is translating an unseen passage of Latin verse (dactylic hexameter) under exam conditions. The passage contains a line in which the verb is delayed to the final position, with several adjectives and a genitive phrase intervening between subject and verb.
533 words, about 3 min5Cultural Context and the Interpretation of a Prescribed Text
A student is analysing a prescribed passage in which a Roman general addresses his troops before battle. The general refers to the enemy as barbari , praises his own soldiers' virtus , and promises gloria to those who fight bravely.
509 words, about 3 min