SLLC Preliminary case studies
SLLC Preliminary · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The SLLC Preliminary is an introductory-level Latin examination offered through the Scottish system of classical qualifications, designed for candidates in the early stages of Latin study. It suits school pupils who have completed a first year or two of Latin and adult learners returning to the language, and it functions as a stepping stone toward higher-level Latin qualifications. The SLLC Preliminary case studies are 5 cases and about 2,488 words.
1The Ambiguous Cum-Clause at the Siege
During a timed practice paper, a student encounters this sentence in a passage about a hilltown siege: 'Cum barbari portas oppugnarent, tamen oppidani, qui paucissimi erant, virtutem summam praestiterunt.' Her draft reads: 'When the barbarians were attacking the gates, nevertheless the townspeople, who were very few, displayed the greatest courage.' Her teacher marks the cum-clause as mistranslated and asks her to reconsider. The student knows that cum can be temporal, causal, or concessive, and that the mood of the verb matters.
496 words, about 2 min2Thanking and Being Grateful in a Letter
A student is translating a fictional letter from a Roman senator named Quintus to his friend Lucius. The letter contains three expressions: (a) 'Tibi maximas gratias ago quod filium meum in tua domo recepisti.' (b) 'Semper enim gratias tibi habeo pro beneficiis tuis.' (c) 'Nunc vero gratiam tuam ineo ut in consulatu me adiuves.' The student must render all three into English and then compose a reply in Latin.
532 words, about 3 min3Fear Clauses in a Battle Narrative
A student is translating a fictional historical passage about a Roman general defending a town. Two sentences appear in the passage: (1) 'Veritus ne oppidum a hostibus caperetur, imperator auxilia misit.' (2) 'Veritus ut oppidum caperetur, imperator auxilia misit.' The student's draft translates both as 'Fearing that the town would be captured, the general sent reinforcements.' The teacher says one translation is correct and the other is the opposite.
515 words, about 3 min4Warned That vs Warned To
A student is doing English-to-Latin prose composition. Two sentences are set: (1) 'The consul warned the senators that the danger was great.' (2) 'The consul warned the senators to leave the city.' The student writes: (1) 'Consul senatores monuit ut periculum magnum esset.' (2) 'Consul senatores monuit periculum magnum esse.' The teacher marks both wrong and says the student has swapped the constructions.
447 words, about 2 min5The Cursus Honorum of a Late Republican Senator
A fictional senator, Gaius Flavius, is a plebeian. He held the quaestorship at 31 and the plebeian tribunate at 35.
498 words, about 2 min