MATSEC AM Greek case studies
MATSEC AM Greek · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The MATSEC Advanced Level Greek examination is offered by the MATSEC Examinations Board, the examinations body of L-Università ta' Malta. Advanced Matriculation (AM) qualifications sit at the upper secondary level and are typically used by candidates preparing for university entry, though the board's public pages do not set out the Greek syllabus details in the material available here. The MATSEC AM Greek case studies are 5 cases and about 2,616 words.
1Genitive Absolute and Aorist Aspect in an Unseen Translation
Maria is preparing a 40-line translation for the MATSEC AM Greek paper. The unseen passage begins: Ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τοὺς πρέσβεις ἀπέστειλαν, οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, οὐδεμιᾶς φυλακῆς οὔσης, τὴν χώραν ἐδῄωσαν.
579 words, about 3 min2Complicating the Xenia Contrast in Odyssey 9 and 14
A candidate is writing a 45-minute commentary on Homer, Odyssey 9 and 14. The question asks: 'To what extent does Homer use the contrast between Polyphemus and Eumaeus to define civilised behaviour?' The candidate's plan lists: Polyphemus eats guests; Eumaeus welcomes Odysseus; therefore Homer approves of xenia.
445 words, about 2 min3Past Counterfactual and Causal Participle in Prose Composition
In a prose composition exercise, students must turn five English sentences into Attic Greek. Sentence 3 reads: 'If the general had not been afraid, the soldiers would have crossed the river.' Sentence 4 reads: 'They made him king because they believed he was just.' A student writes for sentence 3: εἰ ὁ στρατηγὸς μὴ ἐφοβεῖτο, οἱ στρατιῶται τὸν ποταμὸν διέβησαν.
529 words, about 3 min4Optative in Indirect Question and Perfect Infinitive in an Unseen
A practice unseen passage reads: Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἠρώτησε τοὺς ἀγγέλους εἰ οἱ πολέμιοι ἤδη ἀφῖγμένοι εἶεν. The candidate translates: 'The king asked the messengers if the enemy had already arrived.
504 words, about 3 min5Testing Pericles' Claim against Institutional Evidence
A candidate is asked to assess the claim: 'Athenian democracy in the fifth century was radical because every citizen could attend the assembly and hold office.' She has three sources in translation: Thucydides 2.37, Pericles' Funeral Oration; Aristotle, Athenaion Politeia 43–49 on the allotment of offices; and a decree about metics. She notices that Pericles says 'we are called a democracy' and that Aristotle describes sortition.
559 words, about 3 min