Reading Comprehension Practice
Read the following passage and answer the multipe choice questions that follow. Underlined words are defined for you on the right side (or below on smaller screens).
THE GAMES WE PLAY
King Janus welcomes the god Saturn into Italy.
1 Saturnus, quem Iuppiter vīcerat, dē caelō ad terram fūgit
2 et in Italiam nāvigāvit. Fugitīvus ad rēgem Iānum, quī tum
3 terram regēbat, magna beneficia ferēbat. Populī antīquī Italiae
4 erant ferī et sine cultū lēgibusque vīvēbant. Populī domōs nōn
5 habēbant sed in cavernīs aut in arboribus habitābant. Nucēs
6 et frūctūs et crūdam carnem edēbant. Saturnus igitur lēgēs dedit
7 et populōs docuit domōs aedificāre et agrōs colere et cibum
8 coquere. Prō hīs beneficiīs, Iānus Saturnō grātiās agēbat.
9 Postquam Saturnus ab Italiā nāvigāvit, Iānus populōs celebrāre
10 hunc deum voluit. Ergō, ubi nummōs faciēbat, ex ūnā parte
11 imāginem capitis Iānī, ex alterā parte imāginem nāvis exprimēbat.
12 Ubi puerī Rōmānī lūdēbant, nummōs in sublīme iactābant et
13 “Capita!” aut “Nāvia!” exclāmābant.
(Adapted from Macrobius, Saturnalia I.7.22)
quem = whom; vīcerat = had overthrown
Fugitīvus = As a fugitive
ferēbat = he was bringing
ferī = wild; cultū = culture; domōs = houses
Nucēs = nuts
frūctūs = fruits; crūdam carnem = raw meat
aedificāre = to build; colere = to cultivate
hīs = these
hunc = this; nummōs = coins; ex ūnā parte = on one side
exprimēbat = he was representing
in sublīme = into the air; iactābant = they tossed
Nāvia = Nāvēs
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