Q: Pliny the Elder (b. Gaius Plinius Secundus, AD 23 79) was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and friend of the emperor Vespasian.

Spending most of his spare time studying, writing, and investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, Pliny wrote the encyclopedic "Naturalis Historia" ("Natural History"), which became an editorial model for encyclopedias. His nephew, Pliny the Younger, wrote of him in a letter to the historian Tacitus:

Pliny the Younger refers to Tacitus's reliance upon his uncle's book, the "History of the German Wars". Pliny the Elder died in AD 79, while attempting the rescue, by ship, of a friend and his family, in Stabiae, from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which already had destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The wind caused by the sixth and largest pyroclastic surge of the volcano's eruption did not allow his ship to leave port, and Pliny probably died during that event.

Pliny's dates are pinned to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and a statement of his nephew that he died in his 56th year, which would put his birth

Pliny was the son of an equestrian, Gaius Plinius Celer, and his wife, Marcella. Neither the younger nor the elder Pliny mention the names. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription (CIL V 1 3442) found in a field in Verona and recorded by the 16th century Augustinian monk Onofrio Panvinio at Verona. The reading of the inscription depends on the reconstruction, but in all cases the names come through. Whether he was an augur and whether she was named Grania Marcella are less certain. Jean Hardouin presents a statement from an unknown source that he claims was ancient, that Pliny was from Verona and that his parents were Celer and Marcella. Hardouin also cites the conterraneity (see below) of Catullus.

Answer the following questions:
1. who was friends with the emperor?
2. what was his real name?
3. who was his dad?
4. and mom?
5. how did he spend his spare time?
6. anything else?
7. what was his nephews name?
8. what did the elder write?
9. how did he die?
10. when did he die?
11. why couldnt his ship leave the port?
12. who did the younger write a letter to?
13. what was it about?
A: 1. Pliny the Elder
2. Gaius Plinius Secundus
3. Gaius Plinius Celer,
4. Marcella
5. studying
6. Yes
7. Pliny the Younger
8. Naturalis Historia
9. the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
10. AD 79
11. The wind caused by Mount Vesuvius
12. Tacitus
13. Tacitus's reliance upon his uncle's book
Q: On a Monday, a mother was in the kitchen cooking ham for the family. She was in quite the hurry because she had to pick the kids up from school. Without knowing, she stuck a spoon in the ham and put the ham in the oven. She wasn't paying attention because of being in a hurry and also because the dog was playing with a ball. The ball flew past her head as she had finished putting the ham in the oven. She yelled at the dog and made him play with the ball outside. She saw clouds in the sky as she let the dog out. Seeing that the clouds were so pretty that she wanted to take a picture of them. She got her camera and took a few pictures as the dog played happily in the yard.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who was in the kitchen?
2. What was the mother doing?
3. What did she accidentally drop in the ham?
4. Why did she do that?
5. Was she rushing?
6. Why?
7. What was the canine doing?
8. Did the mother get mad at him?
9. Where did she send the dog?
10. What did she want to snap a photo of outside?
11. Was the dog feeling ok?
A: 1. The mother and the dog.
2. Cooking ham.
3. A spoon.
4. She wasn't paying attention.
5. Yes.
6. Because she had to pick the kids up from school.
7. Playing with a ball.
8. Yes.
9. Outside.
10. The clouds were pretty.
11. Yes.
Q: The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China. The relay, also called by the organizers as the "Journey of Harmony", lasted 129 days and carried the torch 137,000 km (85,000 mi) the longest distance of any Olympic torch relay since the tradition was started ahead of the 1936 Summer Olympics.

After being lit at the birthplace of the Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece on March 24, the torch traveled to the Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, and then to Beijing, arriving on March 31. From Beijing, the torch was following a route passing through six continents. The torch has visited cities along the Silk Road, symbolizing ancient links between China and the rest of the world. The relay also included an ascent with the flame to the top of Mount Everest on the border of Nepal and Tibet, China from the Chinese side, which was closed specially for the event.

Answer the following questions:
1. Where did the Olympics begin?
2. In what country?
3. What was the relay called?
4. Who named it that?
5. was it the farthest ever?
6. when did it begin at the olympics?
7. When did the 2008 run occur?
8. What mountain was climbed?
9. Did they make it to the peak?
10. What countries are on the mountain range?
A:
1. Olympia
2. Greece
3. Journey of Harmony
4. the organizers
5. yes
6. 1936
7. from March 24 until August 8, 2008
8. Mount Everest
9. yes
10. the border of Nepal and Tibet, China