Ancient history, ancient philosophy, and classical philology and literature (the “Classics Reading List”)
Preparing for the “Q”:
The exam comprises two three-hour translations without dictionary, one in Greek and the other in Latin, both containing passages from ca. six different authors (genres, etc.). It is designed to test knowledge of the reading list texts, but perhaps more importantly, it is also intended to guide you in developing a broad proficiency in reading Greek and Latin. The point of the exam is thus not exclusively to learn the reading list texts in your first two years, but to incorporate them among the other texts you are reading in Greek and Latin for your seminars and your broader scholarly interests. These reading skills will prove vital for the remainder of your coursework, your burgeoning research program, and your teaching. The Q exam provides the opportunity to test how effectively you have internalized these skills. That is to say, it is not an end in itself but part of your larger development as a scholar capable of working fluently with ancient texts for research and teaching.
The best way to prepare for the Q exams is to read original texts regularly and extensively on your own, with the additional help of Advanced Readings courses, advanced undergraduate courses where necessary to strengthen your languages, and reading groups. The reading list is designed to be read in its entirety and consists of manageable selections from key authors. Anything on the reading list may potentially appear on the exam, whether or not it has come up in your coursework. Certain authors may tend to appear more often than others, but you are expected to have gained facility with all of them. The passages for the exam are not chosen to be particularly tricky or difficult, but some canonical authors can be challenging to read (think Aristotle and Thucydides). So plan to read everything, until either you feel you’ve mastered the list or you find you can read an arbitrarily selected passage of any of the texts more or less at sight.
“Advanced Readings in Latin/Greek” courses may be offered as Q exam preparation in your first and second years, depending on faculty availability and enrollment. These courses are designed specifically as opportunities to read rapidly through a selection of the texts on the reading list, as well as learn techniques for internalizing the languages and translating in an exam setting. “Advanced Readings” courses usually include frequent quizzes and a few larger exams on the texts you are reading. These assessments may ask you to translate passages of text just as you will on the exam, but they may also include other types of questions that reinforce those skills, such as questions on syntax or the characters or events in a set passage. You may also be asked to read passages at sight and engage in other activities designed to enhance your facility with the languages.
Whether or not your “Advanced Readings” professor states this explicitly, you should not bring a translation of any kind into class with you. Indeed, it is a good idea to wean yourself off making English translations of Greek and Latin as soon as you can; leaning on translations will prevent you from developing proficiency as a reader. Keep vocabulary lists for yourself to make into flash cards; you will be amazed at how much faster your class and exam preparation goes once you don’t have to stop to look at the dictionary so frequently. Keep checking English translations to an absolute minimum; if you cannot figure something out in the Greek or Latin, it is better to ask your professor or a classmate before resorting to an English translation, as only the most disciplined of us can keep our eyes from roving to other parts of the text. It can be very easy to come to believe that you understand a passage after reading a translation, only to discover on an exam that what you actually mastered was the English.
Again, whether or not your “Advanced Readings” professor assigns one, now is the time to obtain a good reference grammar, e.g. Allen and Greenough for Latin, Smyth for Greek. Ask around the department for other suggestions; all faculty have their favorites. Keep it by your side at all times when preparing a text; when you are confronted with a confusing genitive or subjunctive, it is much better to look up the relevant topic in your reference grammar to sort out the confusion than to try to do so by reading an English gloss.
Another vitally important resource is the recommended list of commentaries to the reading list texts (see below). These commentaries are split into three categories on the list, in increasing order of detail. The first two categories (“school” and “college” editions) will be most useful for your Q exam preparations. Many are very affordable; the rest can be found in the library (in the main collection and/or in the Classics Reading Rooms). You should absolutely make use of these tools, whether or not they are explicitly assigned in “Advanced Readings”; they are one of the very most important resources to help you understand the context of what you are reading, alongside helpful notes about vocabulary and grammar (in the case of the first two categories).
As you move out of your first year, you should balance your course load to include more seminars. That doesn’t mean your preparation for the Q exam should end here, however. Outside the formal environment of the “Advanced Readings” classroom, it will be very helpful to set up semi-formal opportunities to study and practice with the rest of your cohort. Weekly (or biweekly) reading groups where you assign yourselves passages from the list, read them on your own, and get together to discuss grammatical sticking points and other puzzlements will be an invaluable tool. Follow the same guidelines as you did for “Advanced Readings” preparation: minimal use of English translations, liberal use of word lists and flash cards, a stash of recommended commentaries, and an unbreakable bond with your reference grammar. You can set out a schedule well in advance to cover the entirety of the reading list – of course unexpected interruptions happen, but you can easily get back on track. You can even keep these groups going over the summer, whether you meet in Ithaca or remotely.
As your preparations move on from year one to year two, you should feel a noticeable improvement in your Greek and Latin: you should be able to read faster, with fewer and fewer trips to a dictionary, and maintain a deeper sense of the context and style of what you are reading. If you feel this is not the case for you, check in with your DGS sooner rather than later, as they may be able to help you make your studying more efficient and productive. By the time you reach the exam, our hope is that it will present a welcome opportunity to showcase the skills you have developed, rather than a daunting obstacle. Key to this is continuous and honest self-assessment about how you are faring with the long-term goals of improving your vocabulary and your understanding of syntactical nuance, of situating the texts you are reading within their historical context and against a backdrop of evolving styles and genres, and of developing confidence in your ability to read just about any Greek or Latin the Fates may throw at you. You will then be ready to pursue your own reading interests wherever they may lead. Good luck!