Latin Continuers 2022 HSC exam pack

Prescribed Text

Question 1

In better responses, students were able to:

• recognise that debitis agrees with suppliciis and is not a noun
• translate correctly the tense of referam and faciam, and of the infinitive obtemperaturum
• recognise the technical meaning of ordo, referring to the Senate
• provide a contextually appropriate translation for abhorreta meis moribus.

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing a precise understanding of syntax in complex sentences.

Question 2

In better responses, students were able to:

• clearly identify three language techniques and explain thoroughly how Cicero uses each one to appeal to the audience (aii)
• explain a range of ways in which Cicero uses the sense of sight, which could include his purpose for doing so (biii)
• clearly explain the meaning of any Latin being referred to (aiii, biii)
• show clear overall understanding of the extracts (aiii, biii).

Areas for students to improve include:

• focusing on the specified number of techniques required by the question, rather than outlining several features without a clear explanation (aiii)
• ensuring that the identification of a language technique is directly linked to Cicero’s appeal to the audience (aiii)
• developing a more thorough understanding of the context, content and purpose of the extract (biii).

Question 3

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify different themes in the extract that Cicero later develops in his speech
• clearly link aspects of Cicero’s portrayal of Catiline to his threat to the state’s stability
• explain how Cicero engages the other senators to give their support for his proposals
• provide a balanced response, drawing relevant examples from the whole extract.

Areas for students to improve include:

• addressing all aspects of the question, for example, Cicero’s portrayal of Catiline and the threat that Catiline poses to the state’s stability
• moving beyond mere description of Cicero’s major themes to an explanation of their presentation and significance
• ensuring that any points about Cicero’s language and style are used to support the response and do not become its focus.

Prescribed Text

Question 4

In better responses, students were able to:

• provide accurate and contextually appropriate translations for suspensam (9), quam sese ore ferens (11), exhausta (14)
• translate appropriately the exclamatory quem and quam (11)
• account for both deceptam and fefellit (17) in their translation, rather than translating both verb forms with only one verb in English.

Areas for students to improve include:

• accounting for every word in their translation, avoiding careless omissions, for example, hic (10), equidem (12), cui (16).

Question 5

In better responses, students were able to:

• show a clear understanding of anceps pugnae fuerat fortuna (aii)
• recognise elision between a word ending with a vowel and the next one starting with h, for example cinerique haec (bii)
• recognise that the word odiis contains three syllables (bii)
• select a range of examples of language and explain how they add a sense of grandeur to Dido’s curse (biii)
• show a clear understanding of the concept of grandeur and clearly link this to examples given (biii).

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing a thorough understanding of the context and content of the extract (aii, bi)
• being familiar with the scansion rules for elision and for the treatment of two vowels next to each other (bii)
• selecting appropriate examples of language and linking them to the question rather than just commenting on the content of the extract (biii).

Question 6

In better responses, students were able to:

• identify and focus on significant aspects of Virgil’s presentation of a tragic situation in the three extracts
• interpret the subtleties of Virgil’s presentation through the use of direct speech
• demonstrate their understanding of the two complex characters
• make appropriate links between the aspects of the tragic situation experienced by the two characters.

Areas for students to improve include:

• providing a balanced response and drawing on examples from all the extracts given
• focusing on the question and only using stylistic analysis when it is necessary to support their response.

Unseen Texts

In better responses, students were able to:

• translate appropriately the gerundive mandandis (Q7)
• recognise the use of quid after si (any) (Q7)
• recognise the parallel structure tantum… quantum (Q7)
• provide a contextually appropriate translation for utar (Q7)
• recognise that difficilius is an adjective (Q8c)
• recognise dicendo as a gerund and not a gerundive (Q8d)
• recognise the use of utinam (615) to introduce a wish (Q9)
• translate hic (616) as an adverb (Q9)
• recognise deseruere (618) as a perfect tense.

Areas for students to improve include:

• developing effective dictionary skills (Q7, Q9)
• carefully examining the context of a Latin word in the extract before determining its grammatical function (Q7, Q8c, Q8d, Q9)
• identifying words in agreement, for example, noun and adjective, noun and participle (Q8, Q9)
• developing a thorough understanding of the use of gerunds and gerundives (Q7, Q8d)
• identifying the correct form or part of speech of a word in context when that word can exist in multiple forms (Q7, Q9)
• focusing on the continuity of the text to keep track of what is happening (Q7, Q9, Q10c).