Latin O Level in 1970

Delighted to have found my Latin 'O' Level papers from 1970, I am posting some extracts for nostalgia's sake and to give modern students of Latin the chance to try their hand with questions from a different century. Comments are particularly welcome on the issue of whether the equivalent papers nowadays are very different  or even...um ...easier. The best answers will be published on the Blog.

Unseen: Latin to English

You have two hours for Paper 0.1.

Latin O Level 1970

1     Translate into ENGLISH:


(a) Tarquin, having seized the throne, throws King Servius down the Senate House steps and has him murdered.

ira commotus, Servius rogavit cur Tarquinius senatores convocavisset. se ipsum enim, non Tarquinium, regem populi Romani esse dixit. clamore tum orto, concursus populi in curiam erat. Tarquinius, qui aetate et viribus multo validior erat, necessitate iam eum ultima facere* cogente, Servium arripuit. celeriter eum a curia per gradus deiecit et ad senatores rediit. Servii amici comitesque, maxime territi, fugerunt. rex ipse, prope exsanguis**, ab eis qui a Tarquinio missi erant, captus et interfectus est. multi vero credunt iussis mulieris id factum esse.

[LIVY (adapted)]

 * ultima facere = to take extreme measures.

** exsanguis = unconscious
    

(b) Darius' plans to press on and surround the Macedonian enemy are partly thwarted by fear shown by some of his men.

Darius initio montes cum parte copiarum occupare constituit. prope mare quoque copias alias collocare voluit, ut hostes undique premeret. praeterea viginti milia militum praemissa cum sagittariis iusserat transire fluvium Pinarum, qui inter duo agmina fluebat, et aciem instruere contra Macedonum copias. si id agere non possent, debere eos in montes redire et clam circumire hostes dixit. sed fortuna, qua potentissima semper est, consilia eius impedivit. alii enim ob metum iussis parere non audebant, alii ea perficere conabantur sed frustra quod, ubi nonnulli timent, omnes turbantur. [QUINTUS Curtius (adapted)]

English to Latin

2    Translate into LATIN (candidates may combine the sentences into continuous prose if they wish): 

(a) Darius hoped to defeat the Macedonians between the mountains and the sea.

(b) He therefore sent many soldiers to that place to hold it against the enemy.

(c) But he was afraid that they would depart by another road and so escape.

(d) His scouts had not told him whether they were able to do this.

(e) So he decided to resist them with troops placed beyond the river.

(f) If these men had been willing to fight bravely, the enemy would certainly have been defeated.