Bad news: vocabulary 3

Reading comprehension.

Read the numbered sentences and answer the questions.

Claudius et nuntius

1. sub arbores sedet puer Romanus nomine Claudius, qui est frater Scintillae.
2. pater Claudii, nomine Marcus Aurelius, senator Romanus est.
3. Claudius cantat dum epistolam scribit.
4. epistolam longam scribere vult.
5. nuntius ad eum venit.
6. Claudium nuntius conspicit.
7. 'nolo te vexo' inquit, 'sed epistolam habeo.'
8. ad villam Claudius nuntium ducit.
9. in atrio nuntius sedet, servos laborantes spectat.
10. Scintilla 'salve! petis patrem meum?' inquit.

Which of the following statements apply to sentence 1?
1. Claudius is Scintilla's brother.
2. Scintilla is sitting under the trees.
3. Claudius is sitting under a tree.
4. Claudius is sitting under the trees.
Which of these sentences could be understood from sentences 1 and 2?
1. Claudius and Scintilla are the children of a Roman senator.
2. Claudius and Scintilla are sitting under the trees.
3. Claudius is not named after his father.
4. There is a Roman senator called Marcus Aurelius.
Which of these sentences are true of sentence 3?
1. Claudius is writing a letter.
2. Claudius is singing while he writes a letter.
3. Claudius falls whilst writing a letter.
4. Claudius is counting his father's letters.
Which of these sentences applies to sentence 4?
1. Claudia's brother is writing a long letter.
2. Scintilla is writing a long letter.
3. Claudius wants to write a long letter.
4. Claudius' father wants him to write a long letter.
Who or what does the messenger approach?
1. Claudius?
2. the senator?
3. Scintilla?
4. the trees?
Which of these two best translates sentence 6?
1. Claudius catches sight of the messenger.
2. The messenger catches sight of Claudius.
What does sentence 7 mean?
1. 'I want to annoy you', he says, 'but I hate letters.'
2. 'I don't want to annoy you', he says,'but I have a letter.'
3. 'You can annoy me', he says, 'but I still have the letter.'
4. 'No-one can annoy me', he says, 'because I am reading a letter'.
Which of these is the best translation of sentence 8?
1. Claudius led the messenger to the house.
2. Claudius takes the messenger to the house.
3. The messenger is taken by Claudius to the house.
4. The messenger goes with Claudius to the house.
What does sentence 9 mean?
1. The messenger is sitting in the hall, watching the slaves work.
2. The messenger is sitting in the hall, he watches the slaves working.
3. The messenger who is sitting in the hall, watches the slaves working.
4. The messenger sat in the hall and watched the slaves work.
Which is the best translation of sentence 10?
1. 'Greetings Scintilla. I am looking for your father', he says.
2. 'Good morning,' Scintilla says. 'Are you looking for my father?'
3. 'Save me from your father, Scintilla' he says.
4. Scintilla says, 'Good morning. Are you scared of my father?'