Academics Lesson VI—PMAQ

Question 1

Give the Latin and English for the motto of Harvard University.

Answer 1

Veritās

Literal translation: Truth

Fun Fact: “Verity” meaning an “established truth,” like “veracious,” is an English derivative of veritās. If you read the Harry Potter books, you may remember a potion called “veritaserum,” which makes people tell the truth.

Question 2

Give the Latin and English for the motto of Yale University.

Answer 2

Lūx et veritās

Literal translation: Light and truth

Fun Fact: Lūx, which means “light,” is often part of mottoes of schools and colleges because it symbolizes the power of education to lighten the darkness of ignorance. The Latin word l**ūx has other forms in which the x changes to a c. This helps us understand a word like “translucent,” which means “allowing light to enter.” Veritās or “truth” is another favorite theme of school mottoes. You may know the English word “veracious,” which means “truthful.”

Question 3

Give the Latin and English for the motto of Brown University.

Answer 3

In Deō Spērāmus—In God we trust

Question 4

Give the Latin and English for the motto of the University of Washington.

Answer 4

Lūx sit—Let there be light

Question 5

Give the Latin and English for the motto of the University of Missouri.

Answer 5

Salūs populī—The welfare of the people

Question 6

Give the English for the Latin quotation “Festīnā Lentē”.

Answer 6

Literal translation: Make Haste Slowly

In an English sentence: An apparent contradiction like f**estīnā lentē is called a paradox.

Fun Fact: The Emperor Augustus is said to have chosen this phrase as his personal credo. It might seem impossible to hurry slowly, but the phrase makes sense if you think of the fable of the tortoise and the hare. The hare made haste but lost the race. The slower, more careful tortoise plugged along steadily and came in first.

Question 7

Who is credited with the quotation “Festīnā Lentē”?

Answer 7

Augustus