Is this exercise just about agreement of adjectives?

[pmda]

In Exercitia for Cap xxxvi (exercitium 6) Orberg has an exercise which he introduces as follows:

Exempla:

media Italia = medium (= media pars) Italiae
prima/postrema aestas = initium / inis (=prima/postrema pars) aestatis
summus/infimus mons = summum/infimum (= summa/infima pars) montis...

I don't really understand this. Is this an exercise to distinguise between adjectival use ‘media Italia’ and the noun + gen ‘medium Italiae’?

By some instinct I did get most of it right – but I’m ont really clear what he’s trying to teach.

The following questions are thus confusing to me (all of the text below is Orberg):

3. Naxos in medi__ mar__ Aegaeo [= in medio maris Aegaei] sita est.

4. Hora sexta dicitur 'meridies', id est medi__ di__ [= medium diei].

5. Sol altissimus est hora sexta vel meridie, id est med__ di__ [= medio diei]

The correct answer to these is given by Orberg as follows:

3. Naxos in medi[o] mar[i] Aegaeo [= in medio maris Aegaei] sita est.

4. Hora sexta dicitur 'meridies', id est medi[us] di[es] [= medium diei].

5. Sol altissimus est hora sexta vel meridie, id est med[io] di[e] [= medio diei]


Let me try to explain my thinking:

3. Naxos in medio mari Aegaeo [= in medio maris Aegaei] sita est.

- ‘medio’ = neuter ablative adjective to agree with noun ablative ‘mari’

- ‘mari’ = ablative of neuter noun ‘mare’.


4. Hora sexta dicitur 'meridies', id est medius dies [= medium diei].

- ‘medius’ = masculine nominative singular adjective to agree with ‘dies’. It is the middle of the day.


5. Sol altissimus est hora sexta vel meridie, id est medio die [= medio diei]

- ‘medio’ = masculine ablative to agree with ‘die’ – to indicate a time when.

This is just about agreement of adjectives isn't it..?

[adrianus]

Is this an exercise to distinguise between adjectival use ‘media Italia’ and the noun + gen ‘medium Italiae’?

Est // Yes.

This is just about agreement of adjectives isn't it..?

...in a place where other languages use a genitive in preference modernly. He's highlighting the construction.
...cum aliae linguae genetivum casum his diebus praeferunt. Emphasim ad formam dat.

[pmda]

In Execitia Capituli XXXVI Orberg scribit:

5. Sol altissimus est hora sexta vel meridie, id est medi_ di_ [=medio diei]

Now it seems the answer should be '...id est medius dies' (given the hint he has in square brackets) but he has 'medio die'...? What am I missing here?

...especially since in the following question (6.) he asks:

Sexta hora noctis est medi_ nox [= medium noctis].

...the correct answer being:

Sexta hora noctis est media nox..

i.e. Nominative Feminine singular - this is what it is..

the strong implication to me is that he is looking for an answer in the nominative to question 5.

[adrianus]

5. Sol altissimus est horâ sextâ vel meridie, id est medi_ di_ [=medio diei]...the strong implication to me is that he is looking for an answer in the nominative to question 5.

Sic non concludit. Is ablativum jam denotavit per hoc: [=medio diei].
No. He has already specified the ablative with [=medio diei].