Deck 8: The Romans Connect the Mediterranean World, 753 Bce - 284 Ce

Question 1

What was the "struggle of the orders"?

A) a conflict between the emperor and Senate
B) a conflict between the patricians and plebeians
C) a conflict between the Latins and Etruscans
D) a conflict between Caesar and the Senate

Answer 1

a conflict between the patricians and plebeians

Question 2

Who was Rome's main rival for control of the Mediterranean around 200 B.C.E.?

A) Greece
B) Carthage
C) Egypt
D) the Seleucid Empire

Answer 2

Carthage

Question 3

Which of the following accurately describes the plebeians?

A) They were commoners.
B) They were aristocrats.
C) They dominated the Senate.
D) They were barred from serving in the army.

Answer 3

They were commoners.

Question 4

Which modern unit of measure derives from counting the steps of Roman soldiers?

A) the mile
B) the kilometer
C) the yard
D) the degree

Question 5

The perils of increased slave ownership were shown by a revolt led by a gladiator named

A) Hannibal.
B) Sulla.
C) Spartacus.
D) Cassius.

Question 6

As a result of the Punic Wars, slavery in Rome became

A) mainly restricted to poor or unfortunate Italians.
B) widespread and mostly made up of foreigners.
C) socially unacceptable and rejected by most Romans.
D) unnecessary due to Rome's newfound wealth.

Question 7

Which war was won by Rome only after they built ships with gangplanks?

A) the First Punic War
B) the Second Punic War
C) the Third Punic War
D) the First Civil War

Question 8

Which of the following geographic conditions does NOT apply to Rome?

A) It was built on seven hills.
B) It was fourteen miles from the sea.
C) It was geographically vulnerable to naval assaults.
D) It enjoyed natural defenses against land based attacks.

Question 9

The main point of territorial conflict between Rome and Carthage was control of

A) Crete.
B) Greece.
C) Egypt.
D) Sicily.

Question 10

Which of the following does NOT accurately portray the Roman Republic's army?

A) They lost some battles, but they never lost a war.
B) They were humble even in victory, as arrogance was seen as detrimental.
C) Every adult male was required to serve.
D) Courage was rewarded, and cowardice harshly punished.

Question 11

Who crossed the Alps and invaded Italy with an army of elephants during the Second Punic War?

A) Augustus
B) Hannibal
C) Cicero
D) Julius Caesar

Question 12

Which of the following statements concerning Roman law is NOT accurate?

A) Roman law distinguished between civil and criminal procedures.
B) Roman law aimed to achieve equity in resolving disputes.
C) Roman law was the foundation for international law.
D) Roman law applied to Roman citizens but not foreigners.

Question 13

Which of these best describes the impact of the Punic Wars on Roman society?

A) Greater opportunity arose for the talented, ambitious and fortunate.
B) Social elevation became impossible.
C) The gap between rich and poor narrowed.
D) Rome was impoverished by constant war.

Question 14

After the Punic Wars, Rome's reliance on a citizen army was threatened because

A) traditionally, only landowners could serve in the army.
B) former generals reused to play a role in politics.
C) in a period of peace, an army proved unnecessary.
D) the Senate grew so powerful it could ignore the army.

Question 15

How does the geography of Rome compare with that of Carthage?

A) Both were centrally located, but Carthage was a seaport city.
B) Both were centrally located, but Rome was closer to the coast.
C) Both were naturally vulnerable to naval assaults.
D) Both were naturally vulnerable to land based attacks.

Question 16

Which of these define a republic?

A) elected representatives
B) a single ruler
C) a council or governors
D) oligarchy

Question 17

Rome's foreign policy most closely resembles that of the

A) Greeks.
B) Assyrians.
C) Persians.
D) Egyptians

Question 18

The Twelve Tables were

A) an early Roman law code
B) units of representation in the Roman Republic
C) a public display of Virgil's Aeneid
D) a history of the Etruscans

Question 19

Why could the phrase "I am a Roman citizen" be considered a proud boast?

A) It showed the power of the Roman Empire.
B) It signified the exclusiveness of Roman society.
C) It illustrates the value of Roman citizenship.
D) It demonstrates the power of the Roman senate.

Question 20

Roman women in the Republic did all of the following EXCEPT

A) own property.
B) manage businesses.
C) serve as senators.
D) conduct monetary transactions.

Question 21

Bacchus was the god of

A) war.
B) wine.
C) the sea.
D) love.

Question 22

According to Romans, what was Mare Nostrum?

A) the Rubicon River
B) the Alps mountains
C) the Adriatic Sea
D) the Mediterranean Sea

Question 23

Which man is considered to be the first Roman emperor?

A) Marius
B) Sulla
C) Julius Caesar
D) Octavian

Question 24

The Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus included all of the following EXCEPT

A) Spain.
B) Egypt.
C) Jerusalem.
D) Mesopotamia.

Question 25

What happened on the Ides of March, 44 B.C.E.?

A) the battle of Actium
B) the suicide of Antony
C) the formation of the Second Triumvirate
D) the murder of Caesar

Question 26

Which of the following men was NOT a member of the First Triumvirate?

A) Caesar
B) Pompey
C) Crassus
D) Octavian

Question 27

Roman religious outlook would be best described as

A) monotheistic and exclusive
B) intolerant of new gods
C) a moral system
D) tolerant and inclusive

Question 28

Which of the following titles was NOT given to Octavian?

A) Imperator
B) Augustus
C) Rex et deus
D) Princeps civitatus

Question 29

All of the following factors threatened Rome's stability during the Augustan Age EXCEPT

A) Augustus never formalized the position of emperor.
B) the empire had grown too large.
C) the empire expanded to include monotheistic societies.
D) the senate lost its power and never regained a political role.

Question 30

How did the Roman Empire differ from that created by Alexander?

A) It was created through peace, not conquest.
B) It was much less diverse.
C) It was much more stable.
D) It created no new cultural fusion.

Question 31

Which of the following territories was added to the Roman Empire during the reign of Hadrian?

A) Gaul
B) Egypt
C) Greece
D) Britain

Question 32

Why are French, Italian, and Portuguese known as the "romance languages"?

A) because of their Roman origins
B) because they are so beautiful when spoken
C) because of their similarities with Romanian and Spanish tongues
D) because of their Greek roots

Question 33

What was the focus of the arts in the Augustan Age?

A) praise of the emperor
B) promoting civic virtues
C) calling for restoration of the Republic
D) praise of the Senate

Question 34

Caesar did all of the following EXCEPT

A) study rhetoric in Greece.
B) provide an opportunity for the poor to own land.
C) revise the Roman calendar.
D) retire from power after restoring the Republic.

Question 35

Which of the following statements best summarizes the religious beliefs of the Essenes?

A) The Messiah's arrival was imminent.
B) Jews should obey Herod, their puppet king.
C) The end of the world was quickly approaching.
D) Romans and Jews who collaborated with them should be assassinated.

Question 36

Which of the following men was NOT a member of the Second Triumvirate?

A) Lepidus
B) Octavian
C) Crassus
D) Marc Antony

Question 37

Who wrote the Aeneid?

A) Virgil
B) Ovid
C) Horace
D) Homer

Question 38

Which of the following was NOT an architectural innovation of the Romans?

A) concrete
B) aqueducts
C) arches
D) pillars

Question 39

What was the Pax Romana?

A) a form of currency
B) an extended period of peace
C) the government system that replaced the Republic
D) the language of the Romans

Question 40

In his writings, how does Virgil portray Greco-Roman connections?

A) He portrays the Romans as liberators, freeing people from Greek oppression.
B) He portrays the Greeks as barbarians and the Romans as heroes.
C) He portrays the Romans as people who upheld the splendid Greek ideals.
D) He portrays the Greeks and Romans as natural adversaries.

Question 41

The barracks emperors signaled what change in the Roman Empire?

A) dominance of the military
B) the end of Roman rule
C) the collapse of the empire
D) the advent of Christianity

Question 42

The Roman Republic was based on the principles and practices of Athenian democracy.

Question 43

On what subject did Peter and Paul disagree?

A) to whom did Jesus' message apply
B) whether or not Jesus was the Messiah
C) whether or not to spread the teachings of Jesus
D) the resurrection

Question 44

Roman law distinguished between civil and criminal procedures.

Question 45

What was the main concern of Pontius Pilate as ruler of Judea?

A) defeating the Jews
B) maintaining a strong tax base
C) defeating Herod and gaining control of Judea
D) maintaining peace and order

Question 46

In the second and third centuries CE, what group emerged as the greatest threat to the Roman empire?

A) Persians
B) Germans
C) Egyptian
D) Greeks

Question 47

Which of the following did NOT occur during the reign of the Five Good Emperors?

A) the successful defense of the borders
B) the seizure of imperial power by force
C) a deadly smallpox epidemic
D) a reformation and revitalization of bureaucracy

Question 48

The Roman economic system around 180 CE would best be described as

A) wide-ranging and complex
B) rapidly disintegrating
C) limited by lack of good transport
D) beneficial to the city of Rome but of little use to the provinces

Question 49

Some foreigners sold themselves into slavery, hoping to one day become Roman citizens.

Question 50

Which of the following best describes the period immediately following the reign of Commodus?

A) stable and peaceful
B) unstable yet peaceful
C) unstable and bloody
D) initially bloody but eventually stable

Question 51

Who was the last of the Five Good Emperors?

A) Nero
B) Vespasian
C) Hadrian
D) Marcus Aurelius

Question 52

Rome's location proved to be geographically advantageous.

Question 53

The Roman Republic's principal political institution was the senate.

Question 54

Which of the following replaced the practice of circumcision in Jewish culture in Christian societies?

A) communion
B) last rites
C) baptism
D) marriage

Question 55

Why did Roman rulers distrust Christians?

A) on theological grounds
B) on economic grounds
C) out of concern for law and order
D) because of omens taken by Nero

Question 56

Which man founded the Flavian dynasty?

A) Nero
B) Vespasian
C) Constantine
D) Caesar

Question 57

Romans were suspicious of the Jews because, unlike most Roman subjects, Jews were

A) indifferent to religion.
B) intolerant and exclusive
C) passive in the face of Roman rule
D) polytheists

Question 58

Which of these was a Jewish sect that practiced terrorism against both Romans and Jews that worked with the Romans?

A) Zealots
B) Essenes
C) Christians
D) Nazarenes

Question 59

The Roman Republic was formed in 509 BCE when a dynasty of Greek tyrants was expelled.

Question 60

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe connections between Rome and China?

A) Chinese and Roman merchants traded with each other for centuries.
B) Chinese and Roman rulers both concluded that the other civilization had little to offer.
C) Chinese and Roman rulers' connections did not alter either civilization's view of the world.
D) Chinese and Roman rulers knew nothing about each other.

Question 61

Virgil, Ovid, and Horace incorporated Greek themes in their writings.

Question 62

Which people practiced terrorism against Romans as well as Jews, who collaborated with them?

Question 63

Which man led Rome's most famous slave revolt?

Question 64

Which man became known as Caesar Augustus?

Question 65

The barracks emperors returned Rome to the political structure of the Republic.

Question 66

Who ruled Rome before the Republic was established?

Question 67

Why did the Essenes believe that pious people should withdraw from public life?

Question 68

What title was taken by Sulla, effectively ending the Roman Republic?

Question 69

Why did some foreigners actually sell themselves into slavery in Rome?

Question 70

Compare and contrast the Roman Republic and the Athenian democracy.

Question 71

Which dynasty was founded by Vespasian?

Question 72

Discuss the Roman judicial system.

Question 73

Which man is credited with transforming Christianity into a major religion?

Question 74

Mystery religions were opposed by most Romans.

Question 75

What were the problems that led to conflict within the Roman Republic?

Question 76

Evaluate the geographical conditions that allowed Rome to prosper.

Question 77

Who were Caesarion's parents?

Question 78

Evaluate the role of the plebeians in the Roman republic.

Question 79

How does the legend of Romulus and Remus reflect the Romans' self-image?

Question 80

Rome's victory over Carthage ensured the spreading of ideology such as equality for all citizens.