Deck 7: The Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity, 509 B.C.E.- 476 C.E.

Question 1

As designed in the early Republic,how long was the term of a consul supposed to be?

A)Six months.
B)One year.
C)Ten years.
D)For life.
E)Twenty-five years.

Answer 1

One year.

Question 2

What was the purpose of the Senate in the early Republic?

A)Advised the two elected executives called consuls.
B)Created new laws.
C)Chose members of the plebeian assembly.
D)Collected taxes.
E)Elected the Roman kings.

Answer 2

Advised the two elected executives called consuls.

Question 3

Romans learned all of the following from the Etruscans except

A)Alphabets.
B)City-planning.
C)Sewage.
D)Republican government.
E)Wall construction.

Answer 3

Republican government.

Question 4

What was the central issue in the First Punic War?

A)The control of Rome by Carthage.
B)To destroy the capital of Carthage as an economic center in the Mediterranean.
C)The Roman general Scipio's desire to gain power in the republican government.
D)Rome's hope to destroy the Carthaginian navy as a threat to its mainland.
E)Rivalry for dominance over Sicily.

Question 5

The name "Punic" for which the wars between Rome and Carthage came to be called come from the Latin name for what people?

A)Phoenicians.
B)Greeks.
C)Seleucids.
D)Parthians.
E)Gauls.

Question 6

Rome dominated the western Mediterranean after defeating which empire in 202 B.C.E.?

A)Gaul.
B)Greece.
C)Carthage.
D)Sicily.
E)Egypt.

Question 7

The last part of Italy to be conquered by the Romans was the south,which had been heavily settled by

A)Etruscans.
B)Greeks.
C)Carthaginians.
D)Latin.
E)Gauls.

Question 8

The original site of Rome was located at a shallow point on the

A)Tiber River.
B)Po River.
C)Adriatic Sea.
D)Rubicon River.
E)Mediterranean Sea.

Question 9

The earliest surviving source of Roman history dates back to the first century B.C.E.(almost one thousand years after the original site of Rome was established)from the writings of

A)Polybius.
B)Herodotus.
C)Livy.
D)Homer.
E)Aristotle.

Question 10

The Romans never allowed a simple majority to prevail,instead they gave more weight to the patrician senate than to the

A)Etruscan Parliament.
B)Greek Polis.
C)Plebian Assembly. 
D)Phoenician Praetorian Guard.
E)None of these choices.

Question 11

During and after the life of Polybius,common travel involved all of the following except

A)Travel as far west as Spain.
B)Crossing the Mediterranean to Africa.
C)Using Roman roads to travel the Mediterranean area of the empire.
D)Security from pirates thanks to the Roman navy if one traveled by sea.
E)Circumnavigation of Africa in search of slaves, as this was a growing trade.

Question 12

The Etruscans introduced the Romans to

A)A modified Greek alphabet.
B)Phalanx warfare.
C)Democracy.
D)Triremes.
E)Monotheism.

Question 13

According to the myth of Romulus and Remus,the abandoned twins were raised by

A)The Senate.
B)An Etruscan king.
C)Greek farmers.
D)The god Mars.
E)A wolf.

Question 14

The patricians formed a privileged,wealthy social class,while the commoners were referred to as

A)Helots.
B)Serfs.
C)Plebians.
D)Celts.
E)Citizens.

Question 15

Which of the following is not a part of the geography of Italy?

A)Appennine Mountains that run north and south through the peninsula.
B)The Alps that form a northern boundary.
C)Offshore islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily.
D)Aegean Sea.
E)Mediterranean Sea.

Question 16

In 264 B.C.E.,the Roman Republic met its first great challenge when it collided with the

A)Ptolemies in Egypt.
B)Seleucids in Syria.
C)Carthaginians in North Africa.
D)Antigonids in Macedonia.
E)Phoenicians in Lebanon.

Question 17

Although Greek by birth,how did Polybius come to spend his life in Rome?

A)As an educated scribe, he became an important official in the Roman court.
B)He was sent to Rome as a hostage after the defeat of the ruler of Macedon by the Romans.
C)He was a slave taken by the Romans after they defeated Macedon.
D)As a Persian noble, he was married to a Roman in order to cement relations.
E)His family lost power in Egypt and was exiled.

Question 18

During his enslavement,with whom did Polybius live?

A)the descendants of a prominent general and his family.
B)A peasant family.
C)In the Senate House.
D)At the Temple of Vesta.
E)At the home of a merchant.

Question 19

The mythological creation of Rome includes

A)A line of kings that eventually built Rome on the Tiber River.
B)The founding of Rome by Romulus in 753 B.C.E.
C)A war between gods over the creation of a holy site.
D)Emigrants to the site from the north.
E)That small walled communities evolved into Rome.

Question 20

As Rome expanded in the early Republic,what determined whether a newly conquered city state was given citizenship rights?

A)If they agreed to serve in the army.
B)If they paid enough tribute.
C)If they trade goods Rome wanted.
D)If they spoke Latin.
E)If the Senate voted yes.

Question 21

Tiberius Gracchus was one of the first to propose economic reforms to

A)Help the poor. 
B)Support the biggest latifundia.
C)Develop the North African province.
D)None of the answers are correct. 
E)Invest in newly conquered public lands.

Question 22

What was not a result of the Roman defeat of the territories of the Ptolemies,Antigonids,and Seleucids?

A)The city of Carthage was burned to the ground for their alliance with the Antigonids.
B)Egypt became a client state of Rome.
C)The Seleucids were allowed to continue their rule under Roman domination.
D)The Romans ended the Antigonid dynasty in Macedonia.
E)The Roman Empire gained control of the entire western Mediterranean.

Question 23

The term latifundia refers to

A)Large estates employing slaves and owned by large landowners.
B)Land given to soldiers after having served in combat in the Roman army.
C)The economic conditions of soldiers, who lost their land while they were away fighting.
D)The agricultural transition to money crops by the common soldier-farmer.
E)Colonies developed by Romans from land taken in military campaigns.

Question 24

All of the following statements are true regarding slaves in the Roman Empire except

A)Slaves could be set free.
B)A freed slave gained all the rights of a citizen.
C)A child born to a slave mother and a free father was free.
D)The ratio of slaves to citizens was three-to-one which was one of the highest in world history.
E)Slaves were often captives from a military campaign.

Question 25

Which of the following statements is true in regard to the results of the Second Punic War?

A)Carthage was able to keep its holdings in the Mediterranean Sea.
B)The navy of Carthage would again become a threat to Rome.
C)Rome agreed to rebuild the capital of Carthage that had been burned by Scipio.
D)Rome would share Spanish territory with Carthage.
E)Carthage would be eliminated as a rival to Rome in the Mediterranean.

Question 26

Caesar became ruler of Rome after he successfully governed ______and then led his army to Rome where the senate declared him dictator.

A)Gaul.
B)Egypt.
C)North Africa.
D)Britain.
E)Parthia.

Question 27

The Third Punic War ended with Rome's victory at the battle of Zama,which took place in

A)North Africa.
B)Sicily.
C)Spain.
D)Italy.
E)The Alps.

Question 28

Marius was an innovator in the Roman army because he waived the requirement for soldiers to be landowners and he recruited

A)Farmers who owned only small plots of land.
B)Freed slaves working for citizenship.
C)Landless volunteers from the working poor.
D)The finest soldiers in the city of Rome.
E)Soldiers who were loyal to the Senate above all else.

Question 29

If a paterfamilias decided a family could not afford a new baby,what happened to it?

A)The paterfamilias decided what to do with it.
B)It was raised by the family anyway.
C)It was adopted out.
D)It became a slave in the family.
E)It was exposed to the elements.

Question 30

Sulla came to power by having the Senate declare him

A)Consul.
B)Chief Senator.
C)General.
D)Dictator.
E)Tribune.

Question 31

Patrons had the same obligations and duties to their clients as they did toward

A)The emperor.
B)Their family.
C)The army.
D)Their wives.
E)Their economic peers.

Question 32

Hannibal's army started in ____ and marched toward Italy.

A)Carthage.
B)Spain.
C)Gaul.
D)Greece.
E)Sicily.

Question 33

Which of the following descriptions is not associated with Roman society?

A)Like Egyptian families of importance, siblings often married to keep the family line.
B)Roman marriages were monogamous.
C)Paterfamilias referred to the male head of the family.
D)Marriage among prominent families required legal contracts.
E)After the death of the father, a new paterfamilias had to be chosen among the sons.

Question 34

Who led the forces of Carthage against Rome's Scipio Africanus in the Second Punic War?

A)Scipio.
B)Tiberius Gracchus.
C)Hannibal.
D)Polybius.
E)Herodotus.

Question 35

Though unsuccessful,who supported public and social reforms at the end of the republic?

A)The Gracchus brothers.
B)Polybius.
C)The Caesars.
D)The Scipios.
E)Augustus.

Question 36

Either the man or the woman could initiate divorce in the Roman Empire,and themain legal issue was which of the following?

A)Custody of children.
B)What name the wife kept.
C)Settlement of property.
D)Where the husband would live.
E)Which partner could remarry.

Question 37

Why was Caesar assassinated?

A)A rival general had his own personal goals.
B)Caesar declared himself dictator for life.
C)He referred to himself as divine.
D)He bought up a lot of small farms and created the largest latifundia.
E)Large landowners wished to create a monarchy.

Question 38

One of the reasons for the growing number of poor in Rome was the result of

A)Freed slaves without employment or citizenship rights.
B)The growing number of people without citizenship and without access to free public food.
C)New conquered lands that came under the control of the large landowners.
D)The growing number of landless peasants moving to the city to find employment.
E)Soldier's widows, without means of support, who moved to the capital.

Question 39

As the Roman Empire acquired new territories after the Punic Wars,the new areas were

A)Given all the same rights as citizens of Rome.
B)Mostly sold into slavery throughout its new empire.
C)Treated the same way as Carthage, in that they were destroyed.
D)Ruled as military districts by senate-appointed governors, but given citizenship.
E)Ruled as military districts, with no citizenship or privileges.

Question 40

In addition to the Carthaginians employing mercenaries,one of the reasons for Rome's victories in the First Punic War is that Rome built

A)An army.
B)A wall.
C)A treasury.
D)A navy.
E)A forum.

Question 41

The term Pax Romana refers to the

A)Expansion of the Roman Empire during the time of Octavian.
B)Period that involved the reign of Octavian.
C)Wars that brought the Ptolemies and Egypt into the empire.
D)Period between 27 B.C.E. and 180 C.E. when Rome enjoyed overall stability and peace across the Mediterranean.
E)Return to a republican-style government after the death of Caesar.

Question 42

Because Jesus believed illness was caused by ____,he healed the sick through miracles.

A)Imbalance of humors.
B)Satan's presence.
C)Over-indulgence in eating.
D)Lack of a healthy diet.
E)The poor were overworked.

Question 43

What killed Pliny the Elder in 79 C.E.?

A)Shipwreck caused by pirates.
B)Poisonous fumes from Mt. Vesuvius.
C)Epidemic outbreak of disease.
D)Killed by thieves while traveling to Rome.
E)Executed by the Senate.

Question 44

Which title did Octavian prefer to be called after becoming the sole ruler of Rome in 27 B.C.E.?

A)Emperor.
B)Augustus.
C)Princeps.
D)Dictator.
E)King.

Question 45

During the Roman Principate,how were wives able to reclaim their dowry?

A)After the death of her husband, she became the legal head of the house and owner of all its wealth.
B)Even though a wife moved in with her husband's family, she legally still belonged to her father's house, who could reclaim the dowry for her after the husband died.
C)She could only claim her dowry if her marriage involved a legal written document.
D)Her husband's wealth was legally hers if he had served or died in the Roman military.
E)Her husband had to have been a citizen and under Roman law, which allowed wives to reclaim dowries.

Question 46

With the exception of Jews and Christians,which of the following were associated with religion in most of the Roman Empire?

A)Polytheism.
B)Greek heritage.
C)Public cults.
D)Deification of past principes. 
E)All of these choices.

Question 47

Pontius Pilate had Jesus crucified because

A)Pilate feared a disturbance in a region already unsettled.
B)Roman law would not accept any religion that spoke to monotheism.
C)Jesus was convicted in a Roman court and found guilty of being a thief.
D)Jesus refused to recognize the monotheism of Judaism.
E)As a Jew, Pilate would not tolerate attacks against Judaism.

Question 48

Initially,Romans reacted to the Jews in their empire by

A)Prohibiting Judaism.
B)Destroying the temples.
C)Persecutions and expulsions.
D)Demanding that the Jews revere the princeps.
E)Allowing Temple leaders to govern in their communities.

Question 49

Why were Roman dowries usually small?

A)Roman women inherited their fathers' property.
B)Roman daughters were entitled to a share of their father's estate upon his death.
C)Women were expected to work outside the home.
D)Roman men resented their in-laws' wealth.
E)Roman marriages were supposed to be about love, not money.

Question 50

What important precedent was established by Augustus in regard to succession?

A)Only biological sons could succeed to the throne after the death of the princeps.
B)The sitting princeps had the power to name his successor.
C)Legally married principes' wives could act as regents for sons too young to take power.
D)Having no sons, legal daughters could take power as principes.
E)Sons and daughters from a mistress could be principes.

Question 51

One of the challenges historians face with most early Christian sources about Jesus is that they were--like sources available about Zarathrushtra and Buddha--

A)Only known through copies.
B)Biased against Jews.
C)Written by devotees. 
D)Written over five-hundred years after Christ.
E)Written by polytheistic Romans.

Question 52

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius involved the city of

A)Ostia.
B)Rome.
C)Carthage.
D)Syracuse.
E)Pompeii.

Question 53

What was typical about the marriage of Pliny the Younger to his third wife Calpurnia?

A)Her dowry was substantial.
B)She was literate. 
C)They had no affection for one another.
D)She was much younger.
E)They had many children.

Question 54

Why were so many converts attracted to the promises of Jesus?

A)He promised punishment to cruel and exploitive leaders.
B)He asked converts to follow him in a holy war against Rome.
C)Jesus had been preaching for many years and traveled the length of the Empire.
D)He had an egalitarian message which promised salvation to all.
E)His sermons attracted the higher levels of the society.

Question 55

Which of the following is true of Paul's preaching?

A)He spoke to prosperous audiences.
B)He recommended Christians pay their taxes. 
C)He preached at synagogues.
D)He began to preach in Tarsus.
E)All of these choices. 

Question 56

What title do the Dead Sea Scrolls use for the messiah?

A)The Christ.
B)The son of fire.
C)Ahura Mazda.
D)Teacher of Righteousness.
E)The Chosen One.

Question 57

Which of the following measures were not taken by Augustus to control the power of the military?

A)He decreased the size of the army.
B)Soldiers that had been demobilized were given land.
C)All high-ranking military officials were to be appointed by Augustus.
D)He transferred power to control the army to the princeps.
E)He allowed Roman women to join the army.

Question 58

What theory of the afterlife was common to the cult of Mithra?

A)Before ascending into heaven, the souls of the dead descended into the earth.
B)Only those who made frequent sacrifices will be saved.
C)Immortality of the soul is not possible.
D)Souls are reincarnated into new bodies.
E)Souls of the just ascend directly to heaven upon death.

Question 59

To acknowledge the accomplishments of Octavian,the Senate rewarded him with the title of Augustus,which

A)Meant "revered" making him close to a deity.
B)Established a life tenure for him as princeps.
C)Referred to him as emperor and sole leader.
D)Made him sole owner of all Roman land.
E)Made him the major general of the Roman army.

Question 60

What makes Pliny's account of the Mount Vesuvius' eruption particularly credible?

A)The eruption happened in the lifetime of Pliny.
B)Pliny spoke to someone who had witnessed the eruption.
C)Pliny personally witnessed and experienced the eruption.
D)He read many firsthand accounts of the disaster.
E)His uncle had died in the eruption.

Question 61

Please define the following key terms.
consul

Question 62

The Pax Romana ended 226 C.E.when what group began to attack Rome on its northern border?

A)Parthians.
B)Christians.
C)Greek.
D)Goths.
E)Celts.

Question 63

Please define the following key terms.
Polybius

Question 64

Please define the following key terms.
Scipio Africanus

Question 65

The Roman emperor responsible for moving the Roman capital to Byzantium was

A)Diocletian.
B)Pachomius.
C)Constantine.
D)Augustine.
E)Pontius Pilate.

Question 66

Please define the following key terms.
plebeian

Question 67

Please define the following key terms.
Roman Senate

Question 68

Please define the following key terms.
Romulus

Question 69

Please define the following key terms.
Punic Wars

Question 70

Please define the following key terms.
Hannibal

Question 71

Please define the following key terms.
Carthage

Question 72

The principate came to a formal end under the reign of

A)Diocletian.
B)Augustus.
C)Constantine.
D)Ptolemy.
E)Cleopatra. 

Question 73

Please define the following key terms.
paterfamilias

Question 74

Please define the following key terms.
Roman Republic

Question 75

Please define the following key terms.
Augustine

Question 76

All of the following are causes for the decline of the Roman Empire in the west except

A)Continuous losses to invading Germanic peoples migrating from the west.
B)The conversion to Christianity by the emperor.
C)The sack of Rome by the Goths.
D)Economic decline.
E)Chronic epidemics.

Question 77

What led Rome to destroy the temple of Jerusalem in 70 CE?

A)Fear of the popularity of Christianity.
B)Need for more taxes from Judaea.
C)Civil war between Rome's military factions.
D)Pontius Pilate led a rebellion against Rome.
E)A Jewish uprising.

Question 78

In 325 Constantine called a church council at Nicaea to settle a dispute over

A)The basic Christian creed.
B)The birth date of Jesus.
C)Role of the emperor in the church.
D)Whether women could be deacons.
E)The Christian canons. 

Question 79

Please define the following key terms.
Etruscans

Question 80

Please define the following key terms.
patrician