Question 1

To an Epicurean, the ideal life was

Accepted Answer

A)  an endless pursuit of pleasure and excitement amid the new sensations and ideas of the Hellenistic world. 
B)  a quiet life surrounded by friends and away from the public sphere. 
C)  lived in harmony with nature and hinged on an acceptance of fate and the cultivation of virtue. 
D)  lived outside the norms of society, free of material possessions or concerns.

Question 2

Please discuss the factors that allowed Philip II and Alexander to build up such an extensive empire.

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Question 3

By the 350s B.C.E., which city-state's endless war making and collaboration with the Persians caused so much strife that the weakened Greek city-states could not fend off the Macedonians?

Accepted Answer

A)  Thebes 
B)  Athens 
C)  Sparta 
D)  Corinth

Question 4

How did the successor kings establish themselves as legitimate rulers of their new kingdoms?

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Question 5

Explain why Hellenistic kings' lavish spending on the arts reflected political goals more than artistic ones.

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Question 6

How did Socrates stun the trial participants during his trial?

Accepted Answer

A)  By launching a broadside attack on Athenian democracy and calling for a monarchy to replace it 
B)  By suggesting that the Greek gods did not exist and offering new theories of natural philosophy in the gods' stead 
C)  By criticizing the conduct of Athenian leaders during the Peloponnesian War and insisting that Athens deserved its defeat at the hands of the Spartans 
D)  By defending his right to question his fellow citizens' preconceptions about just living and proclaiming that he would continue to do so

Question 7

Why did Hellenistic science rarely produce practical results?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Romans conquered the eastern Mediterranean just as Greek scientists were beginning to achieve significant breakthroughs-and cut off Greek science at the bud. 
B)  It was weighted down with too many theories, like those of Aristotle, that were fundamentally flawed. 
C)  Hellenistic rulers feared that new inventions might put large numbers of skilled craftsmen and common laborers out of work. 
D)  Leading scientists were more interested in theoretical discoveries, and the technology needed to produce practical applications did not yet exist.

Question 8

In the Hellenistic world, women's social and political status depended largely on which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  Their position in the socioeconomic hierarchy; wealthy women had far more opportunities available to them than did poor women 
B)  Their natural beauty; attractive women, regardless of social class, were more likely to marry upward and advance socially 
C)  Their innate ambition and intelligence; women driven to advance socially often succeeded in doing so, regardless of their social origins 
D)  Geography; women in Greece were more likely than women in the other Mediterranean Hellenistic kingdoms to be on equal footing with men

Question 9

Several Hellenistic philosophies agreed that people could free themselves from anxiety about the world around them by

Accepted Answer

A)  studying logic. 
B)  becoming politically involved. 
C)  seeking inner personal tranquility. 
D)  joining monastic orders.

Question 10

In what order did Alexander embark upon his conquests of the known world, from earliest to latest, according to this map?
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Accepted Answer

A)  Egypt; Greece; India; Anatolia 
B)  Greece; Egypt; Mesopotamia; India 
C)  Assyria; Parthia; Egypt; India 
D)  India; Egypt; Greece; Media

Question 11

A number of Hellenistic women wrote epigrams, which were

Accepted Answer

A)  humorous nicknames given to their loved ones. 
B)  short poems originally engraved on tombstones to commemorate the dead. 
C)  emotionally charged love poems. 
D)  expressions of religious devotion that were read during major civic festivals.

Question 12

Why did Philip II decide to attack Persia?

Accepted Answer

A)  He was afraid of Persia's growing naval presence in the Aegean Sea. 
B)  He was concerned that his own soldiers were dangerous without a war to occupy them. 
C)  He mistrusted his wife, Olympias, whom he planned to leave at home. 
D)  His nobility was eager to obtain more land and plunder.

Question 13

Explain the link between Aristotle's distrust of democracy and his views on slavery. Aristotle believed that common sense and the careful observation of nature could explain inequalities in life. Which observations contributed to his belief that women were inferior to men?

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Question 14

How did the idea develop that some Hellenistic rulers were divine? Why did people worship them?

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Question 15

Hellenistic philosophers almost universally focused on how individuals should pursue inner tranquility to achieve freedom from larger outside forces. This focus stood in sharp contrast to that of classical philosophers, who discussed political, social, and moral issues that affected the community. To what extent did the differing political establishments of the two eras create this difference in approach? Be sure to discuss the emerging philosophical schools of the Hellenistic era in your response, and their ethical teachings in particular.

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Question 16

What was Plato's Academy in Athens, established around 386 B.C.E.?

Accepted Answer

A)  A school for the young men of elite families, who were trained by Plato to be philosopher-kings 
B)  A series of dialogues designed to bring Plato's students into awareness of the Forms 
C)  A group of scholars-including women-who met to study Plato's writings 
D)  An informal group of men who studied philosophy, mathematics, and theoretical astronomy

Question 17

How did wealthy Greek elites in the Hellenistic kingdoms contribute to the common good?

Accepted Answer

A)  By serving as soldiers in Greek armies and navies 
B)  By volunteering to serve in the civic administration 
C)  By donating money for public works projects, food, and medicine 
D)  By teaching Greek to Hellenistic subjects

Question 18

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) rejected Plato's metaphysics, maintaining instead that explanations of the nature of reality must be based on

Accepted Answer

A)  introspection and harmony with nature. 
B)  observation and the exercise of common sense. 
C)  pragmatic relativism and persuasion. 
D)  an understanding of the atoms that compose matter.

Question 19

Why did astrology suddenly become popular in the Hellenistic era?

Accepted Answer

A)  Alexander the Great himself had placed his faith in the stars when timing his battles and launching his invasions. 
B)  Astrology played a central role in the ideas of the Stoics and the Epicureans. 
C)  People felt a need for religion to bridge the disconnect between the precise nature of the heavens and the chaos of earthly life. 
D)  The Greeks borrowed from the Roman divinities and discovered astrology in the process.

Question 20

Which of the following regions likely benefitted the most from trade within the Mediterranean Sea?
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Accepted Answer

A)  The Parthian Empire 
B)  The Bactrian kingdom 
C)  The independent Greek states 
D)  The Hellenized non-Greek kingdoms

Exam 4: From the Classical to the Hellenistic World, 400-30 B.C.E