Constitution of the Roman Republic

1. Which social class in the Roman Republic held the most political power?

A) Equestrians
B) Slaves
C) Patricians
D) Plebeians

2. Who were the two elected officials of the Roman Republic who jointly ruled the state?

A) Aediles
B) Consuls
C) Tribunes
D) Censors

3. What was the term for the event where a Roman general would assume temporary control during times of crisis?

A) Dictatorship
B) Monarchy
C) Tyranny
D) Republic

4. Which famous military general declared himself dictator in 49 BC and effectively ended the Roman Republic?

A) Pompey
B) Mark Antony
C) Scipio Africanus
D) Julius Caesar

5. What was the name of the Roman official responsible for conducting the census, managing public finances, and supervising public morals?

A) Praetor
B) Consul
C) Tribune
D) Censor

6. Which event marked the official end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire?

A) Assassination of Julius Caesar
B) Sack of Rome by the Visigoths
C) Battle of Actium
D) Punic Wars

7. What was the term for the group of 300 men appointed to advise the consuls in the Roman Republic?

A) Council of the Plebs
B) Sibylline Books
C) Curia Hostilia
D) Senate

8. Who were the magistrates in charge of maintaining public order and overseeing games and festivals in ancient Rome?

A) Aediles
B) Quaestors
C) Dictators
D) Censors

9. What was the name of the body of magistrates that oversaw judicial matters in the Roman Republic?

A) Censors
B) Praetors
C) Quaestors
D) Aediles

10. What was the name of the group of judges in ancient Rome who heard court cases and passed judgments?

A) Quaestors
B) Centurions
C) Praetorian Guard
D) Centumviri

11. What powers did the magistrates hold in the Roman Republic?

A) They exercised religious, military, and judicial powers.
B) They had no influence over the Assemblies.
C) They could only preside over assemblies without other powers.
D) They were solely responsible for declaring war.

12. What was a significant outcome of the Conflict of the Orders?

A) Tribunes were abolished.
B) Patricians lost all political power.
C) The Senate became the sole governing body.
D) Plebeian citizens gained equal political rights.

13. How did the Roman Republic's constitution evolve from its origins?

A) It remained unchanged since the Roman Kingdom.
B) The Senate became the only governing body.
C) It was codified into a single written document early on.
D) It evolved substantively and significantly over almost five hundred years.

14. What role did the plebeian assembly play in the Roman Republic?

A) It served as an advisory council to the Senate.
B) It was responsible for electing magistrates.
C) It had no significant role or power.
D) It had full legislative authority.

15. What was a consequence of the increasing centralization of authority in the late Roman Republic?

A) It put the republic on a path to civil war.
B) Magistrates were no longer able to veto each other.
C) Plebeians lost their political rights.
D) The Senate gained unprecedented power over the Assemblies.

16. How did Roman assemblies make decisions?

A) Decisions were made by drawing lots.
B) Through open debates and discussions among assembly members.
C) By consensus after lengthy deliberations.
D) After hearing speakers, the presiding officer could call for a direct up or down vote.

17. How were the comitia different from the contio?

A) The comitia were formal gatherings where legal actions were taken, while the contio was an unofficial forum with no legal decisions made.
B) Both were formal assemblies for enacting laws.
C) Both were informal gatherings for public announcements.
D) The comitia and contio served identical purposes.

18. In which year were fourteen rural tribes added to the Roman tribal assembly?

A) 287 BC
B) 495 BC
C) 241 BC
D) 471 BC

19. What was one of the main responsibilities of the censors?

A) Appointing consuls
B) Conducting the census
C) Judging criminal cases
D) Leading military campaigns

20. Who assassinated Caesar, preventing any plans he might have had from being enacted?

A) The liberatores
B) Antony and Octavian
C) Pompey's supporters
D) Roman citizens

21. What was a common method to end debates in the senate?

A) A vote by acclamation.
B) Debates were never ended prematurely.
C) A filibuster by talking until nightfall.
D) Immediate approval of all proposals.

22. Under whose presidency did the comitia calata meet for religious purposes?

A) The consul.
B) The censor.
C) The praetor.
D) The pontifex maximus.

23. What is there no basis to believe Caesar planned for regarding the republican system?

A) Reduction of military power
B) Sweeping reform
C) Complete abolition
D) Expansion of territories

24. What was a key feature of the Roman Republic's early tribunes?

A) They declared war on enemies
B) There were exactly ten tribunes
C) They levied taxes
D) Their number at this early time is unclear

25. What was the primary purpose of Roman assemblies in legislative matters during the middle republic?

A) Drafting new legislation independently.
B) Representing foreign interests.
C) Actively debating and rejecting bills.
D) Serving as a legitimizing symbol rather than a deliberative body.

26. Which law allowed plebiscites to apply to all Romans?

A) Lex Hortensia
B) Plebiscitum Ovinium
C) Lex Caecilia Didia
D) Senatus consultum ultimum

27. How was deference to the senate ingrained in Roman Republic society?

A) Via religious rituals
B) Through aristocratic social norms
C) Through popular votes
D) By military enforcement

28. What was the term length for a consul in the Roman Republic?

A) Ten years
B) Five years
C) Two years
D) One year

29. Who was elected by patrician members of the senate for a term of five days?

A) Aedile
B) Interrex
C) Dictator
D) Quaestor

30. What power did tribunes have to protect individuals from injustice?

A) Intercessio
B) Auctoritas
C) Imperium
D) Auxilium

31. How many voting blocs were there in the centuriate assembly?

A) 300 voting blocs.
B) 50 voting blocs.
C) 100 voting blocs.
D) 193 voting blocs.

32. Who was responsible for coining money in the Roman Republic?

A) Dictators
B) Quaestors
C) Aediles
D) Vigintisexviri

33. Which power did consuls have that allowed them to consult the gods for the people?

A) Imperium
B) Cursus honorum
C) The auspices
D) Prorogation

34. What was a significant influence of late Republican praetors?

A) Military strategy
B) Religious festivals
C) Civic infrastructure
D) Roman law

35. What was one of the consuls' responsibilities during domestic affairs in the Roman Republic?

A) Administering justice
B) Leading separate consular armies
C) Holding the annual feriae Latinae (a spring festival)
D) Introducing legislation

36. How many praetors were there by Sulla's time?

A) Two
B) Eight
C) Four
D) Six

37. What was a primary duty of censors besides conducting the census?

A) Leading military operations
B) Assessing public morality
C) Conducting trials
D) Appointing tribunes

38. What was the term used to describe the inviolability of tribunes?

A) Auctoritas
B) Potestas
C) Sacrosanct
D) Imperium

39. Who argued against the idea that long commands were a rejection of republican principles?

A) Antony
B) Pompey
C) Erich Gruen
D) Julius Caesar

40. Who represented the curiae in the curiate assembly during the middle republic?

A) The Senate.
B) Thirty lictors.
C) Military tribunes.
D) A council of elders.

41. What was the main responsibility of praetors later in the Roman Republic?

A) Commanding armies
B) Introducing legislation
C) Administering justice
D) Holding religious festivals

42. Which magistrate was appointed by consuls to resolve urgent issues?

A) Aedile
B) Magister equitum
C) Quaestor
D) Dictator

43. What marked Rome's path away from a state without domination by a single man?

A) Caesar's assassination
B) The creation of the triumvirate
C) The emperor Tiberius' successful accession in AD 14
D) The establishment of the Senate

Created with That Quiz — a math test site for students of all grade levels.