Constitution of the Roman Republic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A) It remained unchanged since the Roman Kingdom.
B) It was codified into a single written document early on.
C) The Senate became the only governing body.
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 was responsible for electing magistrates.
B) It had no significant role or power.
C) It had full legislative authority.
D) It served as an advisory council to the Senate.

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

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

16. How did Roman assemblies make decisions?

A) Decisions were made by drawing lots.
B) By consensus after lengthy deliberations.
C) Through open debates and discussions among assembly members.
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) The comitia and contio served identical purposes.
C) Both were informal gatherings for public announcements.
D) Both were formal assemblies for enacting laws.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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