Constitution of the Roman Republic

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

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

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

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

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

A) Monarchy
B) Tyranny
C) Republic
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) Consul
C) Praetor
D) Censor

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) Assassination of Julius Caesar
C) Punic Wars
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) 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) Censors
D) Dictators

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

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

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

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

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 were solely responsible for declaring war.
D) They could only preside over assemblies without other powers.

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

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

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) It evolved substantively and significantly over almost five hundred years.
D) The Senate became the only governing body.

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

16. How did Roman assemblies make decisions?

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

17. How were the comitia different from the contio?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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