Constitution of the Roman Republic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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) 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) Senate
C) Curia Hostilia
D) Sibylline Books

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

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

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

A) Praetors
B) Aediles
C) Quaestors
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 were solely responsible for declaring war.
C) They had no influence over the Assemblies.
D) They could only preside over assemblies without other powers.

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

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

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

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

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 served as an advisory council to the Senate.
D) It had full legislative authority.

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

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

16. How did Roman assemblies make decisions?

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

17. How were the comitia different from the contio?

A) The comitia and contio served identical purposes.
B) Both were formal assemblies for enacting laws.
C) Both were informal gatherings for public announcements.
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) 471 BC
B) 495 BC
C) 287 BC
D) 241 BC

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

A) Conducting the census
B) Judging criminal cases
C) Appointing consuls
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 filibuster by talking until nightfall.
B) Immediate approval of all proposals.
C) Debates were never ended prematurely.
D) A vote by acclamation.

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

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

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

A) Complete abolition
B) Reduction of military power
C) Expansion of territories
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) Actively debating and rejecting bills.
B) Drafting new legislation independently.
C) Representing foreign interests.
D) Serving as a legitimizing symbol rather than a deliberative body.

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

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

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

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

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

A) One year
B) Two years
C) Ten years
D) Five 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) Auxilium
B) Intercessio
C) Imperium
D) Auctoritas

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) Aediles
B) Vigintisexviri
C) Quaestors
D) Dictators

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A) Dictator
B) Aedile
C) Magister equitum
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) The creation of the triumvirate
D) Caesar's assassination

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