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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Cicero serve as a priest before returning to Rome?

2. What does Pompey wait for before going to the aid of Metellus?

3. What does Caesar use to build support for himself as a Roman leader?

4. Where is Cicero's country estate located?

5. What does Caesar do when his first wife dies, endearing him to the people?

Short Essay Questions

1. What important event does Cicero stop when he is the praetor of Rome?

2. What is significant about the way Pompey begins his military career?

3. How does Pompey face criticism for pursuing Caesar and what happens when the two meet for the final time?

4. What leads to the civil war between Caesar and Pompey?

5. What are some of the omens that Plutarch discusses leading up to Caesar's death?

6. What part does Pompey play in the war in Africa, how does he want to be celebrated for it, and why is he given the name, "The Great"?

7. What is it about Caesar's actions that cause him to lose support from the people, and how does he become a dictator for life?

8. How does Cicero approach young Caesar when he arrives in Rome, and what happens to cause the two to be on opposite sides?

9. How do the people show their support for Caesar when he enters politics and what does Cato do to try to lessen Caesar's popularity at that time?

10. What is the contrast between Caesar's troops and Pompey's troops, and how does that affect the outcome of their war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an in depth essay about Crassus's personality traits, focusing on his main vice, avarice. Use examples and events to explain how his pension for greed affected both his political and military career.

Essay Topic 2

Caesar is known for having an impact on Rome from a very early age. Describe his youth and the events that lead up to his return to Rome, including an analysis of his capture by Sulla's men and the pirates. Also, explain why these situations and how Caesar handles them are a sign of the way he eventually approaches later conflicts in his life.

Essay Topic 3

Plutarch uses the comparisons of other figures to illustrate the character of the Roman leaders that he describes in "Fall of the Roman Republic". For each of the following, explain the comparison made by Plutarch, what it displays for each figure, and what it adds to the biography of that specific Roman leader.

1) Marius and Plato.

2) Sulla and Lysander.

3) Crassus and Nicias.

4) Pompey and Agesilaus.

5) Cicero and Demosthenes.

6) Caesar and Marius.

(see the answer keys)

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