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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. What does Caesar do when his generals fear attacking the Germans?

2. Why does Bibulus shut himself in his house at the end of his consul term?

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

4. Whom does Caesar pit the people against when he is in office?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Caesar do to build support for himself as a Roman leader after he returns from Gaul, and why is the timing significant?

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

3. 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"?

4. What causes the Egyptians to betray Pompey, how does he die, and what is Caesar's reaction?

5. How does Plutarch feel about Caesar's military accomplishments and why?

6. How do the differences between Caesar and Pompey lead to Caesar becoming the dictator of Rome, and what does he do with the position?

7. How does the rivalry between Cicero and Clodius begin?

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

9. How does Caesar die and why has the event become so famous?

10. Why does Cicero retire from public life, and what do his plans include at this point in his life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Omens played a big part of the way Romans lived their lives and made their decisions.

1) Using each of the six figures for which Plutarch provides a biography, describe the different omens that they encounter and the way that they choose to react to them.

2) Analyze the differences or similarities between how the Roman leaders responded to omens during their lives, and the results of their regard for them.

3) Explain what you think the significance of omens were in general to the Roman Republic and the people who lived during that time.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, including an analysis of all factors surrounding the events that led up to it, how it was waged, and the way that it ended. Use the entire book to provide insight on both men to explain the reasons for their parts in the war, and the overall effect it has on the future of Rome.

Essay Topic 3

Marius displays his constant resolve in a variety of different ways throughout his life.

1) Explain how Marius loses two political battles in one day, and why the way he handles each of them is important.

2) Describe the way Marius views his involvement in the wars that he fights, how he chooses to train himself and his troops, and explain the origin of the saying, "one of Marius's mules."

3) Describe at least two other examples of how Marius shows his resolve or the inability to accept defeat, and why that is a significant part of his life.

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