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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the resulting military action after the revolt of Chios?
(a) A combined Athenian and Argive force achieves a victory at Miletus but then retires as a larger Peloponnesian relief force approaches.
(b) A larger revolt involving more of the Delian League allies
(c) A surprise attack on Athens by Sparta and Syracuse
(d) The arrival of a Persian fleet in the Aegean Sea

2. What does Thucydides say about the new Peloponnesian triremes?
(a) They are lighter and can move faster in the water.
(b) These triremes possess a reinforced prow with strengthened rams.
(c) They use less manpower to operate.
(d) They are the largest ships ever built up to that time.

3. How did Thucydides see the period of 422 to 421 BC?
(a) Part of a continuous military struggle with a lull included.
(b) A time when no military operations are launched.
(c) An era of more guerilla warfare
(d) A period of rearmament for both sides

4. What happens in the second battle at Syracuse?
(a) Cleon comes and takes command of the Athenians.
(b) Nicias finally takes aggressive action.
(c) Alcibiades arrives with reinforcements.
(d) Gylippus leads his troops to victory.

5. Stylistically speaking, what is the quality of Thucydides' text?
(a) It is complex and extraordinarily dense which often leads to difficulty with clear interpretation of issues.
(b) Its simplicity of style makes it simple for even non-scholars to study.
(c) It is archaic and fails to deliver what Thucydides had hoped for.
(d) It is uneven and often misleading.

6. What is the first step in the unraveling of the Athenian force?
(a) Money is playing out in Athens.
(b) The raids on Peloponnesus become ineffective.
(c) There starts to be a lot of defections.
(d) The Spartan presence in fortified Decelea causes difficulty in Athens, and Sparta sends reinforcements to Syracuse.

7. What indicates Athens' former military superiority as late as 412 BC?
(a) Sparta is still unable to get beyond Attica.
(b) Athens still has a significant military force .
(c) Small nations still look to Sthens for protection.
(d) Persia still considers Athens as a threat.

8. What major battle occurs in the winter of 415 BC?
(a) Thrace versus Thebes
(b) Sicily versus Macedonia
(c) Athens versus Syracuse
(d) Sparta versus Italy

9. Where are most of the skirmishes fought in 411 BC?
(a) The Hellespont
(b) In Crete
(c) In Miletus
(d) At Lycros

10. How does the text of Thucydides' history end?
(a) With predictions about future wars
(b) In mid-sentence, seven years prior to the conclusion of the war
(c) With a summary of the entire war
(d) With Thucydides returning from exile back to Athens

11. Why does Thucydides create his own chronology for his history?
(a) He clearly intends it for a wider readership than just the Athenians.
(b) There is a unified calendar of which he does not approve.
(c) He is not sure of exact dates during the war.
(d) He wants to exert influence over the Grecian calendar.

12. What innovation does Gylippus utilize in the second battle at Syracuse?
(a) Cavalry
(b) Explosives
(c) Battering rams
(d) Catapults

13. What claim does Alcibiades make when the Phoenician navy remains neutral in the Aegean?
(a) He claims that the Phoenicians are little better than pirates.
(b) He claims that rumors of Phoenician ships in the area are false intelligence.
(c) He claims it is his personal influence with the Phoenicians.
(d) He claims that he enlists the Spartan fleet to battle the Phoenicians.

14. What is commonly called the peace of Nicias by modern scholars?
(a) The treaty of alliance between Sparta and Athens during the winter of 422 to 421 BC
(b) A time under Nicias when Sparta is afraid to attack.
(c) The end of the Peloponnesian War
(d) A six-week halt to the hostilities

15. Where is Thucydides writing his History of the Peloponnesian War?
(a) Underground Athens
(b) In exile
(c) In the Library of Alexandria
(d) In Sparta

Short Answer Questions

1. How many battles are fought between Athens and Syracuse?

2. After military setbacks, what disagreement arses between Nicias and Demosthenes?

3. What happens among pro-Athens allies at that time?

4. What is the historic view of the years from 421 to 413 BC?

5. What practice does Thucydides not value other than recognizing its effect on politics and the military?

(see the answer keys)

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