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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. How old was Alexander when Plutarch claims he took the Macedonian throne after Philip's death?

2. According to Plutarch, who authored laws in Lacedaemonia that caused land that was once subject to inheritance within families to be taken into a few wealthy hands?

3. According to Plutarch, what eventually led to Alexander and his mother, Olympia, separating from Philip to become his rivals?

4. From whom did Phocion learn of the military during his youth, according to Plutarch?

5. What is the first similarity that Plutarch recognized between Sertorius and Eumenes?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Plutarch detail Caesar's plan to become Consul of Rome by helping Pompey?

2. What did Plutarch identify as the difference between Eumenes and Sertorius in their approach to war?

3. Why did Ptolemy's son, according to Plutarch, place Cleomenes under house arrest while he was in exile in Egypt?

4. What did Plutarch identify as the myth regarding Alexander's lineage that Plutarch suggested his mother, Olympus, might have spread?

5. What are the similarities that Plutarch found between Sertorius and Eumenes?

6. What kind of commander did Plutarch consider Sertorius to be, and where did he fight and defeat Pompey?

7. What did Plutarch determine to be the difference in how Agesilaus and Pompey came to power?

8. How does Plutarch describe Alexander impressing his father by taming a horse?

9. What does Plutarch note about the difference between Phocion's public disagreements in the Athenian assembly and how he spoke in general conversation?

10. How did Plutarch report the death of Cato?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Plutarch was born a Greek, and as an adult became a Roman Citizen. He wrote during the First Century, A.D., while the Roman Empire was still in its ascendancy. Give details of how Plutarch's background and citizenship influenced his choice of historical figures for which to write biographies, the events he chose to cover, and how he characterized the cities and citizens that were affected by these figures.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Sertorius and Eumenes based upon their career tracks to becoming generals, their views of war, and the ways they died. Use details and quotes as they were reported by Plutarch.

Essay Topic 3

Artaxerxes faced family challenges from his brother and even his sons. Compare his brother's challenge against his inheriting the throne to the conspiracy of Artaxerxes' son, Darious, and the turmoil Ochus brought to his brothers to earn the right to inherit the throne. In the comparison, detail Artaxerxes' responses to the challenges and how each challenger adjusted their tactics to attempt to take Artaxerxes' crown.

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