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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. For what does Plutarch claim Marcus Brutus is known?

2. What did Plutarch report to be the differences between Rome and Sparta at the time "The Roman Brothers" and "The Spartans" had their influence?

3. Who did Plutarch report to be the first Roman official to try to take up the issue that confronted Tiberius after his election as tribune?

4. After the death of Tiberius, what did Plutarch report to be the first office to which his brother, Caius was elected?

5. How does Plutarch claim that Demosthenes became the best orator of his time?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Plutarch claim that Dion was banished from the court of young Dionysius?

2. How did Plutarch compare the military achievements of Brutus and Dion?

3. What difference does Plutarch recognize in the raising of the Gracchi Brothers (Tiberius and Caius) and The Spartans (Agis and Cleomenes)?

4. What does Plutarch claim Atarus did to free Sicyon from the tyrant Nicocles?

5. Why does Plutarch report that Artaxerxes had his son, Darius, executed?

6. How did Plutarch describe the defeat of Brutus after the death of Caesar?

7. How did Antony inspire a revolt against the assassins of Caesar, according to Plutarch?

8. According to Plutarch, how did Tiberius' death affect Caius' entry into Roman politics?

9. Why does Plutarch suggest Caesar showed favor to Brutus despite Brutus siding with Pompey during the civil war with Caesar?

10. How does Plutarch compare the deaths of Demetrius and Antony?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Plutarch's reports of suicides among the figures he profiled plays very prominently in what he considers the figure's nobility or lack thereof. Compare the suicides of Cato and Otho. Explain the circumstances that led to the suicide, reasons the two gave for committing the act, and how you believe the act is a reflection of the character that Plutarch developed in his biography.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the rhetorical styles of Demosthenes and Cicero. Use quotes from Plutarch's lives to make your illustrations. In the comparison identify the affects that each speaker had on his audiences, legislative bodies, and on the support or opposition of people in powerful positions.

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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