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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which prince does Machiavelli say must be generous?
(a) One who is about to go to war.
(b) One who has excessive vices.
(c) One just coming into power.
(d) One who inherited his title.

2. Why does Machiavelli argue against a prince being overly generous?
(a) To support his generosity, the prince must tax his subjects heavily.
(b) His generosity includes being able to pay his military high wages.
(c) By being generous, he avoids beeing seen as a miser.
(d) By being generous the people love him excessively.

3. How does Machiavelli define auxiliary forces?
(a) Extra manpower that may be called to active duty during a war.
(b) Women mercenaries who fight along side of men.
(c) Those borrowed from other principalities to wage war.
(d) The best insurance a prince has for his safety.

4. How can honesty in other people cause the prince to lose respect?
(a) When the prince never believes anything he hears.
(b) When their honesty is not recognized for what it is.
(c) When the honesty is really only half truths.
(d) When people are not afraid of offending the prince by what they say.

5. What does Machiavelli say the King of Naples and the Duke of Milan had in common?
(a) They both lost their dominions in Italy.
(b) They both improved the laws in their dominions.
(c) They both had great skill in dealing with the nobles.
(d) They both learned quickly how to rule effectively.

6. What does Machiavelli say is the first requirement of a commander?
(a) Knowing how to locate the enemy, deploy his soldiers, and lay siege to a city.
(b) Making constant changes in his miliary command.
(c) Making sure he has the money to pay his mercenaries.
(d) Frequently reviewing his troops.

7. What does the prince gain from rewarding his ministers well for jobs well done?
(a) He gets time to look around for new ministers who are not so dangerous.
(b) He gets their support without fear of their trying to overthrow him.
(c) He gets a percentage of all those ministers make from taking bribes.
(d) He gets losts of gifts from those ministers who become wealthy.

8. What does Machiavelli tell the prince is more important than morality in government?
(a) Expediency.
(b) Religion.
(c) Generosity.
(d) Philosophy.

9. What does Machiavelli say are the two main reasons for a prince to lose his dominion?
(a) Relying on himself and not listening to sound advice.
(b) Relying entirely on fate or making the wrong provisions for expected misfortune.
(c) Relying on the church and neglecting to read history.
(d) Relying on past experience and not planning for the unexpected.

10. Who can successfully gain the reputation for generosity but not ruin himself in the process?
(a) A prince who has unlimited resources.
(b) A prince who goes to war to create jobs for his subjects.
(c) A prince who gives away someone else's money.
(d) A prince who only gives when he can expect a generous return.

11. Why does Machiavelli insist that a prince need not always be honest?
(a) Because he cannot remember everything he said in the past.
(b) Because men are not basically good by nature.
(c) Because an honest prince cannot be cruel at the same time.
(d) Because he needs to change the circumstances.

12. What does Machiavelli mean when he says "impetuousness is better than calculation"?
(a) Young men are too cautious to be successful.
(b) Fortune admits more readily to boldness than to calculation.
(c) Old men are usually more daring and agressive in their actions.
(d) Calculation enables one to do innovative things.

13. What does the wise prince do to maintain the loyalty of the people?
(a) Plays with the people and leaves the government up to someone else.
(b) Does both popular and unpopular actions always in a fair manner.
(c) Exasperates the nobles and therefore pleases the people.
(d) Perfroms the popular acts himself and delegates unpopular actions to someone else.

14. What does Machiavelli see as an insurmountable chasm?
(a) The difference between the very rich and the very poor.
(b) The understanding of the people versus the understanding of the prince.
(c) The reality of the way we live versus the ideas of how we ought to live.
(d) Idealism and Christian philosophy of living.

15. When does Machiavelli say a prince should be thinking most about military strategy?
(a) During times of peace.
(b) When he visits another prince.
(c) On hunting expeditions.
(d) When he is being invaded.

Short Answer Questions

1. What in Machiavelli's opinion is the problem with a prince being too liberal with his subjects?

2. Why does Machiavelli say that the sultans of Turkey and Egypt had to listen more to the military than to the people?

3. What causes the people to begin to support the new prince?

4. Those who were viewed with suspicion at the beginning of a princedom usually become the most loyal subjects. Why?

5. Why should a prince keep down factions in his princedom?

(see the answer keys)

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