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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who was with Roscius (pater) when he died?
(a) His wife.
(b) No one.
(c) A prostitute.
(d) His faithful slaves.

2. What do Caecilia Metella and Rufus Messalla have in common?
(a) They both know Cicero.
(b) Their sisters were both married to Sulla.
(c) They both hate Gordianus.
(d) They are brother and sister.

3. What disability does Eco have?
(a) He is deaf.
(b) He has a low IQ.
(c) He is mute.
(d) He cannot walk.

4. Eco communicates that the man who stabbed Roscius has what distinguishing characteristic?
(a) He is a hunchback.
(b) He wears an eye patch.
(c) He is a dwarf.
(d) He walks with a limp.

5. Gordianus finds a pool of blood and a bloody hand print near_________________.
(a) A sundry shop.
(b) A bath house.
(c) A library.
(d) A brothel.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Gordianus questions Polia, she__________________.

2. Where does Gordianus encounter Marcus Licinius Crassus?

3. Who is Polia?

4. When Gordianus begins his investigation in Chapter 9, where does he go?

5. What clues are provided in Chapter 3 to indicate Cicero's class?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why would the shopkeeper and his wife lie about witnessing the attack of Roscius?

2. Why does Gordianus mention the fog at the end of Chapter 15?

3. Why does Bethesda bite Gordianus when he comes into her room?

4. Who do you think is smarter: Gordianus or Cicero? Why?

5. Why does Gordianus loan Bethesda to the household of the stable master?

6. When Gordianus and Tiro see the tenement fire, what is the significance of that?

7. Why does Cicero send Tiro instead of a lesser slave to the home of Gordianus?

8. What is the significance of the fact that the men who break into Gordianus's house had come earlier in the day?

9. Why does Polia think she is protecting Eco by lying about him witnessing the attack?

10. What is the purpose of the author's inclusion of the scene where Gordianus and Tiro see a gladiator stabbed while they are walking to Cicero's house?

(see the answer keys)

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