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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 is Eco?
(a) Polia's son.
(b) Polia's lover.
(c) Polia's slave.
(d) Polia's brother.

2. Who is Marcus Tullius Cicero?
(a) The governor of Rome.
(b) A freed slave.
(c) A noble member of Roman society.
(d) An advocate in a murder case.

3. In Chapter 2, what happens as Tiro and Gordianus walk through the streets?
(a) A scuffle breaks out and a gladiator is stabbed.
(b) Slaves are congregating to stage an uprising.
(c) A mob robs a shop.
(d) A woman strips in the street.

4. Where does Gordianus encounter Marcus Licinius Crassus?
(a) On the street outside the House of Swans.
(b) At the site of a tenement fire, trying to cheat someone out of money.
(c) At the tavern when he got into a fight.
(d) At his home when he returns there at the end of the day.

5. What does Gordianus learn at the home of Caecilia Metella?
(a) That Cicero will not be able to pay him.
(b) That Sulla killed his first wife.
(c) That Cicero has ulterior motives this investigation.
(d) That Sextus Roscius (pater) had a son from his second marriage named Gaius

Short Answer Questions

1. When Gordianus questions Polia, she__________________.

2. What is Cicero's client accused of?

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

4. When Gordianus leaves Caecilia Metella's house in Chapter 7, what does he observe Tiro doing?

5. What is Gordianus's first impression of Cicero?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 5, Cicero says to Tiro, "A fit subject for debate: Is it possible that a slave can be too loyal to his master? That is to say, too enthusiastic in his devotion, too ready to spring to his master's defense." What is your answer to that question?

2. Cicero and Sextus Roscius (pater) lived very different lifestyles. Compare and contrast their lifestyles.

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

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

5. Do you think Elena really was pregnant? Or was she setting Roscius up to be attacked?

6. If traveling to Ameria alone is so dangerous, why doesn't Gordianus take a companion or a guard?

7. Explain why Caecilia would house Sextus Roscius (filius) in an unsavory part of her house, near the stinking indoor toilets.

8. What elements of Cicero's home seem to contradict one another?

9. Electra tells Gordianus and Tiro that some men bought Elena. What else does she reveal?

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

(see the answer keys)

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