View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Book Three, The Examples of Rome's Great Men, Sundry Remarks on Strategy, Tactics, New Devices and Discipline, Administrative Posts, Administrative Methods: The Rival Claims of Severity and Good Fellowship.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Machiavelli recommend a Republic deal with enemies that spring up within an empire?
(a) He advocates smearing them with public proclamations about the threat they pose.
(b) Princes should name appoint them to offices to leave their actions open to public scrutiny.
(c) He recommends that efforts be made to temporize (compromise) them rather than crush them.
(d) He advises Princes to allow his supporters to conspire to assassinate the enemies.

2. What should the reader consider as evil when Machiavelli is advising Princes to "recognize evils".
(a) Evil is those human inclinations that cause them to act selfishly.
(b) Evil is anything with which a Prince does not agree.
(c) Evil should be considered to be any influence which challenges the power of the Prince.
(d) Evil is those public reactions that oppose the Prince.

3. How does Machiavelli suggest that Princes and other leaders deal with acts that offend their citizens?
(a) Increase taxes on the wealthy and use the money in ways that benefit the general masses.
(b) Distract the Citizens by making war against a nearby province.
(c) Increase their power and penalties for crimes and scare the Citizens into submission and acceptance.
(d) Make the offense quickly then act to reassure them and give them cause to quiet and firm their spirits.

4. What is Machiavelli's explanation for initiating his recommended approach with enemies against an empire?
(a) Because taking out the head of a movement will lead to the death of the body.
(b) Because those who try to crush it, make its force greater, and make that evil which is suspected from it to be accelerated.
(c) Because putting the leaders of enemies in positions of public responsibility will require them to make decisions that will be rejected by conspiracies.
(d) Because the public humiliation of the enemy will expose supporters to the Citizens who will then act to neutralize the conspiracy.

5. What does Machiavelli announce as the purpose of Book Two of "The Discourses" in the preface?
(a) How to secure power by expanding it.
(b) How to secure freedom for an Empire by keeping the military active.
(c) How to use truth to persuade Citizens to support the power of the Prince.
(d) What Roman people did to aggrandize the Empire.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Machiavelli establish as the relationship between gold and good soldiers?

2. According to Machiavelli, what caused so much hard work for Rome as it expanded its Empire to distant provinces?

3. What type of person does Machiavelli advise against promoting to important positions in a Republic?

4. What does Machiavelli believe comes to a good army without a good Captain?

5. Why does Machiavelli consider the Roman Caesars to have been a benefit to the Roman Empire?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 615 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample