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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. What does Machiavelli consider prudence in a Prince or a King?

2. If a cliché could be given to the preface to Book Two of "The Discourses", what would it be?

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

4. In Book 1, Section 37, what does Machiavelli claim to be the foundation of well-ordered Republics?

5. What does Machiavelli consider an important tool in maintaining the order of a Republic?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the reasons that Machiavelli gives for people who leave their home country for another out of necessity?

2. What are the three types of state that Machiavelli detailed and by what name are they known today?

3. What does Machiavelli recommend to a Prince about reform of a city or a province that he has taken?

4. To what is Machiavelli referring when he writes of men jumping, "...from one ambition to another?"

5. Why does Machiavelli recommend to leaders of a Republic to keep a shadow of the institutions that are being reformed?

6. What does Machiavelli claim proves the Romans' love for liberty?

7. What does Machiavelli mean when he advises that evil in a State be "temporized"?

8. Why does Machiavelli challenge Cities to punish citizens with respected reputations when they commit wrong acts?

9. Why should a Prince measure his forces and govern by his decisions based upon them before he enters a war?

10. What examples from history does Machiavelli claim offers guidance to leaders?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Book 3, Sections 43 and 46, Machiavelli details how customs are handed down in Cities and through families. Give examples from your personal experiences that support statements from the two chapters. If Machiavelli was alive today, how would he evaluate the qualities of customs that are handed down in modern American Cities and families? Use statements from the book to support your assertions.

Essay Topic 2

Machiavelli is critical of ambition in Book 1, Section 46. Do you agree with Machiavelli's criticisms? Why or why not? What is your view of ambition and how does individual freedom affect ambition?

Essay Topic 3

Machiavelli used history of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire to develop much of his support for his positions. What are the dates of the existence of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, what differences in the forms of government between the two, and what brought the passage of the Republic to the Empire.

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