Roman History EOQ

Part One: True or False Questions

State whether the statement below is True or False.

1. Italy’s location on a peninsula, the protection provided by the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea,
and its climate made it ideally suited for the emergence of a mighty empire.

2. Patricians forced the plebeians to make changes in the Roman government by refusing to
defend the city during an invasion.

3. Prior to the compilation of the Law of the Twelve Tables, patrician judges made decisions based
on secret laws unknown to plebeians.

4. Rome was greatly influenced by Greek culture, copying its art forms and adopting the Greek
gods.

5. Adoption was forbidden by the Roman law code.

6. As a conquered people in the Roman Empire, Jews were forced to convert to Roman religion.

7. The Augustan Age was marked by expansion of the Roman Empire, moral and religious reforms,
and great creativity in Latin literature.

8. The emperor Constantine helped to spread Christianity when he passed the Edict of Milan in
313 A.D.

9. The Romans founded a new type of government called a ‘republic’, in which people chose
officials to represent them.

10. The Greek god Zeus becomes the almighty Roman God Xerxes.

11. Patricians were wealthy Romans that typically owned property and held important government
jobs

12. Massive Roman military units were called Tribunes.

Part Two: Multiple Choice

Choose the BEST answer to each question from the options provided.

13. When the last king of Rome was thrown out, his place was taken by two magistrates called:

a. Magistrates
b. Tribunes
c. Centurions
d. Legates
14. Why did a group of senators murder Julius Caesar?
a. because he was extremely unpopular with the Roman people
b. because he was waging a civil war
c. to dismantle the Republic and return governing power to the monarchy
d. to prevent him from destroying the Roman Republic

15. The statement “I found Rome built of bricks; I leave her clothed in marble” refers to
a. the ambitious building program initiated under Hannibal’s rule.
b. the ambitious building program initiated under Augustus’s rule.
c. the development of massive rock quarries in the Italian countryside.
d. the rebuilding of Rome after Carthage burned the city to the ground.

16. Which of the following emerged in the early Christian Church to oversee church affairs and
priests within each city?
a. Bishops
b. Popes
c. Legates
d. The laity

17. Electing tribunes and displaying the Law of the Twelve Tables
a. Showed the influence of the Etruscans.
b. Benefited Tribunes
c. Violated the constitution hammered out by patricians and plebeians.
d. Protected plebeians against unjust treatment by patricians.

18. Because the Law of the Twelve Tables were displayed, judges could not
a. Show partiality to non-Romans
b. Make decisions based on secret law
c. preserve the status of plebeians.
d. discriminate against Etruscans.

19. Why did Octavian adopt the title “Augustus” meaning first citizen?
a. to emphasize that he had more power than other magistrates
b. to show that he was retiring from politics.
c. to illustrate the duties of citizens in a republic
d. to avoid the title of king or emperor

20. Roman audiences enjoyed public entertainment

a. in the Forum on Capitoline Hill.
b. in temples and at the Forum.
c. on the Palatine and Pont du Gard.
d. in the Colosseum or at Circus Maximus.

21. Which Emperor ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire?
a. Diocletian
b. Julius Caesar
c. Trajan
d. Constantine
22. Some Jews believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the ____________, a spiritual leader who had
come to restore the ancient Kingdom of Israel and bring peace to the world.
a. Consul
b. Messiah
c. Prophet
d. Devil

23. Which term correctly identifies common Romans at the bottom of the social pyramid - typically
farmers, craftpeople and merchants?
a. Plebians
b. Patricians
c. Consuls
d. Vandals

24. Which of the following was the empire that Rome fights in the Punic wars?
a. Persian
b. Jewish
c. Greek
d. Carthage

25. Which emperor was Julius Caesar’s grandnephew? He begins the period of time when Rome
becomes an empire and initiates many public projects.
a. Nero
b. Augustus
c. Crassus
d. Diocletian

26. What was the primary purpose of an aqueduct?

a. allowed people and animals to cross valleys
b. was designed as a place for gladiators to fight in public
c. delivered water to cities
d. used on a battlefield to conquer land.

Part Three: Short Answer

Answer the following questions in the space provided.

27. What are the three main reasons for the Roman Empire’s fall?

28. After a 49-year period and 20 emperors, took power,

placed troops at the borders, and kept food prices low. He no longer consulted with the Senate
to make laws. He was an , one who had total
power.
29. was responsible for moving the Roman Empire’s capital city
from Rome eastward to Byzantium. Later, he renamed it (today
it is called Istanbul).

30. Increases in taxes caused hardships in the Roman Empire. What was the main cause of the
increases?

31. The Byzantine Empire continued about 1,000 years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
In the 600s, a new religion called developed in the Middle East.

32. The emperor, Justinian, restored control over former Eastern Roman lands. He rebuilt
Constantinople’s city walls, schools, hospitals, courts, and churches. He also rewrote and
improved a new law code called .

33. was the language spoken throughout Rome and across the Western
Empire. It became one of several languages referred to as

34. Roman builders used , , and

to improve building structures and made it possible to build taller, larger buildings.

Part Four: Geography

Label the following locations on the map at the end of this test.

35. Spain
36. Gaul
37. Britain
38. Italy
39. Greece
40. Syria
41. Palestine
42. Egypt
43. Arabia
44. Africa
45. Asia Minor
46. Atlantic Ocean
47. North Sea
48. Mediterranean Sea
49. Black Sea
50. Adriatic Sea