History of Western Society Concise Edition 12th Edition By McKay - Test Bank

History of Western Society Concise Edition 12th Edition By McKay – Test Bank

 

Instant Download – Complete Test Bank With Answers

 

 

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

 

Use the following to answer questions 1-9:

 

1. A) The Roman hereditary aristocracy, who held most of the political power in the republic.
2. B) Plebian-elected officials; they brought plebian grievances to the senate for resolution and protected plebeians from the arbitrary conduct of patrician magistrates.
3. C) A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage in which Rome emerged the victor.
4. D) The assembly that was the main institution of power in the Roman Republic, originally composed only of aristocrats.
5. E) A conflict in which the plebeians sought political representation and safeguards against patrician domination.
6. F) The name later given to an informal political alliance among Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey in which they agreed to advance one another’s interests.
7. G) The common people of Rome, who were free but had few of the patricians’ advantages.
8. H) Primary executives in the Roman Republic, elected for one-year terms, who commanded the army in battle, administered state business, and supervised financial affairs.
9. I) A formal agreement in 43 B.C.E. among Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus to defeat Caesar’s murderers.

 

 

1.

tribunes

 

 

2.	Struggle of the Orders

 

 

3.	Punic Wars

 

 

4.	patricians

 

 

5.	First Triumvirate

 

 

6.

senate

 

 

7.	Second Triumvirate

 

 

8.

consuls

 

 

9.

plebeians

 

 

 

Answer Key

 

1.	B
2.	E
3.	C
4.	A
5.	F
6.	D
7.	I
8.	H
9.	G

1.	Water-based transportation for trade and communication in Italy was discouraged by
	A)	few good harbors and dry summers that produced little water for rivers.
	B)	a failure to master the skill of shipbuilding.
	C)	a poor agricultural environment able to produce few export commodities.
	D)	frequent invasions from the north that cut off river routes.

 

 

2.	The Romans adopted which of the following from the Etruscans?
	A)	The alphabet
	B)	Agriculture
	C)	Irrigation systems
	D)	Shipbuilding

 

 

3.	How did Cincinnatus personify the ideal of a Roman citizen?
	A)	He established the foundations of Roman law and the idea that all were equally subject to it.
	B)	He refused to join any of the warring factions in the civil war and insisted that his loyalty was to his family and the gods.
	C)	He placed duty to Rome before any consideration of personal interest.
	D)	He sacrificed his wife and family to barbarian invaders rather than see the invaders enter the gates of Rome.

 

 

4.	How did Rome draw the rest of the Italian states into a “partnership”?
	A)	It conquered the other states of Italy and installed Roman rulers but provided them with security and substantial public works projects to improve their lives.
	B)	In return for manpower and taxes, it shared full citizenship with many of its oldest allies and partial citizenship with other states.
	C)	It provided an army that could protect the peninsula as long as the other states of Italy provided the taxes to pay for it.
	D)	In return for access to its international markets, it received a portion of locally grown crops from Italian states, which Rome could use to supply the military.

 

 

5.	In 494 B.C.E., tribunes were established, who were
	A)	assistants to the consuls.
	B)	provincial governors.
	C)	tax collectors.
	D)	magistrates elected by the plebeians.

 

 

6.	The senate began as a
	A)	council elected by all citizens.
	B)	council of senior priests.
	C)	council of noble elders advising the Etruscan king.
	D)	council of the king’s closest advisers.

 

 

7.	What was the underlying principle of Roman law?
	A)	The concept of social justice
	B)	The protection of citizens’ lives and property
	C)	The prevention of social and political upheaval
	D)	The concept of natural rights

 

 

8.	In handling legal cases involving both Romans and foreigners, the praetors developed a body of law known as
	A)	natural law, or ius naturale.
	B)	civil law, or ius civile.
	C)	common law, or ius commune.
	D)	law of the peoples, or ius gentium.

 

 

9.	What was the goal of the plebeians in demanding the Law of the Twelve Tables?
	A)	Codification and publication of the law code so that the patricians would not have a monopoly on legal knowledge
	B)	Creation of a written tax structure so that plebeians would be able to anticipate tax rates they would pay on merchandise
	C)	Formation of regularized rules related to military service and the benefits gained from such service
	D)	Establishment of a clear bureaucratic structure so that the plebeians would have access to proper bureaucrats to resolve their concerns

 

 

10.	During the Struggle of the Orders, the plebeians’ leverage stemmed from their
	A)	control of agriculture.
	B)	increasing wealth.
	C)	importance to the army.
	D)	control of the urban economy.

 

 

11.	What was the main issue in the Struggle of the Orders?
	A)	The abolition of the latifundia and state ownership of land
	B)	The extension of citizenship to non-Romans
	C)	The reform of slavery in Rome
	D)	The plebeians’ efforts to obtain recognition of their rights

 

 

12.	The main challenge to Roman control of the Mediterranean in the third century B.C.E. came from
	A)	Ptolemaic Egypt.
	B)	Carthage.
	C)	Alexandria.
	D)	the Etruscans.

 

 

13.	How did the Roman wars in southern Italy and Greece differ from the earlier wars in central and northern Italy?
	A)	The Romans were required for the first time to include naval action in their warfare.
	B)	These wars were quickly won, demonstrating the superiority of Roman military techniques.
	C)	The Romans learned to map out grand strategy to take full advantage of their victories.
	D)	These wars were fiercely fought on a larger scale in regions mostly unknown to the Romans.

 

 

14.	In the early republic, which social group made up the patricians?
	A)	Soldiers and sailors
	B)	Non-Roman elites
	C)	High priests
	D)	Wealthy landowners

 

 

15.	What was the importance of the Roman victory at Zama?
	A)	It secured Roman dominance over the Greeks and thereby the influence of Greek culture on Rome.
	B)	It secured Rome’s northern border and thereby prevented threats from barbarian invaders for 300 years.
	C)	It secured Roman dominance of the western Mediterranean and secured the influence of Roman heritage in the Western world.
	D)	It secured Rome’s eastern border with the Parthians and permitted continued trade with needed iron and slave resources in the east.

 

 

16.	In Roman society, what benefit did men of low social status gain from the patron-client system?
	A)	Public and private support in exchange for political support of a patron
	B)	Security by working as a nobleman’s retainer
	C)	The ability to purchase special supplies of food and goods in return for occasional service to the military
	D)	The opportunity to delay payment of taxes in return for first selling their goods to the Roman state

 

 

17.	What did the lex Canuleia allow?
	A)	Plebeians were allowed to marry patricians.
	B)	Non-Romans were allowed to hold public office.
	C)	Returning soldiers were allowed to buy land at reduced prices.
	D)	Roman armies were allowed to pass through the gates of the city.

 

 

18.	What do the lives of Cato the Elder and Scipio Aemilianus illustrate?
	A)	The difference between patrician and plebeian lifestyles
	B)	The lifestyles of the patrician elites in the cities
	C)	The impact of the Struggle of the Orders
	D)	The changes that resulted from Roman conquests

 

 

19.	Which of the following describes the role of Roman women in childrearing?
	A)	Women hired wet nurses to raise their children in the countryside until they were four to five years old.
	B)	Women employed servants who cared for children during most of the day and spent a few hours with children in the early evenings.
	C)	Women nursed their children but left other maternal duties to their servants.
	D)	Women nursed their children and personally saw to their welfare, refusing to delegate maternal duties.

 

 

20.	What was the Roman attitude toward the manumission of slaves?
	A)	Manumission of slaves was so common that laws were passed limiting the practice.
	B)	Slaves were only manumitted under exceptional circumstances, when state authorities agreed that the slaves deserved special treatment.
	C)	Slaves were manumitted by law at age 55 if they had been faithful workers.
	D)	The manumission of slaves was forbidden by law.

 

 

21.	Which of the following describes the Roman deities?
	A)	They were personal gods connected intimately to the daily lives of Romans.
	B)	They were a philosophical ideal but played little role in the lives of Romans.
	C)	They intervened frequently in the affairs of humans to reward the godly and punish the wicked.
	D)	They were stern, powerful, and aloof from human affairs.

 

 

22.	The term latifundia refers to
	A)	land conquered by Roman armies.
	B)	a new social class created by imperial expansion.
	C)	huge agricultural estates.
	D)	lands controlled directly by the Roman senate.

 

 

23.	How did Rome’s military conquests create strains on the military?
	A)	The Roman military was stretched so thin that it was required to draft slaves and those in poverty to fill out the legions.
	B)	The military suffered a large number of casualties over the years and lacked adequate facilities for their care and support.
	C)	The military had grown to such proportions that it could no longer be fed and supplied adequately by the Roman people.
	D)	Rome’s Italian allies had carried much of the burden of fighting but had received fewer rewards than the Roman officers and soldiers.

 

 

24.	What was the main feature of the reform program of Tiberius Gracchus?
	A)	Providing free bread to the poor of Rome
	B)	Distributing public land to impoverished Romans
	C)	Establishing colonies of ex-soldiers throughout the empire
	D)	Importing foreign slaves to perform the hardest labor in Rome

 

 

25.	What was the central issue in the Social War (91–88 B.C.E.)?
	A)	Carthaginian control of Sicily
	B)	Whether to grant Roman citizenship to all Italians
	C)	The plebeians’ demand that the laws be codified
	D)	The slave revolt led by Spartacus

 

 

26.	How did Gaius Marius transform the Roman military?
	A)	He developed a professional corps of engineers assigned to each legion to provide onsite advice and solutions to situations that arose.
	B)	By permitting slaves to serve in the army with possibilities for freedom for service, he expanded the size of military forces dramatically.
	C)	By permitting landless men to serve in the army, he tapped a large reservoir of idle manpower.
	D)	He established uniform military laws to which both officers and common soldiers were subject, which also gave them significant privileges for their service.

 

 

27.	Historically, what was the most important aspect of Sulla’s efforts at restoring the republican constitution?
	A)	Restoring traditional powers to the Senate
	B)	Allowing access to public office to Italians previously excluded
	C)	Assuming the role of dictator
	D)	Abolishing slavery

 

 

28.	What was the consequence of Julius Caesar’s efforts to establish colonies of veterans and poor Romans throughout the Mediterranean?
	A)	The Roman Empire became composed of citizens rather than subjects.
	B)	The Roman Empire became a constant source of difficulty as trained soldiers established themselves beyond the easy control of Rome.
	C)	The veterans established military dictatorships within the colonies, denying the poor their rights as Roman citizens.
	D)	The Roman army had a pool of reserve forces stationed within close distance to any part of the empire.

 

 

29.	The First Triumvirate consisted of Pompey, Caesar, and what third general?
	A)	Sulla
	B)	Marius
	C)	Crassus
	D)	Gracchus

 

 

30.	What Roman general of the late republic brought his legions across the Rubicon River as a sign of opposition to the Senate and the proconsul Pompey?
	A)	Gaius Marius
	B)	Scipio Africanus
	C)	Marcus Crassus
	D)	Julius Caesar

 

 

31.	What was the result of the Gracchus brothers’ (Tiberius and Gaius) public land reforms?
	A)	Additional opportunities were provided for the wealthy landowners to access public land.
	B)	Opportunities were provided for veterans and the poor to access public lands for agriculture.
	C)	Access to public lands was limited to officeholders.
	D)	Public lands were established as vast estates for the patricians.

 

 

32.	Which term identifies the oldest dominant male of a household, who held great power over the family?
	A)	Tribunes
	B)	Paterfamilias
	C)	Consuls
	D)	Ius gentium

 

 

33.	Who was the Greek king of Epirus who defeated Roman legions but lost great numbers of his own troops?
	A)	Hannibal
	B)	Philip V
	C)	Pyrrhus
	D)	Brennus

 

 

34.	What people occupied areas of central Italy and influenced the fledgling Latin tribes settling on the Tiber River?
	A)	The Etruscans
	B)	The Celts
	C)	The Phoenicians
	D)	The Carthaginians

 

 

35.	The following quote from Ovid identifies the importance of what special rituals and ceremonies in Roman society? “The spirits of the dead ask for little. They are more grateful for piety than for an expensive gift.”
	A)	Honoring deceased family members
	B)	Honoring a married couple
	C)	Honoring the birth of male children
	D)	Honoring a child’s entrance into adulthood

 

 

36.	The poet Horace stated, “Captive Greece captured her rough conqueror and introduced the arts into rustic Latium.” What was Horace describing about Roman society?
	A)	The influence of the defeat of Carthage on Roman culture
	B)	The influence of Celtic tribes on Roman urban culture
	C)	The influence of the Roman military on the conquered territories
	D)	The influence of Hellenism on the new urban culture in Rome

 

 

37.	“To them leisure, riches—otherwise desirable—proved to be burdens and torments. So at first money, then desire for power grew great. These things were a sort of cause of all evils.” This quote from Sallust complains about what aspect of Roman development?
	A)	Land reforms
	B)	Civil insurrection among the poor
	C)	The acquisition of an empire
	D)	Expansion of women’s rights

 

 

38.	“The wild beasts that roam over Italy have their dens, each has a place of repose and refuge. But the men who fight and die for Italy enjoy nothing but the air and light.” Tiberius Gracchus refers to the plight of which group in this quote?
	A)	Roman patricians
	B)	Rome’s allies
	C)	Roman veterans
	D)	Roman slaves

 

 

39.	Traditionally, only ____________ could serve in the army.
	A)	Roman plebeians
	B)	non-Romans
	C)	Roman landowners
	D)	Roman citizens

 

 

40.	Italy’s geography helps explain the Romans’ focus on
	A)	the Mediterranean.
	B)	northern Europe.
	C)	river-based trade.
	D)	trade and not agriculture.

 

 

41.	Which of the following was an advantage of Rome’s location?
	A)	It provided easy access to the land north of the Alps.
	B)	It was far from the coast, and thus safe from naval invasions.
	C)	The flat terrain of the city made road building easier.
	D)	The Tiber River provided a constant source of water.

 

 

42.	What was the role of the Forum in Rome?
	A)	It was a library available to all citizens.
	B)	It was a bridge that crossed the Tiber River.
	C)	It was a public meeting place.
	D)	It was the main temple of Jupiter.

 

 

43.	In the early republic, __________ divisions determined the shape of politics.
	A)	racial
	B)	social
	C)	religious
	D)	tribal

 

 

44.	Which of the following was true of the Roman consuls?
	A)	Consuls served for life.
	B)	The office of consul was hereditary.
	C)	Consuls were elected for one-year terms.
	D)	The office of consul was largely ceremonial.

 

 

45.	Which of the following was true of the Roman Senate?
	A)	It was the most important institution of the republic.
	B)	It came into existence during the Punic Wars.
	C)	It had no real power.
	D)	It was dominated by plebeians.

 

 

46.	The Carthaginians responded to Rome’s seizure of Sardinia and Corsica by
	A)	expanding their holdings in Spain.
	B)	suing for peace.
	C)	launching a naval invasion of Italy.
	D)	seizing a number of Italian towns.

 

 

47.	Which of the following helped prevent Hannibal from winning areas near Rome in central Italy?
	A)	A mutiny among his men
	B)	The loyalty of Rome’s Italian allies
	C)	Rome’s superior military tactics
	D)	A smallpox outbreak among his troops

 

 

48.	Under Roman law, in order to marry, both spouses had to
	A)	swear an oath to the republic.
	B)	reside in Rome.
	C)	be free Roman citizens.
	D)	own land.

 

 

49.	Under Roman law, women could
	A)	divorce their husbands.
	B)	lead armies.
	C)	vote.
	D)	own property.

 

 

50.	Most people in the expanding Roman Republic
	A)	lived in the countryside.
	B)	lived in cities.
	C)	were landowners.
	D)	were literate.

 

 

 

Answer Key

 

1.	A
2.	A
3.	C
4.	B
5.	D
6.	C
7.	B
8.	D
9.	A
10.	C
11.	D
12.	B
13.	D
14.	D
15.	C
16.	A
17.	A
18.	D
19.	D
20.	A
21.	D
22.	C
23.	D
24.	B
25.	B
26.	C
27.	C
28.	A
29.	C
30.	D
31.	B
32.	B
33.	C
34.	A
35.	A
36.	D
37.	C
38.	C
39.	C
40.	A
41.	D
42.	C
43.	B
44.	C
45.	A
46.	A
47.	B
48.	C
49.	D
50.	A

1.	How did the geography of Italy and Rome aid Roman development?

 

 

2.	How did the Etruscans influence the development of Roman culture?

 

 

3.	What was the general Roman attitude toward slavery?

 

 

4.	What role did public baths play in Roman life?

 

 

5.	What governmental institutions made up the Roman Republic?

 

 

6.	What was the significance of the Roman motto senatus populusque Romanus, “the Senate and the Roman people”?

 

 

7.	What powers did the Roman Senate have?

 

 

8.	What were the ius civile and the ius gentium?

 

 

9.	What was the Roman countryside like in the aftermath of the Punic Wars?

 

 

10.	Describe the basic features of Roman marriage.

 

 

11.	With their victory in the Punic Wars, the Romans were able to transform the Mediterranean into mare nostrum, “our sea.” How did this come about? Trace the conflict between Rome and Carthage from beginning to end. Why did the Romans prevail?

 

 

12.	The Roman republic underwent two great social upheavals: the Struggle of the Orders and the civil wars of the late republic. Compare the causes, participants, and results of these two upheavals. Who profited from each? Was Rome better off after each upheaval? Explain your answer.

 

 

13.	“The acquisition of empire spelled doom for the republic.” Assess the validity of this statement.

 

 

14.	Compare the early Roman Empire to the empire conquered by Alexander the Great. Why did the Roman Empire hold together for so much longer than Alexander’s?

 

 

15.	The family was an important institution in traditional Roman society. Describe this institution. What was the daily life of a Roman family like? What was the role of religion? What was the role of women in the family? How did the family reflect Roman values?

 

 

 

Answer Key

 

1.	Answer would ideally include: The Alps to the north inhibited nomadic invaders into Italy, while the thrust of the peninsula southward divided the Mediterranean into two halves centered on Italy. The productive land allowed for a large population, yet it was not mountainous and thus did not prevent political unification. The site of Rome on the Tiber River offered Rome constant water at a crossing point of communication and trade between northern and southern Italy.
2.	Answer would ideally include: The Romans borrowed many cultural forms from the Etruscans, such as political symbols, the alphabet, architectural forms, and clothing styles. More important, the Etruscans had drawn heavily from Greek influences and introduced the Romans to the Greek heritage. Also, the Etruscans introduced the Romans to the larger Mediterranean world through trade, which fostered the development of cities.
3.	Answer would ideally include: Slavery was a misfortune that befell some people, but it did not indicate inherent or necessary inferiority. Slavery was not defined in racial terms, and many slaves were freed by their masters.
4.	Answer would ideally include: Bathing, which was adopted from the Greeks, became a common feature of Roman life. Elaborate baths were built that included pools, exercise rooms, snack bars, libraries, and lecture halls. People socialized and sought social contacts and advancement. Woman also visited baths, though generally not at the same time or in the same place as men. Prostitutes also offered their services at the baths.
5.	Answer would ideally include: The student should identify the legislative assemblies of the senate and various assemblies and the administrative offices of the consuls, praetors, and tribunes, specifically explaining their respective duties of administration of state affairs, military leadership, management of the treasury, and application and oversight of the law.
6.	Answer would ideally include: The Romans summed up their political existence in the phrase senatus populusque Romanus, “the Senate and the Roman people,” which they abbreviated “SPQR.” This sentiment reflects the republican ideal of shared government rather than power concentrated in a monarchy. It stands for the beliefs, customs, and laws of the republic—the unwritten constitution that evolved over two centuries to meet the demands of the governed.
7.	Answer would ideally include: The Senate passed formal decrees that were technically “advice” to the magistrates, who were not bound to obey them but usually did. It directed the magistrates on the conduct of war and had the power over the expenditure of public money. In times of emergency, it could name a dictator. Technically, the Senate could not pass binding legislation during the republican period. Its decisions had to be put to the Centuriate Assembly for a vote before they could become law, but patricians dominated both groups and generally agreed on legislative matters.
8.	Answer would ideally include: The ius civile was the Roman civil law. It consisted of statutes, customs, and forms of procedure that regulated the lives of citizens. As the Romans came into more frequent contact with foreigners, the consuls and praetors applied a broader ius gentium, the “law of the peoples,” to such matters as peace treaties, the treatment of prisoners of war, and the exchange of diplomats.
9.	Answer would ideally include: Hannibal’s operations and the warfare in Italy had left the countryside a shambles. The prolonged fighting had also drawn many Roman and Italian men away from their farms for long periods. Women often ran the farms in their absence, but with so many men away fighting, they did not have enough workers to keep the land under full cultivation. When the legionaries returned to their farms in Italy, often their farms had fallen into disarray.
10.	Answer would ideally include: In order to marry, both spouses had to be free Roman citizens. Women of wealthy families married in their midteens, and non-elite women married in their late teens. Grooms were generally somewhat older than their brides. Marital agreements were stipulated with contracts between the families involved. According to Roman law, marriage required a dowry, a payment of money, property, and/or goods that went from the bride’s family to the groom.
11.	Answer would ideally include: Students should begin with a concise narrative of the history of the Punic Wars. They should then address the reasons for Rome’s victory, including traditional Roman values such as tenacity (the building of a fleet is a good example) and battlefield courage, and also the Romans’ skill as politicians and diplomats, evidenced by their creation of alliances with the other Italian peoples, which prevented Hannibal from conquering the Italian peninsula.
12.	Answer would ideally include: Students should begin by describing both upheavals. For the Struggle of the Orders, they should include the plebeians’ desire to share in the political process, their leverage from serving in the army during the early wars, the general strike, the conflict between the patricians and plebeians, and the various legal and constitutional reforms that resulted. For the problems of the late republic, students should include the difficulties of governing the empire, the growth of large-scale agriculture, the impoverishment of many Romans, the role of army generals, and the personal ambitions of many reformers. Finally, they should discuss the improvement and solidification of the Roman constitution resulting from the Struggle of the Orders, which occurred without widespread violence, while at the end of the republic, political violence (ushered in by the assassinations of the Gracchi) became the order of the day, ultimately destroying the republic.
13.	Answer would ideally include: An effective answer will consider the serious problems resulting from the wars of conquest (282–146 <sc>B.C.E.</sc>) and the attempts to solve them. Students should fully describe the problems of empire, including burgeoning slavery, decline of the free peasant farmer, economic competition from the provinces, the enhanced political power of the generals, and the increased influence of Greek culture. Also important is the greater need for material resources to support an imperial army and bureaucracy and the tensions provoked by those needs. In addition, students must also describe and analyze the reforming efforts of men such as the Gracchi, Gaius Marius, Sulla, and Julius Caesar for their effectiveness in dealing with these problems. Finally, students should assess the connection between the fragility of constitutional governments and the impact of overseas conquest.
14.	Answer would ideally include: Students should discuss Roman policies toward the conquered elites, particularly the extension of Roman citizenship, and compare them to the policies of Alexander and his successors, particularly their heavy use of Greek emigrants to staff their bureaucracies. Students might also note how the long period of stable rule under Augustus allowed him to establish a means of succession. In contrast, Alexander’s sudden death and lack of an obvious heir left his empire unstable and prone to disintegration.
15.	Answer would ideally include: Students should first describe the paterfamilias and his relationship with other family members. They should then discuss the treatment and education of children. Next, they should describe the daily life of a Roman family. Finally, they should address the role of women, especially the mother; a thoughtful essay will compare the role of the mother to that of the paterfamilias. Aspects of the family that underscored traditional Roman values should be identified: the importance of order, obedience, and hard work.