World History Practice Test: The Roman Republic and Empire
- Roman Empire
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
Ten questions that follow Rome from republic to empire and to the fall of the West. Tip: watch the dates, because several events in Roman history sound alike.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
In the Roman Republic, who were the two chief officials elected each year to lead the government and the army?
Correct answer: A
Two consuls served one-year terms so that no single person held too much power. Emperors came only after the Republic ended.
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Question 2
Why were the Twelve Tables, written around 450 BCE, important to ordinary Romans?
Correct answer: C
Before the Twelve Tables, laws were unwritten and known mainly to patrician judges. Posting them in public protected plebeians from unfair rulings.
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Question 3
The general Hannibal crossed the Alps with elephants to attack Italy. Which city did he fight for?
Correct answer: B
Hannibal led Carthage in the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE). Rome won the Punic Wars and later destroyed Carthage in 146 BCE.
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Question 4
Why did a group of senators assassinate Julius Caesar in 44 BCE?
Correct answer: D
Caesar had been named dictator for life, which looked like kingship to many senators. He did not refuse the title; he accepted it.
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Question 5
What was the Pax Romana?
Correct answer: C
The Pax Romana ("Roman Peace") lasted from Augustus, who became the first emperor in 27 BCE, until about 180 CE. Trade and travel grew during this time.
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Question 6
What was the main purpose of Roman aqueducts?
Correct answer: A
Aqueducts used a gentle downhill slope to move water many miles to fountains, baths and homes. They are one of Rome's best-known engineering works.
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Question 7
Emperor Diocletian (ruled 284-305 CE) tried to make the huge empire easier to govern. What did he do?
Correct answer: D
Diocletian shared power among several co-rulers and divided the empire into East and West. He actually persecuted Christians rather than favoring them.
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Question 8
Which emperor allowed Christians to worship freely with the Edict of Milan in 313 CE and later founded the city of Constantinople?
Correct answer: B
Constantine ended the persecution of Christians and in 330 CE made Constantinople his new capital. Nero and Diocletian both persecuted Christians.
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Question 9
Which year is traditionally given for the fall of the Western Roman Empire, when the last emperor in the West was removed?
Correct answer: C
In 476 CE the Germanic leader Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus. In 410 the Visigoths sacked Rome, but emperors in the West continued after that.
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Question 10
The eastern half of the Roman Empire lasted until 1453 as the Byzantine Empire. Who captured its capital, Constantinople, in that year?
Correct answer: B
Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople in 1453 and made it the Ottoman capital. Crusaders had sacked the city in 1204, but that did not end the empire.
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