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. What does Machiavelli examine in Chapter 1 of Book 2?
(a) How to develop fortune and virtue.
(b) How virtue can destroy fortune.
(c) Why fortune is more important that virtue.
(d) Whether the Roman Empire was built upon fortune or virtue.

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 those public reactions that oppose the Prince.
(c) Evil is anything with which a Prince does not agree.
(d) Evil should be considered to be any influence which challenges the power of the Prince.

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

4. According to Machiavelli, how did the Agrarian Laws violate the foundation of well-ordered Republics?
(a) Agrarian laws distributed land from those who had more than the law allowed among plebes rather than among Nobles with which they could enrich themselves.
(b) Agrarian laws allowed the government to decide what was to be grown on land in spite of the expertise of the land owner.
(c) Agrarian laws allowed Nobles to take land from Plebes with the intent to increase the land's productivity.
(d) Agrarian laws allowed land owners to use their land to help the poor become wealthy.

5. If a cliché could be given to the preface to Book Two of "The Discourses", what would it be?
(a) "Go where you belong--on the ash heap of history."
(b) ."The only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history."
(c) "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
(d) "History is written by the winners."

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the reason Machiavelli claims Princes with weaker armies would rush into battle?

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

3. Why does Machiavelli suggest wars should be quick with limited damage to the conquered City?

4. According to Machiavelli, why did Livius believe the Roman Republic grew?

5. What, according to Machiavelli, did Epaminondas the Theban claim was most necessary and useful for a Captain?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 607 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample