This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Book One, The Development of Rome's Constitution, The Popular Demand for a Share in Government, The Management of the Populace, The Advantages of Popular Government.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. From what did Machiavelli develop the information that he wrote into "The Discourses"?
(a) From interviews with political thinkers of the day.
(b) From his world travels to study governments in other cultures.
(c) From long experience and continuous study of worldly affairs.
(d) From research that he did in the many libraries throughout the former Roman Empire.

3. What did Machiavelli cite as the method that Rome used to maintain its freedom?
(a) It made public displays of punishments for lawbreakers.
(b) It continued to make new laws and new institutions to confront corruption.
(c) It continually sent soldiers to expand its empire.
(d) It made frequent use of elections to allow the citizens to influence government.

4. To what does Machiavelli compare great kingdoms and republics from history?
(a) To great works of antique art that have been found and preserved.
(b) To his projections of the future in which Machiavelli speculated on how power would be preserved.
(c) To his ideal state that combined the most successful institutions from those civilizations.
(d) To the state of political instability in which was common to Machiavelli's day.

5. What are the five types of government identified by Machiavelli?
(a) Monarchy, aristocracy, democracy, oligarchy, and anarchy.
(b) Democracy, anarchy, monarchy, constitutional, and institutional.
(c) Tyranny, constitutional, military oligarchy, principality, and democracy.
(d) Republic, fascistic, democracy, principality, and oligarchy.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Machiavelli predict a citizen will conduct himself if he is not punished for his misdeeds because of his reputation for doing good deeds, according to Machiavelli.

2. What are reasons Machiavelli cited for a group of people leaving their native country to seek a new home?

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

4. What can be inferred of Machiavelli's view of freedom based upon reading view of weak and strong Princes?

5. What did Machiavelli establish as the cycle of governing forms?

(see the answer key)

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