Ancient Rome Part One: Early Kingdom and Republic (Newsela)

Which answer choice accurately characterizes the role of wealth in the Roman Empire?

• Wealth was peacefully and equally distributed among members of the Roman republic.
• Wealth was controlled by a ruling class whose actions led to instability and violence.
• Wealth was distributed equally among patricians who generously supported plebeians.
• Wealth was controlled by a ruling class who used it to support military dictators.

Based on the article, what caused the Roman government to shift from one led by several men to one with a single leader?

•  Caesar crossing the Rubicon
•  Octavian assuming the title of Augustus
•  Mark Antony defeating Brutus and Cassius
•  Pompey stepping in as consul

Why does the author include information about the founders of Rome and their descendants, the patricians?

•  to suggest that themes of violence and privilege had a long history of influence on Roman government
•  to show that patricians were better prepared to run the Roman government than the plebeians
•  to explain the reasons why governments led by consuls were unsuccessful in Rome
•  to highlight the principles of courage and loyalty that were present in the Roman government

How does the section "Military expansion" contribute to the article?

• It outlines how Rome's participation in slavery led to the conflicts discussed in the following paragraph.
• It gives background about the conflict between Rome and Macedonia to give context for Caesar's later victory.
• It lists wars fought by Rome in distant locations to show how the empire was weakened financially and culturally.
• It helps explain the reasons given in the introduction for Rome's broad cultural influence on the world.

Which event happened FIRST in the history of Rome?

• The First Triumvirate was formed.
  
• Julius Caesar was murdered.
  
•  Rome was ruled by kings.
• Rome fought in the Punic Wars.

What is the MAIN reason why ancient Rome is still important to our lives today?

• It showed people how to build a republic.
• It led to modern languages and calendars.
  
• It created two classes of people who disagreed.
• It borrowed ideas from Greece and Carthage.
  

What is the purpose of the section "Military expansion"?

• to show what ideas Rome got from the Greeks
• to list the countries located around Rome
• to describe a battle between Rome and Carthage
• to explain how Rome changed as it grew larger
  

How is the structure of the introduction [paragraphs 1-3] different from the rest of the article?

• The introduction gives an outline of major events in the history of ancient Rome, and the rest of the article discusses the places it controlled.
• The introduction gives a summary of ancient Rome's impact and government, and the rest of the article provides more detail in chronological order
• The introduction gives a description of Rome's most important leader, and the rest of the article contrasts other leaders of Rome.
• The introduction discusses Roman inventions still used today, and the rest of the article explains how Roman wars led to those inventions.

According to the section "The early republic," how was the Roman republic run?

• The army elected commanders in chief called consuls, who were able to give more power to Rome's common people.
• Two consuls were elected by the Senate, which was full of rich citizens who had most of the power in Rome.
• The plebeians and patricians split their power equally in the Senate, but had separate groups called tribunes.
• Consuls, patricians and plebeians were elected to share political power and control laws and armies.

What effect did the size of the Roman Empire have on Rome?

• Rome's size caused it to become wealthier and more successful, because it had one stable government.
• Rome's size caused it to fall apart quickly, because leaders of defeated lands worked together to wage war.
• Rome's size strengthened it, because the government took advice from world leaders and let captured areas rule themselves.
• Rome's size helped it learn things from the areas it conquered, but it also made it unstable as the gap between rich and poor grew.