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Practice Test 38

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SOCIAL SCIENCE: Julius Caesar and the Fall of the Roman Republic

Caius Julius Caesar is popularly considered the founder of the Roman Empire, though it would be more accurate to consider his political rise as marking the end of the Roman Republic. The distinction,

Line 5 which some would call insignificant, is more than mere semantics. The founding of the Empire rightly belongs to Caesar’s great-nephew, Augustus Caesar, who was adopted by his uncle as his heir. The Republic had been under considerable stress for several years before Caius

10 Julius was born, thus he did not create the fissures that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic, though he did capitalize on them brilliantly. Caius Julius’ singular success as a politician and general has guaranteed him a place among the most influential persons in world

15 history. Rome’s social troubles began in a land crisis. Roman armies were traditionally made up of small landholders—farmers who, by law, had to own a minimum number of acres to join the military service.

20 Unfortunately, a series of wars in the late-third and early-second centuries B.C. kept these farmers away from their land, frequently leading to bankruptcy. The small farm plots were taken over by the wealthy upper class, who farmed the plots with slaves won in foreign

25 wars. With no more land to farm, the returning soldiers settled in Rome, where they added to the unemployment dole and increased political instability. Adding to the problem, once the soldiers were landless, they could no longer enlist in the army. This led to a significant 30 problem for military recruitment. The first notable Romans to address both issues were the reformers known as the Gracchi Brothers. Starting around 133 B.C., the older brother, Tiberius Gracchus, tried to reform the system by proposing to

35 confiscate, or take, public land to distribute to returning soldiers. He hoped this would solve the unemployment crisis and increase the number of men eligible for the army. Unfortunately, the land had been leased, often at very low rates, to wealthy members of the Roman Senate.

40 At this time, Rome was governed by two political bodies: the Senate and the Assembly. The Senate was made up of wealthy landed nobility and was often in conflict with the more populist Assembly. Not surprisingly, the senators bitterly fought government seizure

45 of the land, which they considered their own property. In the end, Tiberius Gracchus was murdered, though the Roman Senate passed a modified version of the Gracchan land laws to quell public outrage. When the younger brother, Gaius Gracchus, began his reforms

50 10 years later, he was able to extend political rights to the lower classes and reduce opportunities for bribery and corruption among the upper classes. He, too, was murdered for pushing the system too far. The reforms of the Gracchus brothers were soon

55 apparently championed by a new political leader, Gaius Marius, although Marius’ real fame came from his military genius—especially after he brutally halted the invasion of German tribes into Italy. He successfully reorganized the Roman military, in the process doing

60 away with the land requirement. Marius also challenged the traditional structure of the army where nobility were regularly given authority over lower-class officers with more experience and ability. Julius Caesar later exploited this reform, promoting officers based on

65 ability not class, to tremendous success in Gaul and elsewhere. Marius’ role as champion of the lower classes was solidified when he opposed the Roman general, Cornelius Sulla. Sulla was allied with the Roman

70 Senate, who feared Marius’ ambition and influence with the masses. Sulla believed in strengthening the power of the Senate against the popular Assembly. To this end, he marched his armies against Rome, defeating Marius and establishing himself as Dictator. While

75 Sulla eventually resigned the dictatorship peacefully, he had exiled or killed thousands of political opponents during his reign. Some critics say the real end of the Roman Republic occurred during the struggle between Marius and Sulla.

80 Julius Caesar was related by marriage to both Marius and Sulla. Despite this patrician background, he chose to promote his connections to Marius. Like the Gracchi brothers, Julius Caesar supported the redistribution of public lands to the poor and protected the

85 grain supply (a large part of the unemployment dole). In his armies, he promoted ability before social rank. He was also widely seen to support the middle and lower classes against the privileges of the aristocracy, namely the Senate. The senators saw him as a traitor to

90 their class and, therefore, to the Republic itself. When Julius Caesar was eventually assassinated by a group of senators, the outcry from the general population was completely unanticipated. The resulting political chaos ultimately led to the rise of Augustus Caesar

91 as emperor, effectively ending the Roman Republic forever.

The author most nearly characterizes the role Julius Caesar plays in the fall of the Roman Republic as one that:

  • Solution

    The best answer is A. As stated in the first paragraph of the passage, “The Republic had been under considerable stress for several years before Caius Julius was born, thus he did not create the fissures that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic, though he did capitalize on them brilliantly.” This sentence indicates that Julius Caesar used conflicts of the past to enhance and promote his own power.

The main idea of the first paragraph is that the Julius Caesar:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The passage states that, “Caius Julius Caesar is popularly considered the founder of the Roman Empire, though it would be more accurate to consider his political rise as marking the end of the Roman Republic.” From this statement, one can assume that because Caesar’s political rise marked the end of the Roman Empire, Caesar exploited the political problems of the Roman Empire in order to gain power. The other answer choices do not reflect the main idea of the paragraph.

The author uses the remark “farmers who, by law, had to own a minimum number of acres to join the military service” (lines 18–19) primarily as an example of:

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. The passage states, “Roman armies were traditionally made up of small landholders.” This statement, along with the phrase in the question stem, indicates that unless a farmer owned a certain amount of land, he could not join the military, thereby establishing a close traditional relationship between farming and military service.

The author indicates the common factor leading to the murders of the Gracchus Brothers was:

  • Solution

    The best answer is F. As indicated by the passage, aristocratic fear of political reform was the reasoning behind the brothers’ murders. Tiberius Gracchus was murdered over his determination to rid the Roman Empire of the military enrollment land requirement, while his brother, Gaius Gracchus, also caused trouble due to his rebellious ideas. “When the younger brother, Gaius Gracchus, began his reforms 10 years later, he was able to extend political rights to the lower classes and reduce opportunities for bribery and corruption among the upper classes. He, too, was murdered for pushing the system too far.” This information best supports answer choice F.

By his statement in lines 60–63, the author most nearly means that, unlike in past armies, in Marius’ army:

  • Solution

    The best answer is B. As stated in the passage, “Marius also challenged the traditional structure of the army where nobility were regularly given authority over lower-class officers with more experience and ability.” This indicates that Marius saw more value in ability than social class.

The author cites all of the following as actions of Cornelius Sulla EXCEPT:

  • Solution

    The best answer is J. The passage states, “Sulla was allied with the Roman Senate, who feared Marius’ ambition and influence with the masses. Sulla believed in strengthening the power of the Senate against the popular Assembly. To this end, he marched his armies against Rome, defeating Marius and establishing himself as Dictator. While Sulla eventually resigned the dictatorship peacefully, he had exiled or killed thousands of political opponents during his reign.” Answers F, G, and H are all found within the passage. Answer choice J is the only answer not found within the passage.

The author uses the events listed in lines 81–85 primarily to:

  • Solution

    The best answer is A. The last paragraph of the passage opens by contrasting Julius Caesar’s ties to aristocracy to his actions as a reformer. As indicated by the passages, Julius Caesar supported many ideas that were exactly the opposite of what his family ties desired. This contrast helps to illustrate that Julius Caesar was a true political reformer.

The author implies that prominent Roman politicians who tried to limit the aristocratic power of the senators often were:

  • Solution

    The best answer is F. Throughout the passage the author cites the actions of several different reformers, including Julius Caesar as well as the Gracchi brothers. Every reformer detailed by the author was assassinated. Because the author includes the stories and outcomes of these reformers, one can infer that many Roman reformers were eventually assassinated.

Which of the following is NOT listed in the passage as a political reform in the Roman Republic?

  • Solution

    The best answer is D. The passage states, “Like the Gracchi brothers, Julius Caesar supported the redistribution of public lands to the poor and protected the grain supply (a large part of the unemployment dole). In his armies, he promoted ability before social rank. He was also widely seen to support the middle and lower classes against the privileges of the aristocracy, namely the Senate.” Answer choices A, B, and C are all political reforms mentioned by the passage.

The author calls which of the following a result of political chaos?

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The passage closes with the following statement in regard to the aftermath of Julius Caesar’s assassination; “The resulting political chaos ultimately led to the rise of Augustus Caesar as emperor, effectively ending the Roman Republic forever.” The other answer choices are not supported by the passage.

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