STUDY GUIDE: JULIUS CAESAR FINAL EXAM
Short Answer
Directions: Answer the questions below in sentence form.
1. What kind of man is Caesar?
2. What kind of man is Casca?
3. List three supernatural things that happen in Julius Caesar.
4. What does Portia do to convince Brutus to trust her?
5. What happens to make Calphurnia try to keep Caesar at home for the day?
6. Whose side does Brutus decide to be on?
7. What is Artemidorus’ trying to do with his letter to Caesar?
8. What do The Conspirators decide to do with Antony?
9. What do The Conspirators do with Caesar’s blood after he’s dead?
10. What are Caesar’s last words?
11. At the end of Act III, are the citizens of Rome on Brutus’ or Antony’s side?
12. How do you know that Cassius and Brutus’ relationship is deteriorating?
13. How does Portia kill herself?
14. What happens to The Poet Cinna?
15. What supernatural being appears to Brutus?
16. What do The Conspirators and the Triumvirate do before the battle?
17. Where does the battle take place?
18. What happens to Brutus?
19. On what day does Cassius die?
20. Would Brutus ever allow himself to be dragged through the streets of Rome in
chains?
21. Explain why Brutus’ decision to allow Antony to speak at Caesar’s funeral brings
disaster to the conspirators.
22. Who is the protagonist in the play? Are they a dynamic or a static character? Give
reasons for your answer.
23. Summarize Brutus’ motives for becoming involved in Caesar’s assassination.
24. Contrast Cassius and Brutus.
25. Who is a runner in the races held on the Feast of Lupercal?
26. What is Brutus’ motive for killing Caesar?
27. How many times does Caesar refuse the crown?
Multiple Choice
Directions: Choose the best answer to complete each statement.
28. ______ The appearance of Caesar’s ghost is an example of
a. Hyperbole
b. Understatement
c. Characterization
d. Foreshadowing
29. ______When Cassius speaks in an aside to Brutus about whether Antony should
speak at Caesar’s funeral,
a. All of the characters listen and respond
b. His words are heard only by Cassius and the audience
c. He stands alone on stage, probably in front of the curtain
d. His words are heard by the audience, but he is seen by no one
30. ______ Judging from the events in Act I, the political mood and behavior of the
Romans are BEST described as
a. Cowardly and timid
b. Discontented and angry
c. Unswervingly patriotic and firm
d. Fickle and changeable
31. ______ Caesar disregards the omens for all the following reasons EXCEPT
a. He feels fate is inescapable
b. He feels invincible
c. He does not want to appear cowardly
d. He always listens to his wife
32. ______ Caesar’s dying words express
a. Love for the Roman people he hoped to serve as king
b. Regret for not having followed Calphurnia’s advice
c. Surprise that Brutus is one of the assassins
d. Sorrow over murdering Pompey before returning to Rome
33. ______ The central conflict introduced in ACT I is between
a. Brutus and Cassius
b. Caesar and his opponents
c. Caesar and the soothsayer
d. Brutus and himself
34. ______What is ironic, or surprising about Brutus’ suicide?
a. He didn’t know that he had been pardoned for Caesar’s assassination.
b. Unaware that Antony was about to surrender, Brutus misread the
battlefield.
c. At the beginning of Act IV, he claimed that suicide was cowardly and vile.
d. He didn’t know that Cassius had already committed suicide nearby.
26.______ At Caesar’s funeral, Antony says
“Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up
To such a sudden flood of mutiny.”
By saying this, Antony,
a. expresses his hope that Rome will be destroyed by a terrible storm
b. calms down the Romans and creates a peaceful atmosphere for the city
c. supports the conspirators by justifying their action against Caesar
d. actually moves the mob toward thought of mutiny against the conspirators
35. ______ All of the following are issues that stand between Cassius and Brutus
except
a. Cassius’s taking bribes
b. Brutus’ guilt about Caesar’s death
c. Cassius’ not wanting to fight at Philippi
d. Whether Cinnamon Toast Crunch is better than Toasty O’s or not
36. ______ What happens to Portia?
a. An emissary of Antony poisons her
b. She takes her life by swallowing hot coals
c. She is silenced when she tries to warn Brutus about Cassius
d. She tells Brutus that she will see him at Philippi
37. ______ In the resolution of the play,
a. Caesar is warned about the ides of March
b. Antony accepts the crown for Rome
c. Antony declares that Brutus will have a respectful burial
d. Octavius and Antony argue over Brutus
38. _____ The climax of the play occurs when
a. Cassius dies
b. Octavius, Antony, Cassius, and Brutus speak before battle
c. Brutus dies
d. Pindarus misreads the battlefield
39. ______ The last Act of the play includes all of the following elements EXCEPT
a. An event that serves as the climax
b. A resolution
c. Background information
d. Moments of tension and suspense
40. ______ Brutus is motivated MAINLY by the thoughts of
a. Rome
b. Power
c. Deceit
d. Friendship
41. ______ The protagonist is the character who
a. Experiences a conflict
b. Drives the action
c. Says the most lines
d. Predicts events
42. ______ Which line from Act I foreshadows what will happen to Caesar?
a. “Beware the ides of March”
b. “Yet, if you be out, sir, I can mend you”
c. “For the eyes sees not itself/ But by reflection, by some other things”
d. “You blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things!”
43. ______ Caesar’s conflict about whether or not to go to the Senate is resolved by
a. Calphurnia’s changing her mind and telling Caesar to go with Antony
b. Antony’s arriving to take Caesar to the Senate
c. Decius’ giving him a positive interpretation of Calphurnia’s dream
d. The augurer’s telling him that it is safe to go to the Senate
44. ______ In a tragedy, a tragic flaw refers to the main character’s
a. Personal weakness
b. Motive
c. Downfall
d. Background
45. _______After the conspirators kill Caesar, they bathe their hands and swords in
Caesar’s blood. These actions foreshadow the end of the play, when
a. Antony will die
b. Hunters will kill brave harts
c. The blood of the conspirators will be spilled
d. The conspirators will recite the poems of Cinn
46. ______ What tone would be MOST appropriate for a REVIEW of the play?
a. Cricitcal
b. Uncertain
c. Mocking
d. Scolding
47. _______ Shakespeare builds suspense by having Calphurnia do all of the
following things EXCEPT
a. Urge Caesar not to go to the Senate
b. Suggest that Caesar pretend to be ill
c. Recount the disturbing omens
d. Swallow hot coals
48. ______ The scene between Cinna the Poet and the mob shows the extent of
a. Cinna’s ability to think quickly
b. The mob’s fury at the conspirators
c. Brutus’ physical courage
49. _____ The play opens at a
a. Public holiday
b. Private religious service
c. Funeral
50. ______Caesar says he does not trust _____ because he looks too hungry.
a. Calphurnia
b. Cassius
c. Lepidus
51. ______ Brutus views the assassination as a sacrifice to
a. His own ambition
b. The good of Rome
c. His friendship with Cassius
52. ______ Caesar’s wife warns him
a. Of her ominous dreams
b. To beware of Cassius
c. To be careful around Antony
53. ______ Caesar does not fear death because
a. He thinks himself immortal
b. It must come to all men
c. The soothsayer tells him that the afterlife is like living in cotton candy
54. ______ The Roman mob reacts to Antony’s sarcastic use of the word
a. “Roman”
b. “Honorable”
c. “Friendship”
55. ______ Caesar never shows himself as
a. Arrogant
b. Sick
c. Greedy
56. ______ The day of the final battle is
a. Cassius’ birthday
b. Brutus’ wedding anniversary
c. The Ides of March
57. ______ Brutus dies
a. At the hands of Antony
b. On his own sword
c. During an argument with Cassius
Essay Question Choices (7 sentence paragraph answer)
A. Do you think Brutus is “an honorable man?” Why or why not? Make sure you
note different examples of his behavior from the play.
B. Why do you think Caesar rejects the crown when Antony hands it to him? How
does this behavior fit with the image you have of him?
C. If Brutus were to go back in time and decide all over again whether to participate
in the conspiracy, what do you think he would do? Why?
D. How are the common people portrayed in Julius Caesar? What does the play
seem to say about democracy?
E. Judging from this play, do you think William Shakespeare had a pessimistic or
optimistic view of life. Give reasons for your opinion.
Speeches
Familiarize yourself with Brutus’ and Antony’s funeral speeches. Be able to find one
example of each of the following: ethos, pathos, logos. Also, be able to explain your
answer.