Answer Key
ROMAN REPUBLIC STUDY GUIDE Answer Key
Define the following vocabulary words.
Consuls- 2 Officials who managed the Roman government and army.
Senate- Governing body in which ancient Roman representatives served (Patricians who were
elected)
Aqueduct- Structures used to carry flowing water from a distance
*Forum- Center of life in Rome, place to trade, do business, read laws (12 Tables were on display
in Forum), etc.
*Triumvirate- Political alliance or partnership of 3 people.
Plebeians- common citizens of Rome, farmers, metal workers, merchants, etc. (90% of
population). Most lived in the Roman countryside (not in the city of Rome).
Patricians- Wealthy and powerful citizens of Rome, senators, generals, etc. Lived within the walls
of the city of Rome.
Dictator- person who has total control over the people and government.
On a map of Rome (the Italian peninsula), be able to locate the following terms and landforms.
- Alps Mts.
- Apennine Mts.
- Tiber River
- Sicily
- Africa
Who are Romulus and Remus? The mythical story tells that Romulus and Remus were raised by a
female wolf as babies, then as adults founded the city of Rome. They argued about who would
rule and Romulus killed Remus.
*What are the 12 tables? Roman laws that were placed in the Forum for all people to read.
*What does SPQR stand for (in English)? The Senate and the People of Rome
What is a Republic and why was it created in Rome? Government where citizens elect their
leaders, it was created because the early Romans where sick of bad kings.
Explain the Punic Wars.
 What countries fought in them? Rome vs. Carthage
 How many wars, who won each? 3 wars total, Rome won all 3.
 Any famous generals? Hannibal was the great Carthaginian general who lost at the battle of
Zama against Scipio (Roman) to end the 2nd Punic War.
*What is the famous fighting formation the Romans used? The Tortoise Formation
What happened on the “Ides of March”? Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by the Senate to save
the republic.
*Who built the roads and what were they used for? The army built them to be able to travel across
the empire.
What was the role of the Tribunes? Stand up and protect the rights of the Plebeians in the
government.
Essay Questions
You may answer in bullet points now as you find information, but for the test you will need to
write in complete sentences. If you choose to answer in bullet points, I highly recommend you
practice writing your answers in a paragraph when you study for the test.
The Struggle of the Orders was a major conflict in the Roman Republic.
• What was the Struggle of the Orders?
• Who was involved (List each and explain)?
• What were some major complaints of the groups (3 examples, be specific and explain each
one)?
• What rights were gained after the Struggle of the Orders (2 examples, be specific and
explain each one)?
1. The Struggle of the Orders is the conflict between patricians and plebeians about
the amount of power each should have in the government (our debate we had in
class).
2. Patricians wanted to keep all the power in government and remain wealthy.
3. Plebeians wanted to have representation in government, know the laws of Rome,
have the law of Unjust Debt removed (people being imprisoned for debt), and
acquire more money and land.
4. The law of Unjust Debt was removed and the Tribunes, people who stood up for
plebeian rights in government, were created as a result of the Struggle of the
Orders.
The Roman military changed when it replaced its citizen soldiers with professional soldiers.
 Explain the difference between a citizen soldier and a professional soldier.
 How did the army change because of this?
 Were the changes good or bad? Explain.
1. A citizen soldier is someone who has a job like farmers or merchants who leave
their job to go fight in wars when needed. A professional soldier is in the army
year round, it is their job.
2. This causes the army to be much better trained, since their only job is to prepare
for a war for when it occurs. Another change is that the generals pay the
soldiers and give them some of the conquered lands. This makes the soldiers
feel loyalty towards generals, and not Rome.
3. The soldiers becoming professionals is a great change that strengthens the army
and makes people want to become soldiers since they get money and land now.
The loss of loyalty in Rome is bad because it allows generals to use their armies
for their own personal gains.