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Multiple-Choice
Please choose the answer that best completes each sentence.
1. What was the first major Roman festival to incorporate theatre?
*A. Ludi Romani
B. City Dionysia
C. Corpus Christi
D. Mardi Gras
2. Who was the most popular of all Roman comic writers?
*A. Plautus
B. Seneca
C. Horace
D. Menander
3. Who is sometimes called “The Roman Aristotle” because of his work in dramatic
criticism?
A. Plautus
*B. Horace
C. Terence
D. Aristophanes
4. ______________ was the chief Roman tragic writer; there is strong speculation that his
plays were never performed.
A. Terence
B. Plautus
C. Euripides
*D. Seneca
5. Roman theatre focused primarily on:
*A. comedies
B tragedies
C melodramas
D mysteries
6. ____________________________was improvised and dealt with exaggerated family
problems.
A. Ludi Romani
*B. Atellan faarce
C. Roman tragedy
D. Naumachiae
7. _______________________ were sea battles staged on lakes or other bodies of water.
*A. Naumachiae
B. Epodes
C. Menaechmi
D. Thyestes
8. The most renowned Roman amphitheatre was the:
A. Circus Maximus
B. Ludi Romani
*C. Colosseum
D. Theatre of Zeus
9. _________________________ required a single dancer, a chorus, and musical
accompanists.
A. Satires
*B. Pantomime
C. Cavea
D. Decorum
10. The Roman version of the theatron was the:
A. scaena
B. orchestra
C. pulpitum
*D. cavea
11. The popular Roman playwright who was admired for his Latin dialogue, poetic
meters, and witty jokes was:
*A. Plautus
B. Meander
C. Aristophanes
D. Horace
12. Which is true of the theatre of the Roman Empire:
A. The auditorium was built on a slope.
*B. The stage house and auditorium were joined to form a single architectural unit.
C. The orchestra was a full circle and was used for seating dignitaries.
D. The stage was small by modern standards.
13. The basic scenic background in the Roman theatre was the:
A. skene
B. ekkyklema
*C. scaenae frons
D. deus ex machine
14. The chief means of differentiating place in the Roman theatre was the:
*A. periaktoi
B. skene
C. ekkyklema
D. deus ex machine
15. The four stock characters Bucco, Pappus, Maccus, and Dossenus originated with:
A. Old Comedy
*B. Atellan Farce
C. Satire
D. Aristophanes' comedies
16. _____________________, possibly the first Black playwright, stressed
characterization, subtlety of expression and elegant language.
*A. Terence
B. Plautus
C. Seneca
D. Phaedria
17. Horace argued that writers should:
A. entertain the audience
B. instruct the audience
*C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B
18. The idea that language and actions must fit traditional ideas of suitable behavior for
the character is known as:
A. verisimilitude
*B. decorum
C. dominus
D. cavea
19. The _______________, an actor who was head of a troupe, made financial
arrangements and bought dramas from playwrights.
A. quintus
B. decorum
C. pulpitum
*D. dominus
20. The Roman ________________ was two or three stories high and was used for
storage and dressing space.
*A. scaena
B. cavea
C. orchestra
D. theatron
21. Much of what scholars know about Roman theatre architecture came from
A. Aristotle
B. Terence
*C. Marcus Vitruvius
D. Titus Plautus
22. Which of the following is true of mime performances?
A. They were extremely lengthy.
*B. They were risque.
C. Their troupes included only men.
D. All of the above
23. In the fourth century, the Christian Church
A. promoted theatre as a teaching tool for the masses.
B. approved of theatre as entertainment.
*C. opposed theatre.
D. remained neutral toward theatre.
24. Which of the following is true of Roman theatre?
A. Plays were held outdoors.
B. There was a large, raised stage.
C. The orchestra was shaped in a half circle.
*D. All of the above
25. Roman theatre differs from Greek theatre in that
*A. all elements of the Roman theater building were connected.
B. Roman theatre used exclusively male actors, while Greek theatre used men and
women.
C. Roman actors performed as a volunteer civic responsibility, while Greek actors were
professionals.
D. All of the above
True/False
Please choose whether the statement is true or false.
26. The Christian church was a contributing factor in the decline of theatre toward the
end of the Roman Empire.
*True
False
27. Roman theatre focused mainly on tragedy.
True
*False
28. The most important influence on Roman theatre was Greek theatre.
*True
False
29. The first major Roman festival to incorporate theatre was dedicated to Jupiter.
*True
False
30. Roman playwrights were not influenced by the work of Greek playwrights.
True
*False
31. Historians estimate that after the mid-third century, Roman theatrical presentations
were staged on one hundred days of the year.
*True
False
32. Seneca was a great comic playwright whose work influenced situational comedies
today.
*True
False
33. Horace’s Ars Poetica is the only existing Latin treatise on dramatic criticism.
*True
False
34. There were no permanent theatres for presenting the works of Plautus and Terence.
*True
False
35. The Roman theaters were roofed, with a smaller, more intimate playing space than
was typically found in Greece.
True
*False
Essays
36. Compare and contrast the Roman theatre with today’s entertainment scene.
37. Compare and contrast the Ludi Romani with the City Dionysia.