Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

Chapter 04
The Hellenistic World

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Greek culture and society played which of the following roles in the Hellenistic world?
A. They furnished the Hellenistic world with a common language.
B. Greece's city-states exerted political dominion over the Hellenistic world.
C. They set the religious standards of Hellenistic society.
D. Greece's city-state form of government became the Hellenistic ideal.

2. This age is called Hellenistic because it

A. is neither Greek nor Roman.
B. covered a time period during which the Greeks dominated the Mediterranean world.
C. was more Persian than Greek.
D. was heavily influenced by Hellenic culture.

3. The Hellenistic Age dates from

A. 500 BCE to 100 CE.
B. 200 BCE to 31 BCE.
C. 323 BCE to 31 BCE.
D. 450 BCE to 200 BCE.

4. The Hellenistic time period begins with

A. the end of the Peloponnesian War.
B. the death of Alexander the Great.
C. the start of the Persian War.
D. Alexander the Great's birth.

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

5. Which of the following describes Antigonid rule of Macedon and Greece?

A. absolute rule over the two regions
B. power sharing with the Achaean League in southern Greece
C. chaotic inability to subdue the constant military insurrections in the regions
D. establishment of democratic governments throughout the peninsula

6. Hellenistic women found new freedom in their ability to

A. conduct their own legal and economic affairs.
B. work in the liberal arts and professions.
C. make charitable bequests and erect impressive gravestones.
D. All these answers are correct.

7. The primary form of government in the Hellenistic world was

A. oligarchic rule by aristocratic families.
B. democratic rule by the people.
C. military dictatorship.
D. theocratic kingship.

8. Which of the following is NOT true of urban life in the Hellenistic cities?
A. The expansion of trade benefitted Greeks and non-Greeks.
B. Many of the major cities were founded by Alexander himself.
C. The mixing of cultures reduced class divisions during the period.
D. Most Greek migrants to the new cities pursued business and professional careers.

9. The last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt prior to Egypt's entanglement with Rome was
A. Cleopatra.
B. Ptolemy Soter.
C. Seleucus.
D. Antigonus.

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

10. What was Alexander's enduring legacy to the Hellenistic world?

A. his dream of a unified, single world-state
B. his new image of the city
C. his ideal of a Greco-Oriental civilization
D. his goal to found a peaceful world community

11. The city of Pergamum can be described as

A. the center of the Seleucid kingdom.
B. a backwater of culture and learning.
C. the most important city in the Attalid kingdom.
D. the capital of Egypt.

12. The greatest city of the Hellenistic world was

A. Pergamum.
B. Alexandria.
C. Antioch.
D. Athens.

13. Government and military posts in the Hellenistic kingdoms were typically held by
A. Greeks and Macedonians.
B. Greeks.
C. the local leaders that had held power prior to conquest.
D. Macedonians of Alexander's line.

14. Unlike Hellenic classicism, Hellenistic classicism was often characterized by

A. balance and harmony.
B. tranquility and restfulness.
C. simplicity and restraint.
D. eroticism and realism.

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

15. Hellenistic classicism shared with Hellenic classicism an

A. emphasis on moral themes.
B. ideal that art should be expressed in simple terms.
C. ideal that art should be characterized by restraint.
D. All these answers are correct.

16. Which of the following was characteristic of Hellenistic civilization?

A. New philosophies and religions abounded.
B. Grandiose architecture was the norm.
C. Comedic theater appealed much more than tragic drama.
D. All these answers are correct.

17. New Comedy, the style of comic drama during the Hellenistic period, was characterized
by
A. gently satirical scenes from middle-class life.
B. casual obscenity.
C. political criticism.
D. All these answers are correct.

18. The favorite subject of New Comedy was

A. political satire.
B. comic romances.
C. slapstick comedies.
D. burlesques of Greek tragedies.

19. The leading author of New Comedy was

A. Aristophanes.
B. Menander.
C. Plautus.
D. Theocritus.

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

20. New Comedy influenced

A. Racine's plays.
B. medieval morality plays.
C. Shakespeare's comedies.
D. Goethe's Faust.

21. The Hellenistic economic order rested on all but which of the following?
A. international trade and banking
B. large scale, localized farming
C. specialized luxury crafts
D. a cheap supply of slaves

22. New Comedy reflected and appealed most directly to the

A. middle class.
B. poorer classes.
C. aristocracy.
D. non-Greek and non-Macedonian masses.

23. Theocritus developed the new literary genre called the

A. epic.
B. pastoral.
C. sonnet.
D. novel.

24. Theocritus's "idylls" most commonly offered

A. criticisms of Hellenic governments.
B. small portraits of Hellenistic life.
C. moral admonishments on lives led in pursuit of pleasure.
D. a questioning of established religious beliefs.

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

25. Hellenistic philosophies often encouraged a type of self-sufficiency called

A. moral relativism.
B. arete.
C. autarky.
D. hubris.

26. ________ denounced all religions and governments; shunned physical comfort; and taught
that if one wanted nothing, then one could not lack anything.
A. Cynicism
B. Skepticism
C. Epicureanism
D. Stoicism

27. ________ argued that nothing could be known for certain.

A. Cynicism
B. Skepticism
C. Epicureanism
D. Stoicism

28. ________ taught that the best life is lived withdrawn from the world, cultivating simple
pleasures and avoiding fame, power, and wealth.
A. Cynicism
B. Skepticism
C. Epicureanism
D. Stoicism

29. ________ taught that the order of things cannot be changed, and hence wisdom lies in
doing one's duty, without complaining, in a spirit of dedication.
A. Cynicism
B. Skepticism
C. Epicureanism
D. Stoicism

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

30. A key principle of Stoicism was the

A. identification of God with nature and reason.
B. belief in twin gods, a god of evil and a god of goodness.
C. belief in reincarnation.
D. assumption that the best way to live is separate from society.

31. The word logos as used by the Stoics can be defined as

A. the sum total of a believer's experiences.
B. the path to redemption.
C. reason, or the rational.
D. the small particles found in all matter.

32. Hellenistic women were attracted to Epicureanism because this philosophy

A. called for a strict separation between the sexes.
B. advocated sexual equality within society.
C. promoted friendship, and thus made the sexes equal.
D. urged that women pursue careers the same as men.

33. One of the goals of Hellenistic philosophy was ataraxia, which can be defined as a
A. sense of being above the cares of the world.
B. belief that salvation will be given in an afterlife.
C. feeling of belonging to a select group of saved souls.
D. conviction of being in the hands of Fate.

34. How did Epicurus differ from the theory of the earlier atomists?
A. He believed that the movement of atoms had little effect on the behavior of the universe.
B. He believed humans could manipulate atoms to change themselves.
C. He believed that atoms were not the smallest units of matter.
D. He inserted the concept of free will.

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

35. Hellenistic temples were characterized by their

A. small sizes.
B. plain decorations.
C. tall, slender columns with decorated capitals.
D. raised platforms and many-stepped entrances.

36. Altars can be described as

A. having existed even before temples.
B. being simple slabs, in the beginning.
C. becoming larger and more widespread during the Hellenistic period.
D. All these answers are correct.

37. The altar of Pergamum was

A. constructed in a large courtyard.
B. part of an effort to transform Pergamum into another Athens.
C. decorated with a sculptured frieze.
D. All these answers are correct.

38. During the Hellenistic period, temples were altered so that

A. there was space inside to seat the congregation of worshipers.
B. their grandeur enhanced the majesty of the ruler who built them.
C. no statues of gods or goddesses could be placed inside.
D. All these answers are correct.

39. Which of the following Hellenistic sculptures depicts a genre subject?

A. Aphrodite of Melos
B. Dying Gaul
C. Eros Sleeping
D. The Laocon Group

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

40. Genre art is usually art that

A. includes famous persons, such as a ruler.
B. is associated with religious themes and images.
C. portrays scenes from everyday life.
D. features an idealized style.

41. Hellenistic sculpture usually depicted

A. serenity.
B. order and symmetry.
C. idealized emotion.
D. realism.

42. What aspect of Euclid's discoveries became the basis of mathematical studies until the
nineteenth century?
A. linear equations
B. trigonometry
C. calculus
D. geometry

43. How did Hellenistic scientists differ from their Hellenic predecessors like Plato and
Aristotle?
A. They were more practical.
B. They were more speculative.
C. They were less interested in methodologies.
D. They produced less concrete advancements.

44. Neoclassicism swept the Hellenistic world

A. at the height of the military power of the three major kingdoms.
B. as the Hellenistic kingdoms began to crumble during Rome's rise.
C. in response to the development of Alexander's new cities.
D. as international trade improved and spread the works of classical Greece.

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

45. All of the following are legacies of Hellenistic civilization EXCEPT

A. the shift in emphasis from cities to the rural countryside.
B. a new sense of multicultural tolerance.
C. divine-right kingship.
D. Roman art and literature.

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

Essay Questions
46. Compare and contrast the role of women in Hellenic and Hellenistic society. Explain the
reasons for their similarities and differences.
Answers will vary

47. Identify the Hellenistic states that arose as a result of the partition of Alexander the Great's
far-flung empire. What forces unified these states during the Hellenistic period?
Answers will vary

48. Compare and contrast Hellenic and Hellenistic comedy, noting playwrights, treatment of
characters, and plots and themes.
Answers will vary

49. What were the contributions of Theocritus to Western literature?

Answers will vary

50. Discuss Hellenistic religions, with special focus on the belief in Fate and the mystery
cults. Why were these religions so popular with the masses?
Answers will vary

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Chapter 04 - The Hellenistic World

51. Describe a Corinthian-style temple, using the Olympieum in Athens as the model. How
did the Olympieum reflect the propaganda goals of the rulers who commissioned it?
Answers will vary

52. What was genre subject art? Use a work from the Hellenistic period that represents this
style to support your arguments.
Answers will vary

53. What did the Hellenistic Age contribute to science and technology? Identify the individual
achievements of at least three major figures.
Answers will vary

54. Choosing two examples of Hellenistic sculpture, show how these works reflect the values
of Hellenistic civilization.
Answers will vary

55. What was the cultural legacy of the Hellenistic Age to the West?
Answers will vary

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