MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

[Link] among the following was the runner in the sacred race during the feast of Lupercalia?

(a) Cassius

(b) Brutus

(c) Mark Antony

(d) Casca

[Link] warning does the Soothsayer give to Julius Caesar?

(a) Beware the ides of March

(b) Beware of Cassius’ lean and hungry look

(c) Beware the storm tonight

(d) Do not go to the Senate House

[Link] does Caesar want Antony to touch Calpurnia during the

race?

(a) To bless her with a long life

(b) To cure her of her sterile curse

(c) To make her victorious

(d) It was part of Roman military tradition

[Link] notices a change in Brutus’ behavior. Brutus explains

this by saying that:

(a) He is angry with Cassius

(b) He is sick and unwell

(c) He is vexed with conflicting personal emotions

(d) He is worried about Caesar's growing power

[Link] to Cassius, who is the 'mirror' that can show Brutus

his own hidden worth and nobility?

(a) Julius Caesar

(b) Cassius himself

(c) Mark Antony

(d) The common people of Rome

[Link] does Brutus fear when he hears the crowd shouting at the festival?**

(a) That the people have chosen Caesar as their king

(b) That a riot has broken out in the streets

(c) That Antony has been injured in the race

(d) That civil war has begun

[Link] recounts a story to prove Caesar's physical weakness. In this story, what did he and Caesar do?

(a) Fought in a fierce battle against Pompey

(b) Climbed the highest peak of the Alps

(c) Leaped into the turbulent waters of the River Tiber on a cold day

(d) Travelled across the deserts of Spain without water

[Link] Caesar suffered from a fever in Spain, Cassius compares his groaning to that of a:

(a) Dying soldier

(b) Sick girl

(c) Cowardly slave

(d) Defeated king

9."The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings." What does Cassius mean by this?

(a) Fate controls human destiny completely

(b) Men are masters of their own fate and must take action

(c) They are born under an unlucky planet

(d) They must accept their lower social status quietly

[Link] physical defect of Caesar is revealed when he talks to Antony about Cassius?

(a) He is blind in one eye

(b) He is deaf in his left ear

(d) He suffers from constant memory loss

[Link] does Caesar describe Cassius to Mark Antony?

(a) Once

(b) Twice

(c) Thrice

(d) Four times

13. **How did Caesar react each time the crown was offered to him?

(a) He accepted it eagerly with both hands

(b) He put it by gently, though he seemed more reluctant to let it go each time

(c) He threw it at the crowd in anger

(d) He demanded that it be placed on Brutus' head instead

[Link] happened to Caesar immediately after he refused the crown for the final time?

(a) He was attacked by an angry mob

(b) He fell down in the marketplace and foamed at the mouth (suffered an epileptic fit)

(c) He gave a grand speech thanking the citizens

(d) He left Rome to prepare for a new war

[Link] punishment did Marullus and Flavius receive for stripping decorations off Caesar’s statues?

(a) They were executed publicly

(b) They were banished from Rome

(c) They were 'put to silence' (deprived of their offices/imprisoned)V (d) They were forced to pay a heavy fine

[Link] the end of the scene, what plan does Cassius devise to fully convince Brutus to join the conspiracy?

(a) To bribe Brutus with gold and property

(b) To throw letters in different handwritings into Brutus’ window, hinting at Rome's fear of Caesar's ambition

(c) To bring Caesar to Brutus’ house for an ambush

(d) To organize a public debate against Caesar

CONTEXT-BASED EXTRACT QUESTIONS

Extract I

Caesar:Calpurnia! Casca:Peace, ho! Caesar [Link]:Calpurnia!Calpurnia:Here, my [Link]:Stand you directly in Antonius' way, / When he doth run his course.

1. Where are the characters standing? What public festival is being celebrated at this moment?

2. Why does Caesar instruct Calpurnia to stand directly in Antonius' path? What ancient Roman belief is associated with this action? 3. What

do Caesar's commands to Calpurnia and Antony reveal about his personal desires, especially regarding an heir?

4. How does Antony respond to Caesar's instructions? What does his response tell us about his relationship with Caesar?

5. Who interrupts this ceremonial scene shortly after this exchange? What specific warning does he give, and how does Caesar react to it?

Extract II

Cassius:Brutus, I do observe you now of late: / I have not from your eyes that gentleness / And show of love as I was wont to have: / You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand / Over your friend that loves you.

1. Why do Cassius and Brutus remain behind while Caesar and his train go to the festival games?

2. What change has Cassius noticed in Brutus’ behavior recently? What reason does Brutus offer to justify this change?

3. Explain the meaning of: "You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand / Over your friend that loves you”

4. What internal conflict is Brutus dealing with at this stage of the play? How does it affect his view of Caesar?

5. How does Cassius try to use this conversation to test Brutus' feelings about Caesar’s growing political power?

Extract III

Brutus:What means this shouting? I do fear, the people / Choose Caesar for their [Link]:Ay, do you fear it? / Then must I think you would not have it [Link]:I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well.*

1. What causes the shouting that interrupts their private conversation? How does Brutus react to it?

2. Why is the word "fear" significant in Brutus' statement? How does Cassius immediately seize upon this word to advance his goal? 3.

Analyze Brutus’ feelings as expressed in *"yet I love him well."* How does this complicate his sense of civic duty to Rome? 4. What does

Cassius mean when he replies that honor is the subject of his story?
5. What idea does Cassius introduce next to show that Caesar is no better or stronger than either of them?

Extract IV

Cassius: I as Aeneas, our great ancestor, / Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder / The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber / Did I the tired Caesar.

1. Under what circumstances did Cassius have to rescue Caesar from the River Tiber? What does this incident demonstrate about Caesar’s physical capabilities?

2. Who was Aeneas? Why does Cassius compare himself to Aeneas and Caesar to Anchises?

3. Mention another anecdote or story that Cassius shares in this scene to highlight Caesar's physical weaknesses and frailties. 4. What

argument is Cassius trying to construct by proving that Caesar is physically vulnerable?

5. How does Cassius contrast Caesar's current immense political status with his actual physical weakness?

Extract V

Cassius:Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus, and we petty men / Walk under his huge legs and peep about / To find ourselves dishonourable graves.

1. What is the "Colossus"? How does Cassius use this image to illustrate Caesar’s current status in Rome?

2. How does Cassius describe the condition of ordinary Roman citizens (and senators like themselves) under Caesar's shadow? 3. Explain the

lines: *"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings."*

4. What is Cassius trying to motivate Brutus to do by stating that the fault lies within themselves?

5. How does Cassius compare the names "Brutus" and "Caesar"? What point is he making about political equality in a Republic? Extract VI

Caesar:Let me have men about me that are fat; / Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o' nights: / Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; / He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.

1. What has Caesar noticed about Cassius as he returns from the games? Why does it make him uncomfortable?

2. Why does Caesar prefer to be surrounded by men who are "fat" and "sleep o' nights"? What kind of personality is he looking for in his associates?

3. Antony tells Caesar not to fear Cassius. What arguments does Antony use to defend Cassius?

4. Provide two reasons given by Caesar in his subsequent speech as to why Cassius is dangerous and cannot be easily satisfied.

5. What physical limitation of his own does Caesar mention to Antony at the end of this conversation? Extract VII

Brutus:Ay, Casca; tell us what hath chanced to-day, / That Caesar looks so [Link]:Why, you were with him, were you not?Brutus:I should not then ask Casca what had chanced.

1. How would you describe Casca's tone and manner of speaking based on his responses to Brutus and Cassius? 2. Why does Caesar look

"sad" (serious/sullen) as he returns from the festival marketplace? 3. Describe the sequence of events involving Mark Antony offering the

crown to Caesar, as reported by Casca. 4. How did the common crowd react when Caesar refused the crown? What physical effect did their

reaction have on Caesar? 5. What did Caesar do and say right before he swooned and fell down in the marketplace?

Extract VIII Cassius: Well, Brutus, thou art

noble; yet, I see, / Thy honourable metal may be wrought / From that it is disposed: therefore it is meet / That noble minds keep ever with their likes; / For who so firm that cannot be seduced?

1. What is a soliloquy? Why is this speech by Cassius at the end of the scene considered a soliloquy? 2. Explain the metaphor: "Thy

honourable metal may be wrought / From that it is disposed." What does it reveal about Cassius’ opinion of Brutus' character? 3. What does

Cassius mean when he says, *"therefore it is meet / That noble minds keep ever with their likes"*? Who is he referring to? 4. What specific,

deceptive plan does Cassius reveal in this speech to ensure Brutus joins the conspiracy against Caesar? 5. How does this final speech change

or shape the audience's understanding of Cassius' true motives and methods?