Question

focus on state-building: empires
among their former enemies but also to constantly
enlarge their population and, by the same token, the
manpower available to their armies.

from anthony everitt, the rise of rome: the making of
the world’s greatest empire (new york: random house
publishing, 2012), 62.

what is everitt’s claim about why the romans were
able to build a successful empire?

choose 1 answer:

a they followed a consistent policy of forming good
relationships with the people they conquered,
which allowed them to expand the population of
their empire

b they followed examples from other empires in the
ancient world by being cruel and unforgiving

c roman soldiers were forced to marry women in the
colonies, which ensured that roman children
would be born there and continue empire
expansion

d they took money from the territories they
conquered and put it into infrastructure and trade,
which expanded their empire

Explanation:

To determine Everitt's claim, we analyze the options:

• Option A: The text mentions Romans wanted to "enlarge their population" and the option says they formed good relationships with conquered people to expand population, which aligns with the idea of gaining manpower (from population growth) for their armies.
• Option B: The text doesn't suggest cruelty; it's about population expansion, so B is incorrect.
• Option C: There's no mention of forced marriages in the given text, so C is wrong.
• Option D: The text focuses on population/manpower, not taking money for infrastructure/trade, so D is incorrect.

Answer:

A. They followed a consistent policy of forming good relationships with the people they conquered, which allowed them to expand the population of their empire