The Prince

1. Where was Machiavelli born?

2. According to Machiavelli, which of the following statements about hereditary states is not valid?

3. Which of the following is a course of action that should not be taken by a prince of a new principality?

4. Which of the following is the best means of becoming a prince?

5. Which of the following arguments does Machiavelli make about the nature of men?

6. Which of the following is true about nobles and ministers?

7. Which of the following is a course of action that a prince should not take in order to hold states accustomed to living freely under their own laws?

8. Which is of the following is true about fortune and prowess?

9. What is Machiavelli’s approach to the use of cruelty?

10. Under what conditions are fortresses most valuable?

11. Which if the following is not true about ecclesiastical principalities?

12. Which of the following types of troops should a prince depend on?

13. Which of the following statements about auxiliary troops is not true?

14. With which of the following statements would Machiavelli not agree?

15. Which of the following traits is most desirable in a prince?

16. Against whom might a prince be justified in using inhumane cruelty?

17. To what does Machiavelli compare a prince who breaks his word to play one foreign power off another?

18. What quality in a prince will cause the populace to despise him?

19. What is the best defense against conspiracies?

20. Which of the following is not a means of winning honor and prestige?

21. What is the mark of the best kind of intellect?

22. What is Machiavelli’s historical assessment of Italy’s past princes?

23. Which of the following is foremost among Machiavelli’s pleas to Lorenzo de’ Medici?

24. Which of the following rulers is not an example of a ruler who triumphed on the strength of their own powers?

25. Why had a number of Italian princes of Machiavelli’s time recently lost their states?