Chariot racing and the Circus Maximus - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Roman City Life) Exam Questions

Practise 31 exam-style questions on Chariot racing and the Circus Maximus for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Roman City Life). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

31 questions
1–15 marks each
Instant marking
No sign-up needed

20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

1 mark

In Roman chariot racing, what was a naufragium?

Model answer

A naufragium was a crash in which a chariot was wrecked; the word means 'shipwreck'.

Explanation

Crashes were most common at the metae, where teams turned sharply at speed and drivers cut in as close as they dared. Because the reins were tied round the charioteer's waist, a driver who could not cut himself free with his knife could be dragged to his death, which is why naufragia were both feared and part of the excitement for the crowd.

Mark scheme

1 mark
A crash / wreck of a chariot (literally a 'shipwreck')
Accept collision, pile-up, a chariot overturning. Do not accept 'a turning post' or 'a type of chariot'.

Question 2

2 marks

In a four-horse chariot (quadriga), the best horse was harnessed on the left-hand side of the team, nearest the spina.

Explain why.

Model answer

Races went anticlockwise, so the chariots always turned left round the metae. The left-hand horse was on the inside of each turn and had to turn very tightly close to the meta without hitting it, so it needed to be the steadiest and most skilful horse.

Explanation

The turns decided races: a driver who went wide lost ground, while one who cut too close could hit the meta and crash. The inside left horse controlled the line of the whole team round the turn, which is why the best horses were famous and named. Ovid's narrator in Amores 3.2 urges a driver to 'pull hard on the left rein' as he goes wide round the turning post.

Mark scheme

1 mark
The races ran anticlockwise, so every turn round the metae was to the left
Accept 'the chariots turned left round the turning posts'.
1 mark
The left-hand horse had to turn most tightly / almost pivot round the meta, keeping close to it without hitting it, and hold the team steady so it did not swing wide or crash
Accept 'it set the line round the turn', 'it needed to be the most obedient/steady/skilful'. Do not accept simply 'it was the fastest'.

Question 3

4 marks

Source A: Pliny, Letters 9.6

'I have spent all this time among my notebooks and books in the most delightful peace. "How," you ask, "could you manage that in the city?" The races were on, a kind of show that does not hold my attention in the slightest. There is nothing new, nothing varied, nothing you need to watch more than once. So I am all the more amazed that so many thousands of grown men should want, like children, to see horses running and men standing in chariots over and over again.'

What impressions do you gain of Pliny's attitude to chariot racing in this passage? Make two points.

Model answer

Pliny is bored by chariot racing: he says there is 'nothing new, nothing varied, nothing you need to watch more than once'. He is also scornful of the fans, saying he is amazed that 'so many thousands of grown men' want 'like children' to watch the same thing again and again.

Explanation

Pliny presents himself as a cultured senator who uses the noisy race days for quiet study. His contempt is useful evidence of an upper-class attitude, but his own words ('so many thousands') confirm how popular the races were. Each pair needs a distinct impression backed by the text.

Mark scheme

2 marks
First point with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression of Pliny's attitude to chariot racing, 1 mark for a relevant reference or quotation from the passage that supports it. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
Two pairs from, e.g.: he is bored by the races (1) - 'nothing new, nothing varied', 'does not hold my attention in the slightest' (1); he thinks it is repetitive (1) - 'nothing you need to watch more than once', 'over and over again' (1); he is scornful / looks down on the fans (1) - grown men wanting 'like children' to watch (1); he is puzzled / amazed at its popularity (1) - 'I am all the more amazed that so many thousands' (1); he thinks reading and writing are a better use of time / feels superior (1) - he spends the time 'among my notebooks and books in the most delightful peace' (1); he is dismissive of what actually happens (1) - reduces it to 'horses running and men standing in chariots' (1). The second pair must make a different point from the first. Credit a relevant reference (1) even if the impression is weak. Points must come from the passage.
2 marks
Second, different point with supporting evidence from Source A: 1 mark for a valid impression of Pliny's attitude to chariot racing, 1 mark for a relevant reference or quotation from the passage that supports it. The two marks are independent: award 1 for a valid point even if no evidence is given, and 1 for a relevant quotation from, reference to or close paraphrase of the source even if the point is missing, weak or wrong.
As above; must be a different impression from the first point.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Pliny the Elder, Natural History 7

'It is recorded in the official daily news that at the funeral of Felix, a charioteer of the Reds, one of his supporters threw himself onto the pyre - a trivial thing to report - and that, so that this should not add to the glory of the performer, the supporters of the other factions claimed that the man had been overcome by the great quantity of perfumes.'

To what extent were charioteers treated as celebrities in Rome? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Source A suggests that charioteers could be treated as huge celebrities. When Felix, a driver of the Reds, died, one of his supporters was so devoted that he threw himself onto the funeral pyre, and the event was important enough to be recorded in the official daily news. The jealous response of rival fans, who claimed the man had been overcome by perfumes, shows that a driver's glory mattered to everyone in the Circus.

Other evidence supports this. The inscription of Diocles records 1,462 victories and prize money of nearly 36 million sesterces, far more than a senator needed, and was set up to celebrate his career. Martial calls Scorpus 'the glory of the roaring Circus' and Rome's 'darling', and Pliny the Younger admits that fans shout the names of drivers they recognise from far off. Caligula gave the Green driver Eutychus two million sesterces at a party, and victorious charioteers appear on mosaics holding palm branches.

However, fame did not bring respect. Most charioteers were slaves or freedmen, and when Nero drove a chariot himself, upper-class writers treated it as a disgrace. The job was very dangerous: drivers tied the reins round their waists and carried a knife to cut themselves free in a naufragium, and Scorpus died in his twenty-seventh year. Curse tablets show that rival fans wished them harm, and Pliny the Elder dismisses the whole story of Felix as 'trivial'.

Overall, top charioteers were celebrities in the modern sense: adored, wealthy and famous. But this applied to a small number of stars, and even they remained low in social status, so they were celebrities but not respected members of society.

Explanation

A strong answer uses Source A for the intensity of fans' devotion, adds wider evidence (Diocles, Scorpus, Eutychus), then balances it against low status, danger and upper-class contempt. The key distinction between fame and social respect is what lifts answers to Level 4.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks). AO1 (4) and AO2 (4) are equally weighted.
Level 4 (7-8 marks): consistently accurate and detailed knowledge of the evidence about charioteers (inscriptions, literary sources, mosaics, curse tablets, their status and dangers), using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of the cultural context and possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far charioteers were celebrities, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both Source A and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic of charioteers; limited range of evidence; some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use Source A; isolated analysis.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive or narrative answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - a fan of Felix (Reds) threw himself on his pyre; the event was recorded in the official news; rival fans tried to deny Felix the glory; Pliny calls it 'trivial'. Diocles - 24 years, 4,257 races, 1,462 wins, 35,863,120 sesterces, honoured with an inscription. Scorpus - Martial calls him 'the glory of the roaring Circus' and Rome's 'darling', died in his 27th year. Caligula gave the Green driver Eutychus 2 million sesterces. Pliny 9.6 - fans shout drivers' names. Victorious drivers shown on mosaics with palm branches. But: most charioteers were slaves or freedmen; dangerous job - reins round the waist, knife, naufragium, early deaths; curse tablets targeted drivers; upper-class disapproval - Nero's driving was seen as disgraceful for an emperor; Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder dismiss the passion as trivial. AO2: the evidence for fame and wealth is strong but concerns a few stars; celebrity did not bring social respect - fame and low status existed together, like actors; fans' devotion was partly to the faction, not the man; the sources are often upper-class writers who disapprove, so they may play down or mock the drivers' status. Possible judgement: top charioteers were celebrities in a modern sense - adored, rich and famous - but not respectable, and most drivers never reached that level.

Ready to try the rest? Every answer you write is marked against the mark scheme, so you can see exactly where the marks are.

AI Tutor Hints first, answers after you try

Hi! Stuck? Ask me for a hint and I’ll help you work it out. Once you’ve checked your answer I can explain exactly where the marks are.