Women and power in Rome: the Senate, the Oppian Law and Sempronia - OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Women in the Ancient World) Exam Questions

Practise 29 exam-style questions on Women and power in Rome: the Senate, the Oppian Law and Sempronia for OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (Women in the Ancient World). 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.

29 questions
1–8 marks each
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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

Source A: Sallust, The Conspiracy of Catiline 40 (63 BC)

'Umbrenus took the envoys of the Allobroges to the house of Decimus Brutus, because it was close to the Forum and was not unconnected with the plot because of X; for Brutus was away from Rome at that time.'

Who was X?

Model answer

Sempronia.

Explanation

Sempronia was probably the wife of Decimus Junius Brutus (consul in 77 BC) and the mother of Decimus Brutus Albinus, later one of Caesar's assassins. Her house being used for a meeting with the Gallic envoys is the only specific action Sallust links to her; her famous character sketch in chapter 25 describes her personality rather than anything she did in the plot.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Sempronia
Do not accept Fulvia (who betrayed the plot) or Catiline.

Question 2

2 marks

Source A: Livy, The History of Rome 34.1

'Amid the worries of great wars, some scarcely over and others about to begin, there came an incident which is small to tell, but which grew, through people's passions, into a great struggle. Marcus Fundanius and Lucius Valerius, tribunes of the plebs, brought a proposal before the plebs to repeal the Oppian Law. ... Marcus and Publius Junius Brutus, tribunes of the plebs, defended the Oppian Law and declared that they would not allow it to be repealed.'

Using Source A and your own knowledge, explain how tribunes of the plebs could both propose and block the repeal of a law. Make two points.

Model answer

A tribune could bring a proposal before the assembly of the plebs to be voted on, which is how Fundanius and Valerius tried to repeal the law. But any other tribune could use his veto to block it, which is what the Bruti threatened when they said they would not allow the law to be repealed.

Explanation

There were ten tribunes of the plebs each year, and each had the power to propose laws to the plebeian assembly and to veto the actions of others. In Livy 34.8 the women besieged the Bruti's doors until they withdrew their veto; after that all the tribes voted for repeal. The women could not vote themselves, so they had to pressure the men who could.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Proposing: a tribune could bring a proposal (bill) before the assembly of the plebs / the people to be voted on, as Fundanius and Valerius did.
Accept 'tribunes could put laws to the people's assembly (concilium plebis)' or 'tribunes could propose laws that, once passed, applied to everyone'.
1 mark
Blocking: any tribune could veto (intercessio) a colleague's proposal or another magistrate's action, so the Bruti could stop the vote taking place.
Accept 'tribunes had the power of veto'. Credit a reference to the Bruti saying they 'would not allow it to be repealed'.

Question 3

3 marks

Describe the Roman Senate during the Republic. Make three points.

Model answer

The Senate had about 300 members, increased to about 600 by Sulla in 81 BC. Its members were men who had held office as magistrates, and they stayed senators for life. It advised the consuls and other magistrates, and its decrees were usually followed, giving it great control over money, foreign policy and war.

Explanation

The Senate was the most powerful body in the Republic even though it could not pass laws itself; laws were voted by the assemblies of male citizens. Because membership came from holding elected office, which only men could do, women were completely shut out of it.

Mark scheme

3 marks
Three valid points, 1 mark each: about 300 members, increased to about 600 by Sulla (81 BC); its members were former magistrates (after Sulla all ex-quaestors became members); members served for life; membership was checked by the censors; it advised the consuls and other magistrates through decrees (senatus consulta); its advice was usually followed, though it was not strictly law; it controlled public money, foreign policy, the provinces and the armies; it met in the Senate House (Curia) in the Forum or in temples; it was summoned and chaired by a consul; all its members were men - no woman could be a senator.
Three different points; max 3. Accept other accurate points about the Senate.

Question 4

8 marks

Source A: Livy, The History of Rome 34.8 (195 BC)

'After these speeches for and against the law, on the next day a much larger crowd of women poured out into the streets. In one body they all besieged the doors of the Bruti, who were vetoing their colleagues' proposal, and they did not stop until the tribunes withdrew their veto. After that there was no doubt that all the tribes would vote to repeal the law. The law was repealed twenty years after it had been passed.'

To what extent were Roman women able to bring about political change, even though they could not vote or hold office? Use Source A as a starting point and your own knowledge.

Model answer

Source A shows that women could bring about real political change. Although they had no vote, they gathered in an even larger crowd and besieged the doors of the Bruti, the tribunes who were vetoing the repeal, until they gave in; after that all the tribes voted to repeal the law. Livy 34.1 shows how organised the protest was: women blocked the approaches to the Forum, came in from the country towns, and even dared to appeal to the consuls and praetors. Later, in 42 BC, Hortensia spoke in the Forum against the triumvirs' tax on the 1,400 richest women, and the next day the number of women taxed was cut to 400. Individual women also had influence: Fulvia spread the news of Catiline's plot, which Sallust says made people eager to elect Cicero as consul.

However, this influence had clear limits. Women could not vote, hold office or sit in the Senate, so every decision was still made by men: the Bruti had to withdraw their veto and the male tribes had to vote. The women relied on male supporters such as Lucius Valerius, who argued for repeal while insisting that men should keep control of women. Both successful protests were about matters affecting women themselves - their ornaments and their property - rather than wider policy. Fulvia's influence worked through her lover and through Cicero, and Cato's furious speech shows how shocking women's public action seemed.

In conclusion, Roman women could bring about political change, but only occasionally, mainly on issues that directly affected them, and only by putting pressure on the men who held power. Their influence was real but indirect.

Explanation

Strong answers use the detail of Source A (the siege of the Bruti's doors, the vote of the tribes) and compare it with another case such as Hortensia, then weigh success against the limits: men still made the decisions, and the issues concerned women directly. Retelling the Oppian Law story without a judgement stays in Level 2.

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 repeal of the Oppian Law and other examples of women's political influence (e.g. Hortensia, Fulvia, Sempronia), using both Source A and own wider knowledge; very good understanding of the cultural context, including women's exclusion from the Senate, offices and assemblies, and of possible interpretations; a well-argued response with a clear, substantiated judgement on how far women could bring about political change, supported by a range of well-selected evidence, including critical analysis.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): accurate knowledge, using both the source and own knowledge; a focused response with relevant analysis of women's influence and its limits, and a judgement.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): sound, mostly accurate knowledge; engages with the general topic, with a limited range of evidence and some analysis.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): limited knowledge, may only use the source given; isolated analysis with little or no judgement.
0 marks: no response or no response worthy of credit.
A mainly descriptive answer with little analysis or judgement cannot go above Level 2.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): AO1: Source A - a larger crowd, the siege of the Bruti's doors, the veto withdrawn, repeal by all the tribes; Livy 34.1 - the women blocked the streets and the approaches to the Forum, came in from the towns, appealed to the consuls, praetors and magistrates; Cato opposed them, Lucius Valerius and Marcus Fundanius supported them; women had no vote and could hold no office or seat in the Senate; Hortensia (42 BC) spoke in the Forum against the triumvirs' tax on 1,400 rich women, and the number taxed was cut to 400; Fulvia spread news of Catiline's plot, which helped Cicero become consul; Sempronia's house was used to meet the Allobroges; Terentia urged Cicero against the conspirators; Cornelia influenced her sons, the Gracchi; women's names on election notices at Pompeii. AO2: Source A shows collective pressure working - the women made the veto impossible to keep; but the decision was still taken by male tribunes and male voters, and the women needed male champions; the change was limited to a law that affected women themselves (their ornaments), not wider politics; Hortensia also won only a partial victory on a women's issue, and the triumvirs first tried to drive the women away; individual women's influence (Fulvia, Sempronia, Terentia) worked through men; male writers (Livy's Cato, Sallust) present such action as shocking, which shows how unusual it was; a possible judgement: women could bring about change through organised pressure and informal influence, but only occasionally, on issues affecting women, and only by persuading men.

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