Question 1

Which of the following statements is true of the Copernican theory of the universe?

Accepted Answer

A)  It holds the sun to be the center of the solar system and of the whole universe. 
B)  It holds that the cosmos is made up of a series of balls within balls, each having the same center. 
C)  It holds that the spheres encompassing the earth in series of closer or more distant geometric circles are all transparent. 
D)  It holds that the celestial bodies are of different material and quality from the earth. 
A)  It holds the sun to be the center of the solar system and of the whole universe. 
B)  It holds that the cosmos is made up of a series of balls within balls, each having the same center. 
C)  It holds that the spheres encompassing the earth in series of closer or more distant geometric circles are all transparent. 
D)  It holds that the celestial bodies are of different material and quality from the earth. A

Question 2

Hugo Grotius and Samuel Pufendorf, founders of the field of international law, argued that sovereign states were:

Accepted Answer

A)  bound by positive law. 
B)  bound by custom and the Ten Commandments. 
C)  subordinate to natural reason and justice. 
D)  All of these are correct. 
A)  bound by positive law. 
B)  bound by custom and the Ten Commandments. 
C)  subordinate to natural reason and justice. 
D)  All of these are correct. C

Question 3

The key to understanding Francis Bacon's thoughts is his claims that:

Accepted Answer

A)  one should use deductive thinking to prove metaphysical theories. 
B)  one should use inductive thinking to acquire knowledge and that knowledge should be useful. 
C)  to acquire real knowledge, one must start with certain definitions, and true knowledge must be carefully separated from useful knowledge. 
D)  mathematical knowledge, built upon both inductive and deductive reasoning, was essential to understand nature. 
A)  one should use deductive thinking to prove metaphysical theories. 
B)  one should use inductive thinking to acquire knowledge and that knowledge should be useful. 
C)  to acquire real knowledge, one must start with certain definitions, and true knowledge must be carefully separated from useful knowledge. 
D)  mathematical knowledge, built upon both inductive and deductive reasoning, was essential to understand nature. B

Question 4

Which of the following events took place during Sir Isaac Newton's time when the pursuit of natural knowledge became institutionalized?

Accepted Answer

A)  Most scientists began to apply their scientific ideas to religion and society. 
B)  The old philosophy of natural law was weakened by the scientific discoveries at the time. 
C)  Scientific societies held meetings and published articles on radiology. 
D)  Scientific periodicals began to be published. 
A)  Most scientists began to apply their scientific ideas to religion and society. 
B)  The old philosophy of natural law was weakened by the scientific discoveries at the time. 
C)  Scientific societies held meetings and published articles on radiology. 
D)  Scientific periodicals began to be published.

Question 5

What influence did the new interest in science and evidence have on the study of history? What new branches of historical investigation were created or perfected in the seventeenth century?

Accepted Answer

The new interest in science and evidence

Question 6

Witches were blamed for:

Accepted Answer

A)  natural disasters. 
B)  deaths of children. 
C)  bad harvests. 
D)  All of these are correct. 
A)  natural disasters. 
B)  deaths of children. 
C)  bad harvests. 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 7

One effect of Descartes' general philosophy was to create belief in a vast world of nature that could be reduced to:

Accepted Answer

A)  an unpredictable but ultimately benevolent universe. 
B)  a useful set of empirical laws. 
C)  a set of observations. 
D)  a mathematical form. 
A)  an unpredictable but ultimately benevolent universe. 
B)  a useful set of empirical laws. 
C)  a set of observations. 
D)  a mathematical form.

Question 8

The most profoundly disturbing of all thinkers in the seventeenth century was Baruch Spinoza, who did all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

A)  reject the humanistic thought of his day. 
B)  reject all revelation and reveal religion. 
C)  hold that few if any governments were just. 
D)  hold that God had no existence apart from the world. 
A)  reject the humanistic thought of his day. 
B)  reject all revelation and reveal religion. 
C)  hold that few if any governments were just. 
D)  hold that God had no existence apart from the world.

Question 9

Describe the evolution of astronomical thought from Copernicus to Newton. What was Newton's great achievement of synthesis?

Accepted Answer

The evolution of astronomical thought fr

Question 10

Biblical criticism, as pioneered in 1678 by a French priest, did all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

A)  cast doubt on the occurrence of miracles. 
B)  conclude that the text of the Old Testament rested on medieval manuscripts full of errors and corruptions. 
C)  assert that Moses could not possibly have written the books attributed to him. 
D)  show the literal truth of all statements in the Bible. 
A)  cast doubt on the occurrence of miracles. 
B)  conclude that the text of the Old Testament rested on medieval manuscripts full of errors and corruptions. 
C)  assert that Moses could not possibly have written the books attributed to him. 
D)  show the literal truth of all statements in the Bible.

Question 11

The founding of the Royal Society of London and the Academy of Sciences in France in the 1660s:

Accepted Answer

A)  took place at the initiative of the great universities such as Oxford and the Sorbonne. 
B)  showed the increasing specialization of scientific knowledge. 
C)  helped institutionalize the pursuit of natural knowledge. 
D)  All of these are correct. 
A)  took place at the initiative of the great universities such as Oxford and the Sorbonne. 
B)  showed the increasing specialization of scientific knowledge. 
C)  helped institutionalize the pursuit of natural knowledge. 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 12

Which of the following is a discovery made by Johannes Kepler?

Accepted Answer

A)  Moving bodies move uniformly in a straight line unless deflected by a definite force. 
B)  Jupiter has satellites, moons moving around it like the moon around the earth. 
C)  The orbits of the planets are ellipses. 
D)  The orbits of the planets about the sun are perfect circles. 
A)  Moving bodies move uniformly in a straight line unless deflected by a definite force. 
B)  Jupiter has satellites, moons moving around it like the moon around the earth. 
C)  The orbits of the planets are ellipses. 
D)  The orbits of the planets about the sun are perfect circles.

Question 13

Bacon's work provided the basis for the modern idea of progress because:

Accepted Answer

A)  he was such a successful inventor. 
B)  he claimed that true knowledge was useful, thus bringing together knowledge and power. 
C)  he showed that, economically and politically, Europe had been advancing for the past 200 years. 
D)  he showed that scientifically, Europe had been advancing for the past 200 years. 
A)  he was such a successful inventor. 
B)  he claimed that true knowledge was useful, thus bringing together knowledge and power. 
C)  he showed that, economically and politically, Europe had been advancing for the past 200 years. 
D)  he showed that scientifically, Europe had been advancing for the past 200 years.

Question 14

What was the importance of the English law of evidence?

Accepted Answer

The English law of evidence has played a

Question 15

The Ptolemaic view of the universe, accepted by most Europeans prior to the seventeenth century, was premised upon all of the following beliefs except that:

Accepted Answer

A)  the earth was flat. 
B)  the stars and planets were not far from the earth. 
C)  the stars and planets were made of pure light or a bright, ethereal substance. 
D)  a series of crystalline, transparent spheres encompassed the earth. 
A)  the earth was flat. 
B)  the stars and planets were not far from the earth. 
C)  the stars and planets were made of pure light or a bright, ethereal substance. 
D)  a series of crystalline, transparent spheres encompassed the earth.

Question 16

Which of the following helped Sir Isaac Newton bring his calculations related to the law of universal gravitation to fruition?

Accepted Answer

A)  Experiments with circular motion made by the Dutch Huyghens on the pendulum 
B)  The new measurement of the size of the universe made by a Frenchman 
C)  The invention of the microscope 
D)  Experiments that showed that planets had circular orbits 
A)  Experiments with circular motion made by the Dutch Huyghens on the pendulum 
B)  The new measurement of the size of the universe made by a Frenchman 
C)  The invention of the microscope 
D)  Experiments that showed that planets had circular orbits

Question 17

Why was the establishment of a common system of dating a significant development in the seventeenth century?

Accepted Answer

The establishment of a common system of

Question 18

According to seventeenth-century thinkers, the discovery of a valid natural law came:

Accepted Answer

A)  through careful observation of the common customs of all nations. 
B)  through the study of international law. 
C)  through the use of one's reasoning power. 
D)  through the observation of nature. 
A)  through careful observation of the common customs of all nations. 
B)  through the study of international law. 
C)  through the use of one's reasoning power. 
D)  through the observation of nature.

Question 19

In his Historical and Critical Dictionary, Pierre Bayle, one of the greatest spokesmen for skepticism, came to all of the following conclusions except:

Accepted Answer

A)  what is called truth is often mere opinion. 
B)  most people are amazingly gullible. 
C)  many things firmly believed in are actually ridiculous. 
D)  it is essential to hold firmly to one's own views. 
A)  what is called truth is often mere opinion. 
B)  most people are amazingly gullible. 
C)  many things firmly believed in are actually ridiculous. 
D)  it is essential to hold firmly to one's own views.

Question 20

In the seventeenth century, science became modern, which meant all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

A)  science became recognized as one of the principal enterprises of European society. 
B)  scientific methods of inquiry were defined. 
C)  scientific knowledge was increasingly applied to practical inventions. 
D)  scientific advances did not take place through the work of geniuses such as Galileo and Newton. 
A)  science became recognized as one of the principal enterprises of European society. 
B)  scientific methods of inquiry were defined. 
C)  scientific knowledge was increasingly applied to practical inventions. 
D)  scientific advances did not take place through the work of geniuses such as Galileo and Newton.

Exam 6: The Scientific View of the World

Which of the following statements is true of the Copernican theory of the universe?

Hugo Grotius and Samuel Pufendorf, founders of the field of international law, argued that sovereign states were:

The key to understanding Francis Bacon's thoughts is his claims that:

Which of the following events took place during Sir Isaac Newton's time when the pursuit of natural knowledge became institutionalized?

What influence did the new interest in science and evidence have on the study of history? What new branches of historical investigation were created or perfected in the seventeenth century?

Witches were blamed for:

One effect of Descartes' general philosophy was to create belief in a vast world of nature that could be reduced to:

The most profoundly disturbing of all thinkers in the seventeenth century was Baruch Spinoza, who did all of the following except:

Describe the evolution of astronomical thought from Copernicus to Newton. What was Newton's great achievement of synthesis?

Biblical criticism, as pioneered in 1678 by a French priest, did all of the following except:

The founding of the Royal Society of London and the Academy of Sciences in France in the 1660s:

Which of the following is a discovery made by Johannes Kepler?

Bacon's work provided the basis for the modern idea of progress because:

What was the importance of the English law of evidence?

The Ptolemaic view of the universe, accepted by most Europeans prior to the seventeenth century, was premised upon all of the following beliefs except that:

Which of the following helped Sir Isaac Newton bring his calculations related to the law of universal gravitation to fruition?

Why was the establishment of a common system of dating a significant development in the seventeenth century?

According to seventeenth-century thinkers, the discovery of a valid natural law came:

In his Historical and Critical Dictionary, Pierre Bayle, one of the greatest spokesmen for skepticism, came to all of the following conclusions except:

In the seventeenth century, science became modern, which meant all of the following except:

The Rise of Europe

The Upheaval in Western Christendom, 1300-1560

The Atlantic World, Commerce, and Wars of Religion, 1560-1648

The Growing Power of Western Europe, 1640-1715

The Transformation of Eastern Europe, 1648-1740

The Global Struggle for Wealth and Empire

The Age of Enlightenment

The French Revolution

Napoleonic Europe

Industries, Ideas, and the Struggle for Reform, 1815-1848

Revolutions and the Reimposition of Order, 1848-1870

The Consolidation of Large Nation-States, 1859-1871

Europes Economic and Political Ascendancy, 1871-1914

European Society and Culture, 1871-1914

Europes Colonial Empires and Global Dominance, 1871-1914

The First World War

The Russian Revolution and the Emergence of the Soviet Union

Democracy, Anti-Imperialism, and the Economic Crisis After the First World War

Democracy and Dictatorship in the 1930s

The Second World War

The Cold War and Reconstruction After the Second World War

Decolonization and the Breakup of the European Empires

Coexistence, Confrontation, and the New European Economy

The International Revolt Against Soviet Communism

Europe and the Changing Modern World

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