Deck 1: Critical Issues in Historical Studies

Question 1

As a self-conscious formal discipline, psychology is

A) about 300 years old.
B) little more than 100 years old.
C) only 50 years old.
D) almost 500 years old.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Each of the following is a reason to study history EXCEPT

A) History encourages a narrow perspective.
B) History teaches a healthy skepticism.
C) History teaches humility.
D) History is a key to understanding the future.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In a broad and philosophical sense, the term historiography refers to

A) philosophical questions about history.
B) philosophical questions about historical methodology.
C) characteristics of a body of historical writings.
D) all of the above.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

According to the text, history has an empirical component. The empirical component includes

A) attempts by historians to make sense of the data they collect.
B) only those rare instances when historians conduct experiments.
C) explanations offered by historians.
D) data such as unpublished letters, diaries, etc.

Question 5

According to the text, history has an explanatory component. The explanatory component includes

A) attempts by historians to make sense of the data they collect.
B) attempts by historians to define history.
C) chronological records.
D) data such as unpublished letters, newspaper accounts, etc.

Question 6

There are many definitions of history. The definition preferred by the authors of your text is that history is

A) the interpretive study of the events of the human past.
B) the chronology of the events that provide the raw material for the historian.
C) the scientific study of the past.
D) all of the above.

Question 7

The kind of objectivity that we might reasonably expect of historical writing is that objectivity characterized by

A) correspondence between a historical narrative and the events of the past.
B) an honest attempt to present all sides of an issue.
C) an attempt to simply chronicle the events of the past.
D) the attempt to leave all feeling out of the historical narrative.

Question 8

The term presentism, as used in the text, refers to

A) the correspondence between a historical narrative and the events of the past that it describes.
B) the difficulties of separating historical facts from present perspectives.
C) the attempt to understand the past for its own sake.
D) the belief that past traditions and values are always superior to present values.

Question 9

It is almost impossible to separate historical facts from current interests and values. Such a contention is most
Consistent with

A) presentism.
B) historicism.
C) the chaos hypothesis.
D) the cyclical hypothesis.

Question 10

An individual who believes that the human situation is continually improving over time and generations
Accepts

A) the linear-progressive hypothesis.
B) the chaos hypothesis.
C) the linear-regressive.
D) the cyclical hypothesis.

Question 11

The belief that history has no identifiable or universal meaning is

A) the linear-progressive hypothesis.
B) the chaos hypothesis.
C) the linear-regressive.
D) the cyclical hypothesis.

Question 12

The German term Zeitgeist is relevant to the problem of causality in history. The term refers to

A) the spirit of the time.
B) the spirit of the place.
C) the causal role of persons in history.
D) the importance of emphasizing biographical studies in history.

Question 13

The German term Ortgeist is relevant to the problem of causality in history. The term refers to

A) the spirit of the time.
B) the spirit of the place.
C) the causal role of persons in history.
D) the importance of emphasizing biographical studies in history.

Question 14

When considering the forces that shape history, one must be cautious to avoid hagiography, the

A) tendency to attribute historical change to only impersonal forces
B) tendency to give individuals excessive credit for historical developments
C) tendency to ignore the interplay between individuals and context
D) tendency to emphasize an internalist perspective

Question 15

Internalist or old histories of psychology emphasized

A) the social-cultural context in which a discipline develops.
B) the cumulative knowledge of the network of historical experts in a given area of history.
C) the development of ideas within a discipline with little discussion of the larger context.
D) the socially acceptable historiographic biases that prevail at a given time.