Question 1

In summary, what was the Enlightenment?

Accepted Answer

The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It emerged as a response to the oppressive systems of government, the dogmatic influence of the Church, and the superstitions that were prevalent in society at the time. The Enlightenment was characterized by an emphasis on reason, individualism, skepticism of traditional authority, and the belief that humanity could be improved through rational change.

Enlightenment thinkers, known as philosophes in France, sought to apply the principles of reason and the scientific method to all aspects of society – including politics, economics, and religion. They challenged established traditions and proposed new ideas about governance, such as the separation of powers, the social contract, and the rights of individuals. Key figures of the Enlightenment included philosophers like John Locke, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, Immanuel Kant, and many others.

The movement had a profound impact on the development of modern democratic principles and institutions. It influenced the American Revolution and the drafting of the United States Constitution, as well as the French Revolution and the subsequent spread of republican ideals. The Enlightenment also spurred advancements in science, education, and the arts, and laid the groundwork for the modern Western worldview, which values liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and the separation of church and state.

In summary, the Enlightenment was a pivotal era that transformed the way people thought about and interacted with the world, promoting the use of reason as the best method for learning and for establishing a fair and just society.

Question 2

Fontenelle's Plurality of Worlds

Accepted Answer

Fontenelle's "Plurality of Worlds," also known as "Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds" (original French title: "Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes"), is a popular science book written by the French author Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle and first published in 1686. The book is notable for its accessible presentation of the scientific knowledge of the time, particularly the heliocentric model of the solar system as proposed by Copernicus and further developed by Kepler and Galileo.

In "Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds," Fontenelle introduces the concept of life existing on other planets orbiting other stars, which was a revolutionary idea at the time. The book is structured as a series of conversations between a philosopher and a marquise, who walk through a garden over the course of six evenings discussing the nature of the universe and the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

Fontenelle's work was significant because it brought complex astronomical concepts to a broader audience, using clear and engaging dialogue. It was one of the first works to popularize the idea of the universe as a vast expanse containing many worlds similar to Earth, and it played a role in spreading the ideas of the Scientific Revolution to a wider public.

"Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds" was highly influential and went through numerous editions and translations, making it one of the best-selling science books of its time. It is often credited with helping to lay the groundwork for the Enlightenment by promoting a scientific worldview and the idea that knowledge about the universe could be accessible to all curious and educated minds, not just to professional scientists or scholars.

Question 3

Voltaire was best known for his criticism of

Accepted Answer

A)   the German monarchical system.
B)   the separation of church and state.
C)   religious intolerance.
D)   Plato and the Greeks.
E)   Chinese civilization. C

Question 4

IDENTIFICATIONS
-Henry Fielding's History of Tom Jones, A Foundling

Accepted Answer

The answer of IDENTIFICATIONS
-Henry Fielding's History of Tom Jones, A...

Question 5

Adam Smith believed that government

Accepted Answer

A)   should not interfere in people's economic decisions.
B)   set prices across the board to maintain stability.
C)   should encourage people to share and help each other.
D)   has a responsibility to the people to manage the economy.
E)   is not necessary and should be eliminated entirely.

Question 6

Choose the correct relationship between the Rococo artist and his work.

Accepted Answer

A)   Antoine Watteau-Return from Cythera
B)   Giovanni Battista Tiepolo-Plurality of Worlds
C)   Balthasar Neumann-pilgrimage church of the Sitzkrieg Vierzehnheiligen
D)   Domenikus Zimmermann-the salon
E)   Bernini-Versailles

Question 7

Although many European rulers desired to emulate the size and grandiosity of Versailles, they usually adopted the Baroque-Rococo architectural style rather than the French classical style of Louis XIV's palace.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Pogroms were

Accepted Answer

A)   parties held to celebrate the amity between Jews and Christians.
B)   instances of massacring and looting of Jewish communities.
C)   special Jewish holidays practiced only by Sephardim.
D)   special Jewish holidays practiced only by Ashkenazim.
E)   a sugary delicacy served at the capital in Vienna.

Question 9

IDENTIFICATIONS
-Mary Astell's A Serious Proposal to the Ladies

Accepted Answer

The answer of IDENTIFICATIONS
-Mary Astell's A Serious Proposal to the...

Question 10

John Locke's tabula rasa

Accepted Answer

The answer of John Locke's tabula rasa...

Question 11

Isaac Newton was influential on the eighteenth century Enlightenment because of his theory of knowledge and his concept of the tabula rasa.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Carnival was celebrated in the weeks leading up to

Accepted Answer

A)   Christmas.
B)   Easter.
C)   Lent.
D)   Pentecost.
E)   All Saints.

Question 13

reason

Accepted Answer

The answer of reason...

Question 14

IDENTIFICATIONS
-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Accepted Answer

The answer of IDENTIFICATIONS
-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

Question 15

IDENTIFICATIONS
-Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Accepted Answer

The answer of IDENTIFICATIONS
-Vindication of the Rights of Woman...

Question 16

The eighteenth century musical composition that has been called one of those rare works that appeal immediately to everyone, and yet is indisputably a masterpiece of the highest order is

Accepted Answer

A)   Bach's St.Matthew's Passion.
B)   Haydn's The Seasons.
C)   Handel's Messiah.
D)   Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.
E)   Wagner's The Ring cycle.

Question 17

The author of The Progress of the Human Mind and who became a victim of the French Revolution was

Accepted Answer

A)   Condorcet.
B)   Holbach.
C)   Quesnay.
D)   Arouet.
E)   Danton.

Question 18

IDENTIFICATIONS
-Physiocrats

Accepted Answer

The answer of IDENTIFICATIONS
-Physiocrats...

Question 19

The purpose of Diderot's encyclopedia, according to him, was to

Accepted Answer

A)   get the uneducated masses to respect authority.
B)   usher in God's kingdom on earth.
C)   dispute the claims of science.
D)   exacerbate the hedonism of his peers.
E)   change the general way of thinking.

Question 20

philosophes

Accepted Answer

The answer of philosophes...

Exam 5: The Eighteenth Century: an Age of Enlightenment