History 102: Western Civilization The Enlightenment Short Answer Questions

2. Thinkers of the Enlightenment were called
a. philosophes
b. quill-pushers
c. sans-culottes
d. avocats

3. What German philosopher defined the Enlightenment as "bringing light into the dark corners of the mind"?
a. Heinrich Schmidt
b. Wolfgang Puck
c. Immanuel Kant
d. Benedict Spinoza

4. According to your text, most Enlightenment thinkers were
a. bold revolutionaries who advocated overthrow of existing governments
b. political moderates who desired the gradual reform of society
c. strong supporters of church and clergy
d. democrats

5. Which European city became the center of Enlightenment philosophy?
a. Berlin
b. Paris
c. Madrid
d. Moscow

6. What English political thinker wrote Second Treatise on Government?
a. Thomas Hobbes
b. John Locke
c. Voltaire
d. Denis Diderot

7. In the above work, the author expressly stated that it was the government's duty to protect people's
a. right to vote
b. property
c. religion
d. right to bear arms

8. One of the most important Enlightenment thinkers was Voltaire, author of
a. Candide
b. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
c. The Social Contract
d. Persian Letters

9. A key influence in Voltaire's becoming an Enlightenment thinker was his visit to _________________.

10. These gatherings, many of which were presided over by women, were an important means of spreading enlightenment ideas.
a. coffee klatches
b. Sunday schools
c. salons
d. museums

11. Which of the following is an INCORRECT match?
a. Rousseau -- The Social Contract
b. Voltaire -- The Age of Reason
c. Diderot -- Encyclopedia
d. Montesquieu -- Spirit of the Laws

12. John Locke, in Essay Concerning Human Understanding, argued that
a. at birth an individual's mind was a blank slate
b. human beings were inherently sinful
c. education was of little importance in shaping human character
d. innate ideas formed the core of knowledge

13. In Emile, Rousseau argued that
a. children should be placed in a formal school setting at an early age
b. nature was an important source of education
c. children were basically small adults
d. all of the above

14. The Italian concerned with reform of the criminal justice system was
a. Cavour
b. Garibaldi
c. Beccaria
d. Mazzini

15. What did the Enlightenment do for women?
a. very little; most Enlightenment thinkers continued to regard women as inferior to men
b. it gave women many more rights, including the right to vote in France
c. it opened up job opportunities for women in the cities
d. the atheism of the Enlightenment thinkers caused increasing numbers of women to join religious orders

16. What was the most capitalistic nation in 18th century Europe?
a. France
b. Russia
c. Spain
d. Great Britain

17. Who wrote Wealth of Nations?
a. David Hume
b. Jean Paul Sartre
c. Adam Smith
d. Baron de Montesquieu

18. The adoption of Enlightenment principles by a monarch in order to enhance the central government's power was called
a. parliamentary democracy
b. enlightened despotism
c. classical republicanism
d. democratic populism

19. What were the effects of the Enlightenment in eastern Europe?
a. it had no effect in eastern Europe
b. it was most important where the Catholic Church was most powerful
c. it was most influential in Hungary, but had little effect in Rumania
d. it made Poland a more powerful, centralized country

20. According to your text, why did the Americans revolt from Britain?
a. they admired the French system of government more
b. they had no experience with representative government before the revolt
c. they had a more idealized vision of English representative government
d. they went to war to eliminate the French presence from North America