Multiple Choice Questions: The Enlightenment and Revolutions



1. The Enlightenment influenced revolutionary thought by

a. Encouraging the poor to take up arms

b. Stressing the importance of the monarchy

c. Designing a common revolutionary strategy

d. Instilling a belief in the natural rights of man

2. The Declaration of Independence states, “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.” These words describe the enlightened idea of a

a. Need to ensure a representative government

b. Return to a society that has no central authority

c. Social contract between government and the people

d. Revolutionary intent to overthrow the current government

3. The American Revolution was motivated by the Enlightened idea

a. Of a distinct class system

b. That all men are created equal

c. Of the rightful rule of a monarch

d. That government needs central authority

4. The revolutionaries who wrote the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man wanted liberty for the people of France. This document embodied the Enlightenment idea that

a. The French Revolution was justified

b. Reason should guide human affairs

c. A constitutional monarchy should exist

d. Hereditary and tradition should guide government

5. He believed that every person was born with a tabula rasa, or blank slate.

a. Locke

b. Voltaire

c. Montesquieu

d. Frederick the Great

6. Under Spanish rule, Latin American society was strictly divided into a class system determined by birth. Among the aristocracy were individuals born in Europe or ancestors of European immigrants. This rigid social class system contradicted the Enlightenment idea of

a. A two class system

b. Equality among men

c. The importance of birth order

d. Constitutional guarantee of rights

7. The American Revolution and French Revolution were similar in that both

a. Were encouraged by Enlightenment idea of natural rights

b. Sought to limit the participation of people in government

c. Supported the theory of divine right

d. Increased the influence of religious institutions in government

8. This class was unaffected by the Enlightenment…

a. Nobles

b. Bourgeoisie

c. Clergy

d. Lower class and peasants

“The person of the king is sacred, and to attack him in any way is an attack on God itself. Kings represent the Divine Majesty and have been appointed to Him to carry out His purposes. Serving God and respecting kings are bound together.”

- Bishop Jacques Bossuet

9. Which group directly challenged the political philosophy expressed in this statement?

a. Advocates of divine right

b. Writers of the Enlightenment

c. Absolute monarchs of Europe

d. Leaders of the Catholic Church

10. This philosophe separated the government into three branches of government and argued for separation of powers.

a. Voltaire

b. Montesquieu

c. Locke

d. Diderot

11. John Wesley founded this form of religion during the Enlightenment.

a. Catholicism

b. Methodism

c. Christianity

d. Buddhism

“If man in the state of nature is free, and lord of his own possessions, why will he give up his freedom? The answer is that right in the state of nature are constantly exposed to attack by others. Hence each man joins in society to preserve his life, liberty, and property. Whenever the ruler endeavors to take away the property of the people, or reduce them to slavery…they are removed from any further obedience and left to…rise up with force and violence.”

-John Locke,

The Second Treatise of Government (1690)

12. The ideas expressed by Locke in this passage helped inspire the

a. Theory of Divine Right

b. American Revolution

c. Separation of church and state

d. Industrial Revolution

13. Enlightenment thinkers contributed to changes in relationships between citizens and governments through their belief that

a. Most changes in government are dangerous

b. Absolute monarchy is the most effective form of government

c. Governments are instituted to protect citizens’ rights

d. Popular liberties should be limited by the need for social order

14. Which of the following identifies one of the ways Enlightenment ideas influenced the actions of colonial leaders in Latin America?

a. They strengthened the power of the Catholic Church

b. They shared their wealth with the lower classes

c. They demanded self-government from Spain and Portugal

d. They abolished slavery throughout Latin America

15. Colonists in North America protested against the taxes imposed on them by the British following the French and Indian War. What was the main reason the colonists were upset about these taxes?

a. Colonists believed that because they lived so far from Britain, they did not have to pay taxes on anything

b. Colonists were not represented in the British Parliament and for that reason believed the taxes were unjust

c. Colonists drank less tea than people living in Britain, so the tax was an unfair burden on them

d. Colonists had already paid a great deal to fund the British effort in the French and Indian War.

16. This type of ruler allowed religious toleration, freedom of speech and the press, rights to own private property and nurtured the arts, sciences and education. They also obeyed their own laws and still maintained absolute power.

a. Tyrant

b. Absolutist

c. Enlightened despot

d. President

17. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen includes several Enlightenment ideas. Which of the following is not one of the Enlightenment ideas incorporated into the document?

a. Citizens should have a voice in the decisions the government makes on their behalf

b. People give rights to their governments to limit their governments’ power

c. All citizens possess basic human rights (ie. freedom of speech)

d. People are incapable of ruling themselves because they are inherently disorganized and chaotic

18. The application of science and reason to understanding the world resulted in the 1700s being known for the

a. New Deal

b. Enlightenment

c. Progressive Movement

d. Reformation

19. The members of the Third Estate took revolutionary action because they

a. Were suspicious of the liberal ideas coming out of the French legislature

b. Believed that a king should rule by divine right, not the will of the people

c. Disagreed with the ideas behind the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

d. Had fewer rights, owned less land and paid more taxes than the wealthier members of the French population

20. Which of these enlightened rulers made enlightened reforms which completely failed?

a. Frederick the Great

b. Joseph II

c. Catherine the Great

d. Louis XVI

21. Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, is based on Enlightenment ideas. Which of the following ideas is the primary basis for Common Sense?

a. Human society is disorganized and chaotic, and for that reason, governments are required to maintain order

b. People have the natural right to rule themselves because they are capable of using their powers of reason to understand their world

c. The scientific method can unlock the mysteries in the natural world

d. Government should operate in separate branches: one to write the laws, one to carry them out, and one to interpret them.

22. John Locke believed that the government had an obligation to the people it governed to protect their natural rights. If the government failed to do this, then the people had the right to

a. Move to another country

b. Refuse to vote in the next election

c. Overthrow the government

d. Continue to be persecuted

23. The discoveries of Isaac Newton had a major influence on Enlightenment thinkers. In what way was this influence so significant?

a. Enlightenment thinkers attempted to base their philosophies on religious tradition

b. Enlightenment thinkers studied Newton’s writings about the freedom of human beings and the proper role of kings and governments

c. Enlightenment thinkers employed Newton’s scientific method when exploring questions about human nature and the responsibilities of the citizen

d. Enlightenment thinkers looked to the works of Copernicus and Galileo, as Newton had, when seeking answers about the nature of art and religion

24. During the early Revolutionary period, American colonists used many methods to show their opposition to British taxation. Which method did they use to show their opposition to taxes imposed by the British government?

a. American colonists boycotted British goods, such as sugar and tea

b. American colonists carried out a plan to overthrow King George III

c. American colonists demanded seats in Parliament, which led to the creation of the National Assembly

d. Americans distributed copies of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen among the 13 colonies

25. These are the three locations in which the Seven Years War was fought.

a. Europe, North America and India

b. North America, South America, and India

c. Europe, India, and Africa

d. India, Africa, and Japan

26. Montesquieu believed that to prevent tyranny in government there should be a separation of powers. Which of the following best illustrates this idea?

a. Absolute power in the executive branch

b. Splitting power among three or more countries

c. Total power in the legislative branch

d. Dividing power among three branches of government

27. Which of the following is not an idea from the Enlightenment?

a. People have natural rights

b. Problems can be solved by using reason

c. Kings ruled by divine right

d. Government should serve the people

28. The major contribution of the Enlightenment philosophers was the introduction of new ideas about

a. Government

b. Economics

c. Religion

d. Science

29. The new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of an individual to solve problems was the

a. Scientific Revolution

b. Enlightenment

c. Great Awakening

d. Geocentric theory

30. The willingness of people to hand over their rights to a ruler in exchange for law and order in society was called the

a. Scientific method

b. Magna Carta

c. Enlightenment

d. Social contract

31. The philosopher who believed that all people are born free and equal, with the rights to life, liberty, and property was

a. John Locke

b. Thomas Hobbes

c. Galileo Galilei

d. Baron de Montesquieu

32. The group of social critics in Enlightenment France were called

a. Satirists

b. Philosophes

c. Stoics

d. Revolutionaries

33. Upon whose ideas is our Bill of Rights based?

a. Montesquieu

b. Locke

c. Hobbes

d. Voltaire

34. Brilliant French satirist who frequently targeted the clergy, aristocracy, and the government was

a. Thomas Hobbes

b. Baron de Montesquieu

c. Voltaire

d. John Locke

35. An influential French writer who wrote that “Power should be a check to power” was

a. Louis XIV

b. Voltaire

c. Thomas Hobbes

d. Baron de Montesquieu

36. French philosophe Jean Jacques Rousseau believed that the best form of government would be a

a. Direct democracy

b. Constitutional monarchy

c. Dictatorship

d. Republic

37. Women’s contributions to the Enlightenment included all of the following EXCEPT

a. Urging women to enter male-dominated fields

b. Writing about the inequalities between men and women

c. Running for office

d. Holding social gatherings called salons for influential people

38. Enlightenment philosophes such as John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote that the relationship between citizens and their government was a social contract.

Which statement describes the impact of the idea of government as social contract on the French Revolution in 1789?

a. The king granted women the right to vote

b. French citizens claimed their natural rights

c. The king raised taxes to pay off public debt

d. French citizens supported the king against the nobles

39. This was the period under Maximillien Robespierre when revolutionary courts were set up to prosecute enemies of the French Revolution.

a. The Reign of Terror

b. The Directory

c. The Enlightenment

d. The National Assembly

40. This was the name for the lower class that ran the Paris Commune.

a. Paris Communists

b. The Directory

c. The sans culottes

d. The philosophes

41. What is a coup d’etat?

a. A revolution

b. A salon

c. An overthrow of the government

d. The Paris Commune

42. When power is shared between the state and federal government it is called what?

a. A federal system

b. A coup d’etat

c. Separate, but equal

d. Nationalism

43. What was one idea that the leaders of the American Revolution shared with Enlightenment thinkers?

a. Colonies exist to provide raw materials and markets for mother countries

b. The people have the right to overthrow their government if it abuses its powers

c. Governments may restrict freedom of speech and of the press during times of crisis

d. Factories and businesses should be owned by the government rather than by individuals

44. What action by the leaders of the French Revolution demonstrates that they were influenced by Enlightenment ideas?

a. They called for the fall of the absolute monarchy

b. They encouraged the conquests of Napoleon

c. They fought to maintain France’s colonial empire

d. They supported the combination of church and state

45. In exploring the relationship between governments and people, Thomas Hobbes argued that governments resulted from a social contract to maintain and orderly society. John Locke, another philosopher of the Enlightenment, inspired American revolutionaries by arguing that a new social contract could be instituted under what circumstance?

a. If a government failed to compel obedience

b. If a government violated people’s natural rights

c. If a government failed to protect people from economic inequality

d. If a government entered into alliances with foreign governments

46. Where was Marie Antoinette from?

a. France

b. Britain

c. Canada

d. Austria

47. This philosophe studied government and devised the idea of a separation of powers.

a. Voltaire

b. John Locke

c. Montesquieu

d. Rousseau

48. Many Latin American nations gained their independence early in the 19th century. The relationship between the people and their government changed. Slavery existed under colonial governments, but some of the new nations, such as Haiti, did not permit slavery. The abolition of slavery was based on Enlightenment ideas of

a. Liberty as a natural rights of man

b. Separation of government powers

c. Personal rights as less important than civil order

d. The authority of absolute monarchs

49. Natural law was a fundamental idea of the Enlightenment.

Which concept is an application of natural law to the government’s role in the economic lives of its citizens?

a. Free markets based on supply and demand

b. Government control to achieve a favorable balance of trade

c. Agriculture based on tenant farming and serfdom

d. Lower taxes on the most privileged groups in society

50. Enlightenment philosophes such as John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau challenged the idea of the divine right of kings. They wrote about a government’s obligations to uphold people’s rights and how the government should be based on the consent of the governed.

These new ideas encouraged people to

a. Remain firm in their support of absolute monarchs

b. Look for leaders who would exercise dictatorial powers

c. Engage in revolutions to establish democratic governments

d. Call for church leaders to create theocracies and replace the monarchies.

51. ______________________ is the only system of government in which monarchy is the only source of power

a. Absolutism

b. Dictatorship

c. Democracy

d. Commonwealth

52. In Latin American society, this class of people are the most important and have the most rights.

a. Creoles

b. Mestizos

c. Mulattos

d. Peninsulares

53. During the Enlightenment, a number of writers explored the relationship between governments and the people they governed. For example, Rousseau wrote The Social Contract, in which he examined ideas about majority will and the common good.

How did these ideas influence the American and French Revolutions?

a. They encouraged loyalty to established governments

b. They supported movements for social and political change

c. They encouraged the formation of American and French constitutional monarchies

d. They supported the efforts of governments to maintain control over their subjects

54. According to the concept of absolutism

a. there is no absolute authority in society

b. people have absolute power in government

c. people have the right to overthrow absolute monarchies

d. authority had absolute power and could not be disobeyed

55. Enlightened thinkers believed society was governed by

a. religion

b. a social contract

c. scientific inquiry

d. political philosophers

56. Isaac Newton was a mathematician and a scientist. Newton’s discovery of the laws of motion and universal gravitation helped to advance the scientific revolution of the time. Newton and other enlightened thinkers believed truth could be found through

a. the study of philosophy

b. the application of reason

c. strict obedience to authority

d. the study of religious doctrines

57. Earth-centered theory of the universe…

a. geocentric theory

b. heliocentric theory

c. scientific method

d. Aristotle’s Theory

58. A new way of thinking about the natural world based on careful observation and a willingness to question accepted beliefs

a. geocentric theory

b. heliocentric theory

c. scientific method

d. Scientific Revolution

59. A logical procedure for gathering and testing scientific data.

a. geocentric theory

b. heliocentric theory

c. scientific method

d. Scientific Revolution

60. Russian empress who was considered an enlightened despot

a. Catherine the Great

b. Mary Wollstonecraft

c. Votaire

d. Queen Elizabeth I

61. Which of the ideas does not belong?

a. natural rights

b. checks and balances

c. social contract

d. Bill of Rights

62. In social gatherings called ___________, wealthy hostesses of Paris helped spread the ideas of the Enlightenment to educated Europeans.

a. salons

b. sans culottes

c. philosophes

d. neoclassical

63. Early proponent of women’s rights

a. Voltaire

b. Montesquieu

c. Mary Wollstonecraft

d. Catherine the Great

64. Intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems

a. individualism

b. Enlightenment

c. Intellectualism

d. Salons

65. Thomas Hobbes called the agreement by which people create a government the ___________

a. salon

b. Enlightenment

c. checks and balances

d. social contract

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Choose the best answer for each question and mark the corresponding letter on your scantron. 75 points.

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