Chapter 2 Test

Why did Descartes decide to set aside everything he had learned and begin again?

• He doubted everything he had learned.

• Previous scientists had not kept good records.

• Science was based on new information only.

• Everything he learned was wrong.

The scientific method grew out of the belief that the world is best understood through  

• the teachings of Aristotle.

• a geocentric view of the universe.

• imagination.

• direct observation.

Which idea of Montesquieu has been incorporated into the U.S. Constitution?  

• social contract

• economic laissez-faire

• religious tolerance

• separation of powers

Voltaire championed the religious philosophy of deism, which was based on  

• superstition.

• reason and natural law.

• human nature and social conflict.

• biblical text.

According to Rousseau’s concept of the social contract,  

• a government should exact harsh punishment for crime.

• the government should not interfere in economic affairs.

• a society agrees to be governed by its general will.

• people should be governed by their individual morality.

Frederick II of Prussia, Joseph II of Austria, and Catherine II of Russia were enlightened absolutists whose main goal was to  

• uphold the rights of the working class.

• reinforce the supremacy of the nobility.

• safeguard the welfare of the state.

• abolish the system of serfdom.

Which of the following was a result of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Seven Years' War?  

• France was forced to withdraw from India.

• France gained control of Britain's holdings in India.

• Russia gained control of Prussian lands.

• Austria regained control of Silesia from Prussia.

Which founding document reflects the American colonists’ fear of a strong central government?  

• Declaration of Independence

• Bill of Rights

• Treaty of Paris

• Articles of Confederation

Why did France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic help the American colonists win their independence from Great Britain?

• Other nations were supplying Great Britain with weapons, troops, and money.

• Colonists agreed to give up land in North America in return for their support.

• The British refused to recognize the sovereignty of the European monarchs.

• These nations wanted revenge against the British Empire for earlier defeats.

In their battle for control of Silesia, which two nations set the stage for the Seven Years' War in Europe?  

• France and Spain

• Austria and Prussia

• Russia and Germany

• India and Great Britain