All SAT II World History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Europe
The Glorious Revolution of 1688 established the supremacy of __________ in Great Britain.
the French
Parliament
the Protestant faith
the monarchy
the Catholic church
Parliament
The Glorious Revolution of 1688 was the culminating point of a centuries-long battle between the English monarchy and the British parliament. Earlier in the seventeenth century, Parliamentarians had defeated Royalists in the English Civil War, but the rule of Parliament proved too puritanical for the English people, so the crown was restored, but only temporarily. By 1688, Parliament had grown weary with the ruling James II and "invited" William and Mary to seize power on the condition that they pledge to abide by constitutional laws that placed Parliament above the king. This system of constitutional monarchy has existed in Britain ever since with Parliament constantly and steadily gaining in power and influence.
Example Question #12 : Europe
Cardinal Mazarin and Cardinal Richelieu are most famous for __________.
weakening the power of Parliament in England
strengthening the power of absolute monarchs in Spain
strengthening the power of absolute monarchs in France
weakening the power of Parliament in Spain
strengthening the power of Parliament in France
strengthening the power of absolute monarchs in France
Cardinal Richelieu and Cardinal Mazarin were the chief advisors to the French kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, respectively. They were collectively responsible for suppressing the power of the French nobility and increasing the absolute power of the French monarchy. The French monarchy under Louis XIV is generally considered the supreme example of absolutism in seventeenth-century Europe.
Example Question #272 : Sat Subject Test In World History
Cardinal Mazarin was the Chief Minister of __________.
Louis XIV
Henry IV of France
Maximilian I
Henry VIII
Charles V
Louis XIV
Cardinal Mazarin was the Chief Minister to Louis XIV throughout the King's childhood and early adult life. Mazarin was responsible for crushing a revolt of the French nobility and for strengthening the power of the French monarchy.
Example Question #273 : Sat Subject Test In World History
Napoleon emerged as ruler of France __________.
after the French Revolution
after the Franco-Prussian War
after the War of 1812
after the Congress of Vienna
after the Seven Years' War
after the French Revolution
The chaos of the French Revolution created an immense power vacuum in Paris and the infant republican French nation. This vacuum was filled, in spectacular style, by a Corsican member of the French military called Napoleon Bonaparte. He would go on to become one of the most famous and succesful conquerors in European history before extending himself too far and getting exiled not once, but twice.
Example Question #11 : The Renaissance
King James I and his parliament primarily disagreed over __________.
religious reforms
foreign relations
economic reforms
who would inherit the throne following James’ death
taxation and tariffs
foreign relations
King James I inherited a throne that was at odds with the world’s one dominant superpower at the time, Spain. James, fearing Spanish invasion, wanted to make peace with the Catholic kingdom, but the English Parliament, entirely dominated by Protestants, favored war. Eventually, Parliament would win out and James and the English would side with the French against the Spanish.
Example Question #11 : Europe
What name was given to the French parliament formed by French King Philip IV that contributed to the rise of the French nation-state?
The Reichstag
The Palatinate
The Duma
The House of Commons
The Estates General
The Estates General
The formation of the French Estates General in the fourteenth century by French King Philip IV led to the rise of the French nation-state. The Estates General was a form of rudimentary representative democracy in which certain members of society were able to influence the political direction of the country.
Example Question #12 : Europe
The Directory, which took power during the French Revolution, was far more __________ than the National Assembly, which preceded it.
conservative
autocratic
theocratic
liberal
egalitarian
conservative
The French Revolution initially replaced a monarchy with a democratic government founded on universal suffrage; however, this so-called “First Republic” proved ineffective and was quickly replaced by the Directory. The Directory was a group of powerful and wealthy conservative-minded men who replaced the National Assembly and the Convention and began undoing many of the changes wrought by the Revolution.
Example Question #8 : Monarchs, Aristocracy, And Parliament
The National Assembly emerged from the __________ Estate in France after __________.
First . . . the Revolution of 1848
Third . . . the Revolution of 1848
Second . . . French Revolution
Third . . . French Revolution
First . . . the fall of Napoleon
Third . . . French Revolution
Prior to the French Revolution, the French parliament was called the Estates General and was formed of three groups: the First Estate, composed of the nobility, which had the most power; the Second Estate, formed of the clergy; and the Third Estate, formed of just about everyone else. The National Assembly grew out of the Third Estate and presided over the initial phases of government during the French Revolution.
Example Question #51 : 1500 C.E. To 1900 C.E.
Absolutism: Divine Right of Kings . . . Constitutionalism: __________.
Glorious Revolution
Manifest Destiny
Mandate of Heaven
Popular Sovereignty
Scientific Revolution
Popular Sovereignty
The Divine Right of Kings is a political philosophy that justifies or supports Absolutism. It suggests that kings are divinely ordained by God and that therefore to rebel against their authority is to rebel against the will of God. It was widely influential from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century as a legitimizing theory of government for absolutist monarchies from France to Russia. Popular sovereignty says that the only legitimate means of government comes from the approval of the people. As such, it may be understood as the legitimizing political philosophy for Constitutionalism.
Example Question #21 : Europe
Machiavelli's The Prince was primarily concerned with which of the following?
How to prevent religion from entering into the arena of government
How to build a viable nation-state
How to win an election in a democracy
How to acquire and maintain political power
Comparing the benefits of communism and capitalism within the Italian nation-state
How to acquire and maintain political power
The Prince was written in the sixteenth century by the Italian writer and political thinker Niccolo Machiavelli. The book was written as a sort of guiding manual for current and would-be princes. It deals, primarily, with how to acquire and keep power and is famous for the pragmatic and amoral approach that it advocates.