All SAT II World History Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #3 : Historic Figures Of The Enlightenment Era
The phrase "I think, therefore I am" is credited to which Enlightenment-era thinker?
Isaac Newton
Rene Descartes
Samuel Johnson
Alexander Pope
Galileo Galilei
Rene Descartes
Descartes is an Englightenment-era philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, and his work in all three fields continues to be hugely influential today. He is famous for his reductive inquiry into the nature of existence that led him to one simple truth: "I think, therefore I am." Essentially, by doubting his existence, he was proving his existence, for for there to be doubt there must be something to do the doubting.
Example Question #4 : Historic Figures Of The Enlightenment Era
How did the writings of Charles de Montesquieu in The Spirit of Laws impact the formation of the government of the United States?
None of these answers is correct; the Founding Fathers rejected the arguments found in The Spirit of Laws.
He advocated for the separation of powers within government and inspired the three branches of the United States' government.
He believed in inalienable rights for all citizens and inspired the Bill of Rights.
He argued in favor of strong and centralized government and his work encouraged the rejection of the Articles of Confederation.
He believed in federalism and the division of powers between a national and regional governments.
He advocated for the separation of powers within government and inspired the three branches of the United States' government.
Montesquieu is a famous Enlightenment philosopher who wrote in his seminal work The Spirit of Laws that, to protect against tyranny, a democratic government should be divided into separate branches: an executive branch to enforce the laws, a legislative branch to pass the laws, and a judicial branch to challenge the laws.
Example Question #401 : Sat Subject Test In World History
Which of these European leaders was considered an enlightened despot?
Catherine the Great
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Elder
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Napoleon Bonaparte
Catherine the Great
Enlightened despotism (also called enlightened absolutism) was a form of absolute monarchy that existed in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The rulers, or enlightened despots, were heavily influenced by the ideas and theories spread by the Enlightenment thinkers of the time, particularly ideas concerning rationalism, freedom, and sponsorship of the arts and sciences. Of the European leaders listed in the answer choices, only Catherine the Great was considered an enlightened despot.
Example Question #402 : Sat Subject Test In World History
The Russian inventor Dmitri Mendeleev is most famous for __________.
turning lead into gold
his theory of relativity
inventing the system of calculus
splitting the atom
his work on the periodic table
his work on the periodic table
Mendeleev is most famous for his work in "perfecting" the periodic table of elements. His work allowed people to understand similarities and differences between chemical elements with greater clarity. The theory of relativity was an idea of Albert Einstein's, and Newton invented the system of calculus. Alchemy, the practice of trying to turn materials into precious metals, was very popular during the Scientific Revolution.
Example Question #403 : Sat Subject Test In World History
This Northern Renaissance artist is renowned for his woodcuts and theoretical writing, and is sometimes referred to as the "Da Vinci of the Northern Renaissance."
Jan van Eyck
Erasmus
Jan Provost
Gerrit David
Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Durer
Although slightly less revered in popular history, the Northern Renaissance was no less significant or accomplished than the Italian Renaissance. Albrecht Durer is probably the most famous of the Northern Renaissance artists. He is renowned for his woodcuts and his watercolors, as well as his theoretical writings on mathematics and perspective.
Example Question #8 : Historic Figures Of The Enlightenment Era
Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz are the two men credited with __________.
Discovering the theory of relativity
Inventing the mathematical system of calculus
First turning lead into gold using alchemy
Conclusively proving the heliocentric model of the solar system
Discovering the existence and significance of gravity
Inventing the mathematical system of calculus
Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz are two prominent Enlightenment Era scientists and mathematicians. Seemingly they both independently devised a system of calculus that allowed them to make calculations on things previously impossible. It is generally accepted that Newton invented calculus first, but as he did not publish this information for decades scholars have to rely on clues in his publications and on Newton's word (notoriously unreliable). The two men battled for acclaim for the invention during their lifetimes, but it is Newton who is most commonly remembered as the inventor of calculus (at least in the English speaking world), despite the fact that Leibniz was the first to publish on the matter. Calculus was vital to some of the scientific breakthroughs of Newton's lifetime and has been continued to be ever since.
Example Question #404 : Sat Subject Test In World History
The geocentric model of the universe was initially disproved by __________.
Isaac Newton
Galileo
Jan Huss
Nicholas Copernicus
Francis Bacon
Nicholas Copernicus
The geocentric model of the universe was originally developed by many ancient civilizations, and popularized by the Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle. It was widely accepted by scientific-minded individuals for over a thousand years. In the geocentric model, the Earth is at the center of the universe, and everything else orbits around it; however, in the sixteenth century, the Polish astronomer, Nicholas Copernicus, developed his theory that the sun was in fact the center of the universe. This event is called the Copernican Revolution, and his model was called the heliocentric model of the universe.
Example Question #402 : Sat Subject Test In World History
A Vindication on the Rights of Women, in which it is argued that women are not naturally inferior to men and should have equal rights in all areas of life, was written by which Enlightenment-Era philosopher?
Simone de Beauvoir
Emily Pankhurst
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Shelley
John Locke
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication on the Rights of Women, in 1792. In the text she argues that women are not naturally inferior or less intelligent than men, but merely appear so because they were no allowed an education and were forced to be subservient to men. She imagines a society founded on reason and equality, in which women are given every right and opportunity that men are given.
Example Question #403 : Sat Subject Test In World History
This Enlightenment-Era philosopher wrote Candide and was primarily concerned with encouraging religious tolerance.
Adam Smith
Thomas Hobbes
Descartes
John Locke
Voltaire
Voltaire
Voltaire was an Enlightenment-Era philosopher who was most famous for his vehement attacks on the established religious orders—particularly the Catholic Church. He wrote passionately, advocating for freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. This naturally caused Voltaire to be condemned widely by the powers that be (although he was a good friend of Catherine the Great), and he had many causes to fear for his life, but he never stopped his polemical writings. His most famous work, Candide, is a scathing critique of the established order of the European world.
Example Question #404 : Sat Subject Test In World History
A Treatise of Human Nature and An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding are two of the most famous works of __________.
Voltaire
David Hume
Diderot
Immanuel Kant
Jean Jacques Rousseau
David Hume
A Treatise of Human Nature and An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding are two of the most famous works of the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume. Whilst you might not have recognized the works as immediately belonging to Hume, their titles ought to have been a clue. Hume was primarily concerned with understanding the relationship between human nature and human understanding. He was a particularly prominent supporter of empiricism and moral relativism.
Certified Tutor