Chapter 16 Study Guide

Question 1

The Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century

a. was stimulated by a revived interest in Galen and Aristotle.
b. directly resulted from reaction and revolt against the social and historical conditions of the Middle Ages.
c. was largely due to a monastic revolution.
d. although an innovative phase in western thinking, was based upon the intellectual and scientific accomplishments of previous centuries.
e. was a complete break with the past.

Answer 1

d. although an innovative phase in western thinking, was based upon the intellectual and scientific accomplishments of previous centuries.

Question 2

All of the following are considered possible influences and causes of the Scientific Revolution except

a. the practical knowledge and technical skills emphasized by sixteenth-century universities.
b. mathematical and naturalistic skills of Renaissance artists.
c. the Hermetic belief in magic and alchemy.
d. the humanists’ rediscovery of Greek mathematicians and thinkers.
e. the inspired work of a few intellectuals.

Answer 2

a.the practical knowledge and technical skills

Question 3

According to Leonardo da Vinci, what subject was the key to understanding the nature of things?

a. astronomy
b. art
c. biology
d. the Bible
e. mathematics.

Answer 3

e.mathematics.

Question 4

Scholars devoted to Hermeticism

a. believed that the world was a very recent creation still imperfect.
b. credited the devil with control over the dark secrets of nature.
c. saw the world as a living embodiment of divinity where humans could use mathematics and magic to dominate nature.
d. retreated from study of the natural world to concentrate on mastery of theories of magic.
e. a and d

Answer 4

c.saw the world as a living embodiment of divinity where humans could use mathematics and magic to dominate nature.

Question 5

The general conception of the universe before Copernicus was that

a. it was orderly with heaven at the center and the earth circling around it.
b. the earth was the stationary center and heavenly spheres orbited it.
c. the earth rested on the shell of a giant tortoise.
d. it could not be revealed according to God’s will.
e. the world was flat.

Answer 5

b.the earth was the stationary center and heavenly spheres orbited it.

Question 6

The greatest achievements in science during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries came in what three areas?

a. astronomy, medicine, and mechanics.
b. astronomy, botany, and chemistry
c. biology, mechanics, and ballistics
d. engineering, physics, and dentistry
e. biology, surgery, and astronomy

Answer 6

a.astronomy, medicine, and mechanics

Question 7

The Ptolemaic conception of the universe was also known as

a. God’s master plan.
b. the geocentric conception.
c. the luna centric conception.
d. the expanding universe.
e. the pantheistic theory.

Answer 7

b.the geocentric conception.

Question 8

Copernicus preferred the heliocentric model because

a. as a Protestant, he felt free to disagree with the Pope.
b. it earned him lots of money and fame.
c. it made the planetary orbits easier to calculate.
d. he regarded the Sun as the most powerful god
e. the sun is the source of all energy on earth.

Answer 8

c.it made the planetary orbits easier to calculate.

Question 9

Copernicus’s major book was titled

a. On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.
b. Novum Organum.
c. Principia.
d. On the Motion of the Heart and Blood.
e. The Great Instauration.

Answer 9

a.On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres

Question 10

The immediate reaction of the clerics to the theories of Copernicus was

a. condemnation, initially by Protestant leaders like Luther who condemned the discovery as contrary to their literal interpretation of the Bible.
b. broad approval motivated by their now higher educational achievements.
c. confused silence.
d. the calling of the Council of Dort by Protestants and Catholics to question the astronomer closely prior to trial for blasphemy.
e. apathy because they could not understand either his theory or his calculations.

Answer 10

a.condemnation, initially by Protestant leaders like Luther who condemned the discovery as contrary to their literal interpretation of the Bible.

Question 11

Following upon Copernicus’s heliocentric theories

a. Johannes Kepler used data to derive laws of planetary motion that confirmed Copernicus’s heliocentric theory but that showed the orbits were elliptical.
b. Kepler observed the heavens and proved that planetary motion was circular around the sun.
c. Kepler used magic to prove that the earth moved in a manner based on geometric figures, trying to bring harmony of the human soul into alignment with the universe.
d. Galileo and Kepler demonstrated that the motion of the planets is steady and unchanging.
e. Kepler discovered the three laws of thermodynamics.

Answer 11

a.Johannes Kepler used data to derive laws of planetary motion that confirmed Copernicus’s heliocentric theory but that showed the orbits were elliptical.

Question 12

Tycho Brahe contributed to the advance of astronomy by

a. working out the theory of inertia.
b. making accurate observations of the planets.
c. calculating the pull of gravity on the tides by the moon.
d. calculating the distance to the sun.
e. inventing the astrolabe.

Answer 12

b.making accurate observations of the planets.

Question 13

Johannes Kepler was the first astronomer to show that

a. the planets are made of earth-like material.
b. planetary orbits are elliptical.
c. the stars are immensely far away.
d. everything is an illusion.
e. the moon orbits around the earth.

Answer 13

b.planetary orbits are elliptical.

Question 14

Paracelsus revolutionized the world of medicine in the sixteenth century by

a. disproving Galen’s ancient theory of two separate blood systems.
b. dissecting human rather than animal cadavers.
c. advocating the chemical philosophy of medicine.
d. rejecting the medieval medical philosophy of the four humors.
e. discovering the circulation of blood throughout the body.

Answer 14

c.advocating the chemical philosophy of medicine.

Question 15

Among the following, who is not associated with major changes in sixteenth and seventeenth-century scientific research?

a. Vesalius
b. Harvey
c. Paracelss
d. Galen
e. Boyle

Answer 15

d.Galen

Question 16

On the Fabric of the Human Body

a. was Andreas Vesalius’ masterpiece on anatomical structure.
b. contained William Harvey’s theories on blood circulation.
c. contained Paracelsus’ theories on a macrocosm-microcosm universe.
d. was Galen’s masterpiece that influenced so many doctors in the Middle Ages.
e. was Cavendish’s theory of human dissection.

Answer 16

a.was Andreas Vesalius’ masterpiece on anatomical structure.

Question 17

William Harvey’s On the Motion of the Heart and Blood refuted the ideas of

a. the immune system being associated with the pancreas.
b. the brain stem being disconnected from the brain.
c. the independent functioning of the lymph system.
d. herbal healing.
e. the liver as the beginning point of the circulation of blood.

Answer 17

e.the liver as the beginning point of the circulation of blood.

Question 18

The scientist whose work led to the law that states that the volume of a gas varies with the pressure exerted upon it and who argued that matter is composed of atoms, later known as the chemical elements, was

a. William Harvey.
b. Paracelsus.
c. Andreas Vesalius.
d. Robert Boyle.
e. Antoine Lavoisier.

Answer 18

d.Robert Boyle.

Question 19

Antoine Lavoisier

a. discovered the law of gasses.
b. gave scientific proof to the theories of Newton.
c. reconciled religion and reason in his Pensees.
d. was the father of the Scientific Revolution.
e. is regarded as the father of modern chemistry.

Answer 19

e.is regarded as the father of modern chemistry.

Question 20

The role of women in the Scientific Revolution is illustrated by

a. the scientific community’s growing acceptance of female members.
b. Maria Merian’s breakthrough in astronomy.
c. Margaret Cavendish, who participated in her era’s scientific debates.
d. Maria Winkelmann, an entomologist accepted into the Berlin Academy of Sciences.
e. the exclusion and absence of women from any scientific investigations.

Answer 20

c.Margaret Cavendish, who participated in her era’s scientific debates.

Question 21

The overall effect of the Scientific Revolution on the argument about women was to

a. dispel traditional myths of female inferiority.
b. increase the role of women in the childbearing process.
c. generate facts about differences between men and women that were used to prove male dominance.
d. demonstrate that there was no inherent skeletal differences between the sexes.
e. allow women to enroll in most of Europe’s universities.

Answer 21

c.generate facts about differences between men and women that were used to prove male dominance.

Question 22

Margaret Cavendish attacked the belief

a. that humans through science were masters of nature.
b. that science was for the benefit of all humanity.
c. in women being equal to men, despite her position.
d. of a Newtonian world-machine.
e. of a heliocentric universe.

Answer 22

a.that humans through science were masters of nature.

Question 23

Maria Winkelmann

a. was an English aristocrat.
b. a German astronomer.
c. became a member of the Berlin Academy and England’s Royal Society for her scientific work.
d. was the mother of the more famous Robert Boyle.
e. b and c

Answer 23

b.a German astronomer.

Question 24

Benedict Spinoza believed that women

a. were equal to men.
b. were little more than animals without a soul.
c. were “naturally” inferior to men.
d. could stand on their own, but society functioned far better when men alone ruled.
e. were superior to men in their intellects but not in their emotions.

Answer 24

c.were “naturally” inferior to men.

Question 25

The philosophy of René Descartes

a. stressed a separation of mind and matter.
b. stressed a holistic universe of mind and matter devoid of a creator-God.
c. saw the material world as a living thing containing the human essence.
d. would not have a wide influence upon Western thought until the nineteenth century.
e. was condemned by the government of the Dutch Republic.

Answer 25

a.stressed a separation of mind and matter.

Question 26

What was the name of Descartes’ book that expounded his theories about the universe?

a. On the Revolution of Heavenly Bodies
b. On the Fabric of the Human Body
c. Two Natures
d. Mind Over Matter
e. Discourse on Method

Answer 26

e.Discourse on Method

Question 27

Descartes believed that the world could be understood by

a. the same principles inherent in mathematical thinking.
b. quiet contemplation and following of the Scriptures.
c. mystical experiences.
d. interpreting dreams and applying that knowledge to our everyday lives.
e. incorporating the mind with the body.

Answer 27

a.the same principles inherent in mathematical thinking.

Question 28

The Foundation of Francis Bacon’s methodology was

a. inductive reasoning.
b. speculative reasoning.
c. deductive reasoning.
d. triangulation.
e. nonsense.

Answer 28

a.inductive reasoning.

Question 29

Organized religions in the seventeenth century

a. conceded the accomplishments of science and separated theology from science proper.
b. rejected scientific discoveries that conflicted with the Christian view of the world.
c. contributed greatly to scientific research.
d. largely ignored science as merely a “toy for the minds of God’s children.”
e. rapidly reoriented their theologies to accept the findings of modern science.

Answer 29

b.rejected scientific discoveries that conflicted with the Christian view of the world.

Question 30

Benedict de Spinoza

a. believed that humans were created separate from nature in order to rule the earth.
b. claimed that God was not just the creator the universe, God was the universe.
c. accepted Descartes’ theory about the separation between mind and matter.
d. rejected all forms of pantheistic belief.
e. disagreed with the theory of a heliocentric universe.

Answer 30

b.claimed that God was not just the creator the universe, God was the universe.

Question 31

For Spinoza, the failure to understand God led to

a. false worship of nature.
b. people using nature for their own self-interest.
c. a lack of moral judgment of others.
d. sexual perversion.
e. the establishment of divine right monarchies.

Answer 31

b.people using nature for their own self-interest.

Question 32

In his work Pensees, Pascal

a. showed that science and religion were incompatible.
b. popularized the scientific method.
c. offered his thoughts on the heliocentric theory.
d. attempted to convince rationalists that Christianity was valid by appealing to their reason and emotions.
e. advocated the importance of thought.

Answer 32

d.attempted to convince rationalists that Christianity was valid by appealing to their reason and emotions.

Question 33

For Blaise Pascal, humans

a. could know infinity through reason.
b. were the summation of all things.
c. could only understand that which is revealed to them by the Bible.
d. were uniquely separate from the rest of the animal world.
e. could not understand infinity, only God could.

Answer 33

e.could not understand infinity, only God could.

Question 34

Concerning the first important scientific societies, the French Academy differed from the English Royal Society in the former’s

a. government support and control.
b. publication of scientific journals.
c. focus on theoretical work in mechanics and astronomy.
d. belief that science should proceed along the lines of a cooperative venture.
e. lack of support by the French government.

Answer 34

a.government support and control.

Question 35

During the seventeenth century, royal and princely patronage of science

a. declined greatly.
b. was common only in Italy.
c. became an international phenomenon.
d. replaced funding by the church.
e. was directed only towards pure research.

Answer 35

c.became an international phenomenon.

Question 36

The scientific societies of early modern Europe established the first

a. fund-raising events for medical research.
b. scientific journals appearing regularly.
c. code of ethics for experimentation on humans and animals.
d. college departments for scientific study.
e. international European institutions for the study of all branches of science and mathematics.

Answer 36

b.scientific journals appearing regularly.

Question 37

Science became an integral part of Western culture in the eighteenth century because

a. people perceived it to be rationally superior to other belief systems.
b. its mechanistic nature was popular with the lower classes.
c. the victory of radical political groups, such as the Levellers, following the Puritan Revolution encouraged freedom of expression.
d. it offered a new means to make profits and maintain social order.
e. it allowed an alternative religious belief system to that of Christianity.

Answer 37

d.it offered a new means to make profits and maintain social order.

Question 38

Which one of the following comments best summarizes impact of the Scientific Revolution on Western Civilization?

a. It was of little consequence.
b. The term “Revolution” is a misnomer that ought not be applied.
c. It was a major turning point.
d. It destroyed the moral foundation of a Christian civilization.
e. It was a minor turning point.

Answer 38

c.It was a major turning point.