AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
UNIT 2 PRACTICE TEST
Age of Reformation, c. 1450 to c. 1648
25 questions — modeled on official AP question styles and stimulus formats.
Give yourself 30 minutes. Answers and explanations begin on a separate page after the questions.
Multiple Choice Questions
Questions 1–3 refer to the following passage. “Faith alone, without works, justifies, sets free, and saves... a Christian has
all that he needs in faith, and needs no works to justify him.” — adapted from Martin Luther's On the Freedom of a
Christian, 1520
1. The theological principle expressed in this passage is best known as:
A) Transubstantiation
B) Justification by faith alone (sola fide)
C) Papal infallibility
D) Apostolic succession
E) The doctrine of purgatory
2. Which of the following Catholic Church practices did this Lutheran principle most directly undermine?
A) The sale of indulgences as a means of reducing punishment for sin
B) The use of stained glass in cathedrals
C) The celebration of Christmas
D) The construction of monasteries
E) The use of bells in worship services
3. Which development was most responsible for allowing ideas like the one in this passage to spread rapidly across
Europe within just a few years?
A) The printing press with movable type
B) The astrolabe
C) The caravel
D) The joint-stock company
E) The compass
4. Which of the following best describes the core theological difference between Catholic and Protestant views on
salvation during the Reformation?
A) Catholics held that clergy mediate salvation through seven sacraments; Protestants generally held that salvation
comes through individual faith, with scripture as the primary authority
B) Catholics and Protestants held essentially identical views on how salvation is achieved
C) Protestants believed the papacy should hold greater authority over salvation than Catholics believed
D) Catholics rejected the use of any sacraments whatsoever
E) Protestants insisted that salvation could only occur through Latin-language worship
5. The 1555 Peace of Augsburg is most significant for establishing which principle within the Holy Roman Empire?
A) Cuius regio, eius religio — that each prince could determine whether his territory would be Catholic or Lutheran
B) The complete abolition of the Catholic Church throughout the Empire
, C) Mandatory conversion of all subjects to Calvinism
D) A permanent ban on all Protestant worship
E) The unification of the Holy Roman Empire under a single religious authority
6. Which of the following was a genuine limitation of the 1555 Peace of Augsburg's settlement?
A) It fully resolved all religious conflict within the Holy Roman Empire permanently
B) It recognized only Catholicism and Lutheranism, excluding Calvinism and other Protestant movements from its
protections
C) It granted individual subjects, not princes, the right to choose their own religion
D) It applied uniformly across all of Western Europe, not just the Holy Roman Empire
E) It abolished the Holy Roman Empire's political structure entirely
7. John Calvin's theological system, established in Geneva, is most closely associated with which doctrine?
A) Predestination — the belief that God has already determined who will be saved
B) Papal supremacy over all secular rulers
C) The veneration of saints and relics
D) The necessity of clerical celibacy for all believers
E) The use of icons in religious worship
8. Which of the following best explains why Calvinism, compared to Lutheranism, spread more readily as an organized
political and social movement in places like France, the Netherlands, and Scotland?
A) Calvinism's emphasis on a disciplined, self-governing congregational structure gave it an organizational model that
could function independent of state support, unlike Lutheranism's closer ties to princely authority
B) Calvinism had no theological differences from Catholicism
C) Lutheranism was banned throughout all of Europe after 1555
D) Calvinism required the explicit approval of the Pope to spread
E) Calvinism and Lutheranism were never practiced outside the Holy Roman Empire
9. The English Reformation under Henry VIII differed from the continental Reformation in that it was initially driven
primarily by:
A) A theological dispute over the doctrine of transubstantiation
B) Henry VIII's political and dynastic desire for an annulment, which the Pope refused to grant
C) A grassroots popular movement demanding Calvinist theology
D) Direct military invasion by Lutheran princes
E) The immediate abolition of the English monarchy
10. The Act of Supremacy (1534) established which of the following?
A) The Pope as the supreme head of the Church of England
B) The English monarch as the supreme head of the Church of England, independent of papal authority
C) The complete abolition of Christianity in England
D) Mandatory conversion of England to Calvinism
E) A permanent alliance between England and the papacy
11. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) was convened by the Catholic Church primarily to:
A) Formally adopt Lutheran theology
B) Clarify and reaffirm Catholic doctrine while addressing genuine institutional abuses, as part of the Catholic (Counter-)
Reformation
C) Abolish the papacy entirely
D) Merge the Catholic and Protestant churches into a single institution
E) Transfer religious authority to secular monarchs across Europe
UNIT 2 PRACTICE TEST
Age of Reformation, c. 1450 to c. 1648
25 questions — modeled on official AP question styles and stimulus formats.
Give yourself 30 minutes. Answers and explanations begin on a separate page after the questions.
Multiple Choice Questions
Questions 1–3 refer to the following passage. “Faith alone, without works, justifies, sets free, and saves... a Christian has
all that he needs in faith, and needs no works to justify him.” — adapted from Martin Luther's On the Freedom of a
Christian, 1520
1. The theological principle expressed in this passage is best known as:
A) Transubstantiation
B) Justification by faith alone (sola fide)
C) Papal infallibility
D) Apostolic succession
E) The doctrine of purgatory
2. Which of the following Catholic Church practices did this Lutheran principle most directly undermine?
A) The sale of indulgences as a means of reducing punishment for sin
B) The use of stained glass in cathedrals
C) The celebration of Christmas
D) The construction of monasteries
E) The use of bells in worship services
3. Which development was most responsible for allowing ideas like the one in this passage to spread rapidly across
Europe within just a few years?
A) The printing press with movable type
B) The astrolabe
C) The caravel
D) The joint-stock company
E) The compass
4. Which of the following best describes the core theological difference between Catholic and Protestant views on
salvation during the Reformation?
A) Catholics held that clergy mediate salvation through seven sacraments; Protestants generally held that salvation
comes through individual faith, with scripture as the primary authority
B) Catholics and Protestants held essentially identical views on how salvation is achieved
C) Protestants believed the papacy should hold greater authority over salvation than Catholics believed
D) Catholics rejected the use of any sacraments whatsoever
E) Protestants insisted that salvation could only occur through Latin-language worship
5. The 1555 Peace of Augsburg is most significant for establishing which principle within the Holy Roman Empire?
A) Cuius regio, eius religio — that each prince could determine whether his territory would be Catholic or Lutheran
B) The complete abolition of the Catholic Church throughout the Empire
, C) Mandatory conversion of all subjects to Calvinism
D) A permanent ban on all Protestant worship
E) The unification of the Holy Roman Empire under a single religious authority
6. Which of the following was a genuine limitation of the 1555 Peace of Augsburg's settlement?
A) It fully resolved all religious conflict within the Holy Roman Empire permanently
B) It recognized only Catholicism and Lutheranism, excluding Calvinism and other Protestant movements from its
protections
C) It granted individual subjects, not princes, the right to choose their own religion
D) It applied uniformly across all of Western Europe, not just the Holy Roman Empire
E) It abolished the Holy Roman Empire's political structure entirely
7. John Calvin's theological system, established in Geneva, is most closely associated with which doctrine?
A) Predestination — the belief that God has already determined who will be saved
B) Papal supremacy over all secular rulers
C) The veneration of saints and relics
D) The necessity of clerical celibacy for all believers
E) The use of icons in religious worship
8. Which of the following best explains why Calvinism, compared to Lutheranism, spread more readily as an organized
political and social movement in places like France, the Netherlands, and Scotland?
A) Calvinism's emphasis on a disciplined, self-governing congregational structure gave it an organizational model that
could function independent of state support, unlike Lutheranism's closer ties to princely authority
B) Calvinism had no theological differences from Catholicism
C) Lutheranism was banned throughout all of Europe after 1555
D) Calvinism required the explicit approval of the Pope to spread
E) Calvinism and Lutheranism were never practiced outside the Holy Roman Empire
9. The English Reformation under Henry VIII differed from the continental Reformation in that it was initially driven
primarily by:
A) A theological dispute over the doctrine of transubstantiation
B) Henry VIII's political and dynastic desire for an annulment, which the Pope refused to grant
C) A grassroots popular movement demanding Calvinist theology
D) Direct military invasion by Lutheran princes
E) The immediate abolition of the English monarchy
10. The Act of Supremacy (1534) established which of the following?
A) The Pope as the supreme head of the Church of England
B) The English monarch as the supreme head of the Church of England, independent of papal authority
C) The complete abolition of Christianity in England
D) Mandatory conversion of England to Calvinism
E) A permanent alliance between England and the papacy
11. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) was convened by the Catholic Church primarily to:
A) Formally adopt Lutheran theology
B) Clarify and reaffirm Catholic doctrine while addressing genuine institutional abuses, as part of the Catholic (Counter-)
Reformation
C) Abolish the papacy entirely
D) Merge the Catholic and Protestant churches into a single institution
E) Transfer religious authority to secular monarchs across Europe
