AP European History Practice Exam
Questions
1. " Geography is Destiny" proved true for the Italians of the 14th and 15th centuries
for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
a. their proximity to he Mediterranean
b. the establishment of overland trade with Asia
c. their role as the "middlemen" of Europe
d. their ability to adapt to victimization by more united peoples
e. their seagoing trade with the eastern Mediterranean
------------ANS: B. Analysis of all other answers support the statement
2. All of the following precipitated the radical turn of the revolution EXCEPT
a. the rise of the sans-culottes
b. the flight of the king
c. the division of the Assembly into factions
d. the execution of the king
e. the outbreak of war with Austria and Prussia
- ------------ANS: D. The execution of the king was an effect of the radicalization, not
a precipitant or cause. Choice A is incorrect because the rise of the sans-culottes led
to a shift to more radical aims because the sans-culottes' hopes of a more egalitarian
and economically fair society were more radical than those of the bourgeois
members of the Assembly. Choice B is incorrect because the flight of the king
eroded the people's confidence in him and forced them to consider a more radical
path. Choice C is incorrect because the development of factions within the Assembly
meant that each faction had to compete for the support of the Paris crowd and,
therefore, be more willing to listen to their radical demands. Choice E is incorrect
because the war with Austria and Prussia created an air of crisis in which bolder
action seemed required.
3. As a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, the majority of skilled artisans and
craftsmen
a. prospered
b. became managers in factories
c. lost their livelihoods
d. moved to towns and cities
e. were women
,- ------------ANS: C. Because factory-produced goods could be made in greater
quantity and sold more cheaply, most skilled artisans and craftsmen were unable to
compete and lost their livelihoods. Choice A is incorrect because the skilled artisans
and craftsmen did not prosper; instead, they faced either unemployment or factory
work at wages much lower than the profits they had made in their shops. Choice B is
incorrect because a factory manager was a new breed whose job was to keep the
factory running at peak efficiency and whose skills were unrelated to those of the old
artisans and craftsmen. Choice D is incorrect because, unlike their agricultural
counterparts, artisans and craftsmen had always located themselves in towns and
cities. Choice E is incorrect because neither men nor women were being drawn into
these professions during the Second Industrial Revolution.
4. By the early eighteenth century, the kingdom whose political system afforded the
greatest amount of self-rule to its subjects was
a.England
b.France
c.Brandenburg-Prussia
d.Austria
e.Russia
- ------------ANS: A. The constitutional monarchy and the rule of law that resulted
from the English Revolution of the seventeenth century guaranteed its subjects the
greatest amount of self-rule in Europe. Choice B is incorrect because the subjects of
France lived under an absolutist regime constructed by the Bourbon monarchy.
Choices C and D are incorrect because the subjects of Brandenburg-Prussia and of
Austria enjoyed only a moderate amount of self-rule as the monarchs and nobility
fought each other to a standoff. Choice E is incorrect because Russians lived under
an absolutist regime built through an alliance between the Tsar and the Russian
nobility.
5. Compared with the Romanov Tsars, the Bourbon monarchs of France in the
period 1600-1715
a.made less use of the Church and its expertise and influence
b.were less reliant on the nobility for their power
c.were more absolutist in their style of government
d.sought to expand their empire to a larger extent
e.were more committed to the primacy of the privileges and prerogatives of the
nobility
- ------------ANS: B. The Bourbon monarchs of France built the power of their state at
the expense of the nobility and, thus, did not rely on them in the way the Romanovs
did. Choice A is incorrect because the Bourbons made extensive use of the clergy as
they built their new administrative state. Choice C is incorrect because the Bourbons
were every bit as absolutist as the Romanovs in their aims; they simply achieved the
,goal by different means. Choice D is incorrect because the Bourbons were less
expansionist than the Romanovs. Choice E is incorrect because the Bourbons were,
unlike the Romanovs, set on curbing the power and prerogatives of the nobility.
6. Compared with their counterparts in Russia, the English peasantry of the early
1700s
a.bore a greater tax burden
b.enjoyed less freedom of movement
c.had a greater chance of improving their social and economic position
d.enjoyed less religious freedom
e.were more likely to live in towns
- ------------ANS: B. The territorial holdings of the Russian Empire were greatly
expanded under Peter the Great. Choice A is incorrect because the power of the
Russian Orthodox Church was strengthened during the reign of Peter the Great.
Choice C is incorrect because the institution of serfdom was supported, not
weakened, by Peter the Great. Choice D is incorrect because the tax burden on the
Russian peasantry was increased under Peter the Great. Choice E is incorrect
because no wealthy merchant class emerged in Russia during the reign of Peter the
Great.
7. During the period from 1600 to 1715, the traditional social hierarchy of Europe
came under pressure by all of the following EXCEPT
a.continuous warfare
b.climate change resulting in series of bad harvests
c.the rejection of religious practice by large numbers of people
d.increased trade and the diversification of the economy
e.the desire of monarchs to increase their power and authority
- ------------ANS: C. Nowhere in Europe during this period was there a large-scale
rejection of religious practice; rather, the religious fervor that pitted Catholics against
Protestants complicated the tensions created by the other four answers. Choice A is
incorrect because continuous warfare put pressure on the traditional social hierarchy
by disrupting the economy and increasing the demand for taxes. Choice B is
incorrect because a series of bad harvests meant that there was less wealth in the
economy at a time when monarchs were demanding more. Choice D is incorrect
because increased trade and a more diversified economy gave birth to a class of
economically powerful merchants who did not fit into the traditional social hierarchy.
Choice E is incorrect because the desire of monarchs to increase their power and
authority led them to wage wars of conquest, which put enormous stress on the
economy.
8. Fifteenth-century attempts by the cardinals to reform, reunite, and reinvigorate the
Church are known collectively as
, a.the Reformation
b.the Counter-Reformation
c.the Inquisition
d.the Conciliar Movement
e.the Court of the Star Chamber
- ------------ANS: D. The fifteenth-century attempts by councils of cardinals to reform,
reunite, and reinvigorate the Church are known collectively as the Conciliar
Movement. Choice A is incorrect because, although the leaders of the movement
that came to be known as the Reformation did originally have as their goal reforming
and reinvigorating the Church, they were not cardinals in the Church and their
movement was not one of reunification. Choice B is incorrect because, although the
socalled Counter-Reformation also had reform as one of its goals, it increasingly
came to be concerned with stamping out Protestantism and was also not a
movement particular to the cardinals. Choice C is incorrect because the Inquisition
was an instrument of the Church invented in Spain to enforce the conversion of
Muslims and Jews, and later used to root out Protestants. Finally, choice E is
incorrect because the Court of the Star Chamber was an instrument used by the
early Tudor kings of England to curb the power of the nobility and had nothing to do
with Church reform.
9. Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther is an example of
a. the anarchist movement
b. socialism
c. early liberalism
d. nationalism
e. the Sturm und Drang movement
- ------------ANS: E. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther
(1774) is an example of the German Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) movement
of the late eighteenth century. Its glorification of the "inner experience" of the
sensitive individual was a forerunner of nineteenth-century Romanticism. Choice A is
incorrect because, although both Goethe's Sorrows and anarchism share a
romanticized view of preindustrial society, the anarchist movement was dedicated to
the eradication of the modern nation state, a theme that is not present in Sorrows.
Choice B is incorrect because socialists were more concerned with designing a
harmonious and equitable society than with the inner life and sentimentality. Choice
C is incorrect because the early liberals emphasized the reform of society based on
reason, not sentiment and emotion. Choice D is incorrect because, although Sorrows
emphasized the power of environment to shape the individual, it did not emphasize
the shared cultural identity of nations.
10. Hobbes and Locke DISAGREED in their belief that
a.men are created equal
Questions
1. " Geography is Destiny" proved true for the Italians of the 14th and 15th centuries
for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
a. their proximity to he Mediterranean
b. the establishment of overland trade with Asia
c. their role as the "middlemen" of Europe
d. their ability to adapt to victimization by more united peoples
e. their seagoing trade with the eastern Mediterranean
------------ANS: B. Analysis of all other answers support the statement
2. All of the following precipitated the radical turn of the revolution EXCEPT
a. the rise of the sans-culottes
b. the flight of the king
c. the division of the Assembly into factions
d. the execution of the king
e. the outbreak of war with Austria and Prussia
- ------------ANS: D. The execution of the king was an effect of the radicalization, not
a precipitant or cause. Choice A is incorrect because the rise of the sans-culottes led
to a shift to more radical aims because the sans-culottes' hopes of a more egalitarian
and economically fair society were more radical than those of the bourgeois
members of the Assembly. Choice B is incorrect because the flight of the king
eroded the people's confidence in him and forced them to consider a more radical
path. Choice C is incorrect because the development of factions within the Assembly
meant that each faction had to compete for the support of the Paris crowd and,
therefore, be more willing to listen to their radical demands. Choice E is incorrect
because the war with Austria and Prussia created an air of crisis in which bolder
action seemed required.
3. As a result of the Second Industrial Revolution, the majority of skilled artisans and
craftsmen
a. prospered
b. became managers in factories
c. lost their livelihoods
d. moved to towns and cities
e. were women
,- ------------ANS: C. Because factory-produced goods could be made in greater
quantity and sold more cheaply, most skilled artisans and craftsmen were unable to
compete and lost their livelihoods. Choice A is incorrect because the skilled artisans
and craftsmen did not prosper; instead, they faced either unemployment or factory
work at wages much lower than the profits they had made in their shops. Choice B is
incorrect because a factory manager was a new breed whose job was to keep the
factory running at peak efficiency and whose skills were unrelated to those of the old
artisans and craftsmen. Choice D is incorrect because, unlike their agricultural
counterparts, artisans and craftsmen had always located themselves in towns and
cities. Choice E is incorrect because neither men nor women were being drawn into
these professions during the Second Industrial Revolution.
4. By the early eighteenth century, the kingdom whose political system afforded the
greatest amount of self-rule to its subjects was
a.England
b.France
c.Brandenburg-Prussia
d.Austria
e.Russia
- ------------ANS: A. The constitutional monarchy and the rule of law that resulted
from the English Revolution of the seventeenth century guaranteed its subjects the
greatest amount of self-rule in Europe. Choice B is incorrect because the subjects of
France lived under an absolutist regime constructed by the Bourbon monarchy.
Choices C and D are incorrect because the subjects of Brandenburg-Prussia and of
Austria enjoyed only a moderate amount of self-rule as the monarchs and nobility
fought each other to a standoff. Choice E is incorrect because Russians lived under
an absolutist regime built through an alliance between the Tsar and the Russian
nobility.
5. Compared with the Romanov Tsars, the Bourbon monarchs of France in the
period 1600-1715
a.made less use of the Church and its expertise and influence
b.were less reliant on the nobility for their power
c.were more absolutist in their style of government
d.sought to expand their empire to a larger extent
e.were more committed to the primacy of the privileges and prerogatives of the
nobility
- ------------ANS: B. The Bourbon monarchs of France built the power of their state at
the expense of the nobility and, thus, did not rely on them in the way the Romanovs
did. Choice A is incorrect because the Bourbons made extensive use of the clergy as
they built their new administrative state. Choice C is incorrect because the Bourbons
were every bit as absolutist as the Romanovs in their aims; they simply achieved the
,goal by different means. Choice D is incorrect because the Bourbons were less
expansionist than the Romanovs. Choice E is incorrect because the Bourbons were,
unlike the Romanovs, set on curbing the power and prerogatives of the nobility.
6. Compared with their counterparts in Russia, the English peasantry of the early
1700s
a.bore a greater tax burden
b.enjoyed less freedom of movement
c.had a greater chance of improving their social and economic position
d.enjoyed less religious freedom
e.were more likely to live in towns
- ------------ANS: B. The territorial holdings of the Russian Empire were greatly
expanded under Peter the Great. Choice A is incorrect because the power of the
Russian Orthodox Church was strengthened during the reign of Peter the Great.
Choice C is incorrect because the institution of serfdom was supported, not
weakened, by Peter the Great. Choice D is incorrect because the tax burden on the
Russian peasantry was increased under Peter the Great. Choice E is incorrect
because no wealthy merchant class emerged in Russia during the reign of Peter the
Great.
7. During the period from 1600 to 1715, the traditional social hierarchy of Europe
came under pressure by all of the following EXCEPT
a.continuous warfare
b.climate change resulting in series of bad harvests
c.the rejection of religious practice by large numbers of people
d.increased trade and the diversification of the economy
e.the desire of monarchs to increase their power and authority
- ------------ANS: C. Nowhere in Europe during this period was there a large-scale
rejection of religious practice; rather, the religious fervor that pitted Catholics against
Protestants complicated the tensions created by the other four answers. Choice A is
incorrect because continuous warfare put pressure on the traditional social hierarchy
by disrupting the economy and increasing the demand for taxes. Choice B is
incorrect because a series of bad harvests meant that there was less wealth in the
economy at a time when monarchs were demanding more. Choice D is incorrect
because increased trade and a more diversified economy gave birth to a class of
economically powerful merchants who did not fit into the traditional social hierarchy.
Choice E is incorrect because the desire of monarchs to increase their power and
authority led them to wage wars of conquest, which put enormous stress on the
economy.
8. Fifteenth-century attempts by the cardinals to reform, reunite, and reinvigorate the
Church are known collectively as
, a.the Reformation
b.the Counter-Reformation
c.the Inquisition
d.the Conciliar Movement
e.the Court of the Star Chamber
- ------------ANS: D. The fifteenth-century attempts by councils of cardinals to reform,
reunite, and reinvigorate the Church are known collectively as the Conciliar
Movement. Choice A is incorrect because, although the leaders of the movement
that came to be known as the Reformation did originally have as their goal reforming
and reinvigorating the Church, they were not cardinals in the Church and their
movement was not one of reunification. Choice B is incorrect because, although the
socalled Counter-Reformation also had reform as one of its goals, it increasingly
came to be concerned with stamping out Protestantism and was also not a
movement particular to the cardinals. Choice C is incorrect because the Inquisition
was an instrument of the Church invented in Spain to enforce the conversion of
Muslims and Jews, and later used to root out Protestants. Finally, choice E is
incorrect because the Court of the Star Chamber was an instrument used by the
early Tudor kings of England to curb the power of the nobility and had nothing to do
with Church reform.
9. Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther is an example of
a. the anarchist movement
b. socialism
c. early liberalism
d. nationalism
e. the Sturm und Drang movement
- ------------ANS: E. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther
(1774) is an example of the German Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) movement
of the late eighteenth century. Its glorification of the "inner experience" of the
sensitive individual was a forerunner of nineteenth-century Romanticism. Choice A is
incorrect because, although both Goethe's Sorrows and anarchism share a
romanticized view of preindustrial society, the anarchist movement was dedicated to
the eradication of the modern nation state, a theme that is not present in Sorrows.
Choice B is incorrect because socialists were more concerned with designing a
harmonious and equitable society than with the inner life and sentimentality. Choice
C is incorrect because the early liberals emphasized the reform of society based on
reason, not sentiment and emotion. Choice D is incorrect because, although Sorrows
emphasized the power of environment to shape the individual, it did not emphasize
the shared cultural identity of nations.
10. Hobbes and Locke DISAGREED in their belief that
a.men are created equal
