AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
UNIT 3 PRACTICE TEST
Absolutism and Constitutionalism, c. 1648 to c. 1815
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
1. Which treaty, signed in 1648, is generally considered the starting point for this unit's exploration of state
sovereignty?
A) The Treaty of Tordesillas
B) The Peace of Westphalia
C) The Peace of Utrecht
D) The Edict of Nantes
E) The Treaty of Versailles
2. Which of the following best defines “absolutism” as practiced in this period?
A) A system in which power is limited by law and shared with representative bodies
B) A system of government in which a monarch holds nearly total, unchecked control over the state, often
justified by divine right
C) A system in which merchants hold all political power
D) A system with no central government of any kind
E) A system in which the Catholic Church directly rules the state
3. “Divine right,” the theory used to justify absolutist rule, holds that:
A) Monarchs derive their authority directly from God and are answerable only to God
B) Monarchs are elected by popular vote
C) Monarchs must seek approval from the Pope for every decision
D) All citizens have an equal claim to rule
E) Monarchical power comes from military conquest alone
4. Louis XIV's decision to move the French royal court to the Palace of Versailles is most often cited by historians as an
example of:
A) A purely aesthetic decision with no political purpose
B) A strategy to keep the nobility distracted, financially dependent, and under close observation, weakening their
independent political power
C) An attempt to grant the nobility greater independent political authority
D) A constitutional reform limiting the monarch's own power
E) A response to a direct foreign military invasion of Paris
, 5. Louis XIV's finance minister, who supported mercantilist policy and worked to make France economically self-
sufficient, was:
A) Cardinal Richelieu
B) Jean-Baptiste Colbert
C) Oliver Cromwell
D) William of Orange
E) Peter the Great
6. Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes, replacing it with the Edict of Fontainebleau, most directly resulted in:
A) An increase in religious toleration throughout France
B) Many Huguenots fleeing France, depriving the country of valuable skilled labor
C) The conversion of Louis XIV to Protestantism
D) A peaceful alliance with the Dutch Republic
E) The abolition of the French monarchy
7. Peter the Great of Russia is most closely associated with which of the following policies?
A) Isolating Russia entirely from Western European influence
B) A program of Westernization, importing Western manufacturing techniques, military organization, and
customs
C) Abolishing the Russian monarchy
D) Adopting English-style constitutionalism
E) Converting Russia to Catholicism
8. The conflict between King Charles I and Parliament over the limits of royal authority ultimately led to which
outcome?
A) Charles I peacefully abdicated the throne
B) Civil war, followed by Charles I's trial and execution in 1649
C) An immediate and permanent absolute monarchy in England
D) No lasting change to the English government
E) The immediate unification of England and France
9. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 resulted in which of the following?
A) The restoration of unchecked absolute monarchy in England
B) The relatively bloodless removal of James II and the installation of William and Mary, permanently securing
Parliament's supremacy
C) The abolition of the English monarchy entirely
D) A war between England and Russia
E) The union of England with the Ottoman Empire
10. The English Bill of Rights (1689), which followed the Glorious Revolution, accomplished which of the following?
A) Granted the monarch unlimited power over taxation
B) Formally limited the monarch's power, requiring parliamentary consent for taxation and a standing army
C) Abolished Parliament
D) Established Catholicism as England's official religion
E) Had no lasting effect on English government
11. Which of the following best describes the political structure of the Dutch Republic during its “Golden Age”?
A) An absolute monarchy modeled directly on France
UNIT 3 PRACTICE TEST
Absolutism and Constitutionalism, c. 1648 to c. 1815
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
1. Which treaty, signed in 1648, is generally considered the starting point for this unit's exploration of state
sovereignty?
A) The Treaty of Tordesillas
B) The Peace of Westphalia
C) The Peace of Utrecht
D) The Edict of Nantes
E) The Treaty of Versailles
2. Which of the following best defines “absolutism” as practiced in this period?
A) A system in which power is limited by law and shared with representative bodies
B) A system of government in which a monarch holds nearly total, unchecked control over the state, often
justified by divine right
C) A system in which merchants hold all political power
D) A system with no central government of any kind
E) A system in which the Catholic Church directly rules the state
3. “Divine right,” the theory used to justify absolutist rule, holds that:
A) Monarchs derive their authority directly from God and are answerable only to God
B) Monarchs are elected by popular vote
C) Monarchs must seek approval from the Pope for every decision
D) All citizens have an equal claim to rule
E) Monarchical power comes from military conquest alone
4. Louis XIV's decision to move the French royal court to the Palace of Versailles is most often cited by historians as an
example of:
A) A purely aesthetic decision with no political purpose
B) A strategy to keep the nobility distracted, financially dependent, and under close observation, weakening their
independent political power
C) An attempt to grant the nobility greater independent political authority
D) A constitutional reform limiting the monarch's own power
E) A response to a direct foreign military invasion of Paris
, 5. Louis XIV's finance minister, who supported mercantilist policy and worked to make France economically self-
sufficient, was:
A) Cardinal Richelieu
B) Jean-Baptiste Colbert
C) Oliver Cromwell
D) William of Orange
E) Peter the Great
6. Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes, replacing it with the Edict of Fontainebleau, most directly resulted in:
A) An increase in religious toleration throughout France
B) Many Huguenots fleeing France, depriving the country of valuable skilled labor
C) The conversion of Louis XIV to Protestantism
D) A peaceful alliance with the Dutch Republic
E) The abolition of the French monarchy
7. Peter the Great of Russia is most closely associated with which of the following policies?
A) Isolating Russia entirely from Western European influence
B) A program of Westernization, importing Western manufacturing techniques, military organization, and
customs
C) Abolishing the Russian monarchy
D) Adopting English-style constitutionalism
E) Converting Russia to Catholicism
8. The conflict between King Charles I and Parliament over the limits of royal authority ultimately led to which
outcome?
A) Charles I peacefully abdicated the throne
B) Civil war, followed by Charles I's trial and execution in 1649
C) An immediate and permanent absolute monarchy in England
D) No lasting change to the English government
E) The immediate unification of England and France
9. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 resulted in which of the following?
A) The restoration of unchecked absolute monarchy in England
B) The relatively bloodless removal of James II and the installation of William and Mary, permanently securing
Parliament's supremacy
C) The abolition of the English monarchy entirely
D) A war between England and Russia
E) The union of England with the Ottoman Empire
10. The English Bill of Rights (1689), which followed the Glorious Revolution, accomplished which of the following?
A) Granted the monarch unlimited power over taxation
B) Formally limited the monarch's power, requiring parliamentary consent for taxation and a standing army
C) Abolished Parliament
D) Established Catholicism as England's official religion
E) Had no lasting effect on English government
11. Which of the following best describes the political structure of the Dutch Republic during its “Golden Age”?
A) An absolute monarchy modeled directly on France
