Renaissance - General

Multiple choice questions. Choose the best answer.
  1. Martin Luther's "95 theses" helped start the Reformation by

    a) criticizing Hanseatic merchants and their "worship" of trade.
    b) criticizing "immoral" poetry and painting.
    c) criticizing the church and sale of indulgences.
    d) criticizing the Emperor of Bohemia and religious persecution.


  2. The word "renaissance" means

    a) loyalty to the regent or king.
    b) political revolution.
    c) religious teaching.
    d) rebirth.


  3. The earliest known explorers of North America were the

    a) Spanish.
    b) Vikings.
    c) French.
    d) English.


  4. What motivated Portuguese exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries?

    a) the search for gold and spices
    b) the conversion of peoples to the Islamic religion
    c) the discovery of sea routes to Norh America
    d) the conquest of Constantinople


  5. Columbus and his fellow explorers were primarily motivated by

    a) the desire to discover a route to India.
    b) the desire to convert Native Americans to Christianity.
    c) Spain's desire to control the New World.
    d) Spain's desire to control sea routes to the Mediterranean.


  6. Which nation considered itself to be the international defender of Catholicism?

    a) Italy
    b) France
    c) Spain
    d) England


  7. Which statement about the Spanish Armada is FALSE?

    a) It was the beginning of a long war with England.
    b) It failed in its objective.
    c) Phillip II was unable to reimpose unity on western Europe.
    d) Spain strengthened its control over the Netherlands.


  8. In the Thirty Years' War, France supported

    a) the German Catholics.
    b) the German Protestants.
    c) Spain and the Netherlands against Germany.
    d) the Holy Roman Emperor.


  9. The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily

    a) on German soil.
    b) in France.
    c) in Spain.
    d) in England.


  10. The Treaty of Westphalia which ended the Thirty Years' War

    a) strengthened the Holy Roman Empire as a nation state.
    b) undermined the Holy Roman Empire as a nation state.
    c) legalized Catholicism and Lutherism as European religions.
    d) opposed independence for the United Provinces of the Netherlands.


  11. A popular art style in late 18th century Europe was called

    a) Elizabethan.
    b) Jacobean.
    c) skepticism.
    d) Baroque.


  12. In 1525, William Tynedale from England

    a) published the first English language version of the Bible.
    b) built the first steel girder bridge across the Mersey River.
    c) commanded an English fleet against the Spanish Armada.
    d) founded the Jamestown colony in Virginia.


  13. In 1534, the Act of Supremacy

    a) confirmed Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.
    b) confirmed the Pope as head of the Church of England.
    c) confirmed the King of England as a "divine sovereign".
    d) confirmed Martin Luther as head of the Catholic Church.

Answer key 1. c 6. c 11. d 16. 21.
2. d 7. d 12. a 17.
3. b 8. b 13. a 18.
4. a 9. a 14. 19.
5. a 10. b 15. 20.

Compiling such a data bank is an ongoing process. Comments and contributions are appreciated by those persons who use this resource.

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