Enlightenment and Reason

1. What was the Enlightenment? Answer: A time when people focused on reason, science,
and rights.
2. How did Isaac Newton influence the Enlightenment? Answer: He showed the world
could be understood using science and reason.
3. What is humanism? Answer: The idea that people can solve problems with logic.
4. What was the purpose of the Encyclopédie? Answer: To spread knowledge and challenge
old beliefs.
5. What is divine revelation, and why was it criticized? Answer: It's the belief that
knowledge comes from God; Enlightenment thinkers preferred reason.
6. How was reason used in the Enlightenment? Answer: To understand the world through
experiments and facts.
7. Why did Voltaire reject belief in vampires? Answer: Because it was based on
superstition, not reason.

Rousseau’s Views

8. What right did Rousseau believe all people have? Answer: Freedom and equality.
9. How did Rousseau view people and government? Answer: People are free, but society
makes them unequal. Government should protect rights.
10. What is Rousseau’s "social contract"? Answer: An agreement where people follow rules
to protect their rights.
11. What did Rousseau mean by "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains"?
Answer: People are born free but become limited by society.
12. Why did Rousseau support a republic? Answer: Because people have control and rights
are protected.

Enlightenment and Society

13. What did the Enlightenment say about progress? Answer: That people can improve life
using science and reason.
14. Who were key Enlightenment thinkers? Answer: Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot.
15. Why did Europeans think they were advanced? Answer: Because of their science and
culture.
16. What does Eurocentric mean? Answer: Believing European culture is better than others.
17. How did Eurocentric ideas support colonization? Answer: Europeans thought they were
helping less advanced people.

Critical Thinking

18. Why did the Catholic Church oppose Enlightenment ideas? Answer: They challenged the
Church’s authority.
 19. How was reason different from superstition? Answer: Reason uses facts; superstition uses
myths.
20. What did Enlightenment thinkers criticize? Answer: Inequality, power abuse, and Church
control.
21. How did Enlightenment ideas cause social change? Answer: They led to reforms and
democracy.
22. Are Rousseau’s ideas still important? Answer: Yes, in modern democracy.

The Enlightenment and Science

23. What was the core idea of the Enlightenment? Answer: Use reason and science for better
life.
24. How did the Enlightenment change science? Answer: It used evidence and experiments.
25. Why did thinkers reject old beliefs? Answer: They were not based on logic.
26. What did Voltaire criticize? Answer: Religious intolerance and no freedom of speech.
27. Who was Denis Diderot? Answer: Editor of Encyclopédie to spread ideas.
28. What was the Church’s main criticism? Answer: It focused on God’s word, not reason.

Rousseau’s Ideas Continued

29. What is "the general will"? Answer: The common good of all people.
30. What was Rousseau’s idea of the social contract? Answer: People agree to rules to
protect rights.
31. What did Rousseau say about inequality? Answer: Society causes it; people are naturally
equal.
32. What did Rousseau think about property? Answer: It creates inequality and problems.

Civilization and Progress

33. What is civilization? Answer: A developed society with culture, technology, and laws.
34. What does progress mean? Answer: Improving life through science and ideas.

Technological Advancement

35. What are some examples of technology growth? Answer: Steam engines, machines, and
tools.
36. How did technology help society? Answer: It made work faster and easier.

Advances in Medicine

37. How did medicine improve? Answer: New vaccines and

knowledge about diseases.

Advances in Manufacturing
 38. What happened in manufacturing? Answer: Machines replaced
handwork, making goods faster.

The Industrial Revolution

39. What was the Industrial Revolution? Answer: A time when machines changed work and
life.
40. Where did it start? Answer: In Britain.
41. How did it change work? Answer: People worked in factories, not homes.

Living and Working Conditions

42. How were conditions in cities? Answer: Crowded, dirty, and hard.
43. What was factory life like? Answer: Long hours, low pay, dangerous.

The Age of Revolution

44. What is meant by the age of revolution? Answer: A time of big

political changes.

The American Revolution

45. Why did American colonies rebel? Answer: They wanted freedom from British control.
46. What ideas inspired them? Answer: Rights and self-rule.

The French Revolution

47. Why did the French people revolt? Answer: Against unfair taxes and inequality.
48. What were its effects? Answer: Ended monarchy, started new rights.

Ideas That Shaped the Modern World

49. What is republicanism? Answer: A government where people elect leaders.

50. What is liberalism? Answer: The belief in freedom and individual rights.
51. What is nationalism? Answer: Pride and loyalty to one’s country.

Republicanism and Republics

52. What is the American Republic? Answer: A government where Americans elect leaders.
53. What is the First French Republic? Answer: A new French government after the king was
removed.

Enlightenment Thinkers and their Works

54. Who edited the Encyclopédie? Answer: Denis Diderot.

55. What did John Locke believe? Answer: People have natural rights.
 56. What did Voltaire support? Answer: Freedom of speech and religion.
57. What did Montesquieu say about government? Answer: It should have separate powers.
58. How did Enlightenment change education? Answer: More schools based on science and
reason.

Impact on Modern Society

59. Why are Rousseau’s ideas still used? Answer: They help build fair governments.
60. How did Enlightenment lead to democracy? Answer: It promoted rights and fairness.
61. How did it challenge religion? Answer: By promoting reason over belief.
62. Why was reason important? Answer: It helped solve problems logically.
63. What did Enlightenment thinkers believe about people? Answer: That people could think
and improve life.

Key Terms to Know

64. What is the "divine right of kings"? Answer: The idea that kings rule by God’s will.
65. What is a "republic"? Answer: A government where people vote for leaders.
66. What is "humanism"? Answer: Belief in solving problems using reason.
67. What is the "Enlightenment"? Answer: A time of reason, science, and new ideas.
68. What is "Eurocentric thinking"? Answer: Thinking European culture is better than others.