(^238) › STEP 5. Build Your Test-Taking Confidence
Section I, Part B: Short-Answer Questions
Questions
Strategies
Remember the strategies discussed in Chapter 5 for
the short-answer questions:
Step 1. Compose a topic sentence that responds to
the question and gives you something specific to sup-
port and illustrate.
Step 2. Support and illustrate the assertion in the
topic sentence with specific examples.
Question 1
In history, science and society are intertwined.
a) A good response will provide one factor that con-
tributed to the development of the Scientific
Revolution AND an explanation of how it contrib-
uted to the development of the Scientific Revolution,
such as:
- enaissanceR humanists who sought out classical
Greek and Roman texts discovered variations in
translations, as well as works by other thinkers
who contradicted classical philosophers such as
Aristotle. Attempts to reconcile these contradic-
tions led to more systematic methods of inquiry.
It also resulted in a shift in thinking from the
spiritual world to the natural world, as well as an
emphasis on observation and logical inquiry. - The “Age of Discovery” and the concomitant
commercial revolution also fueled the Scientific
Revolution. Better understanding of astronomy
for navigational purposes, as well as the need for
careful and accurate design and measurement in
ship design, all spurred scientific discovery. - enaissanceR artists emphasized realism in the
natural world and sought to study its workings so
as to portray the world more accurately. This led
to the study of geometry (for perspective), as well
as botany, biology, and anatomy. Many artists also
applied their ideas to technology.
b) A good response will identify ONE major figure
in the Scientific Revolution, as well as explain how
he or she challenged a traditional theory about the
world, such as:
- Copernicus or Galileo who both were instrumental
in developing (Copernicus) and proving (Galileo)
heliocentric theory, which challenged the tradi-
tional geocentric view of the world articulated by
Ptolemy and supported by the Catholic Church.- W illiam Harvey or Andreas Vesalius, both of
whom challenged Galen’s traditional humoral
views of human anatomy and physiology. William
Harvey demonstrated that blood circulates around
the body via the heart, that there is only one cir-
culatory system (not two, as Galen hypothesized).
Vesalius studied human anatomy by actually dis-
secting bodies to observe their structures firsthand. - irS Isaac Newton, in his book Principia, changed
understanding of astronomy by providing a new
framework for understanding planetary motion,
including the law of gravitation. This challenged
traditional thought by demonstrating that the
natural world has universal laws which govern its
behavior, like those of a giant machine.
c) A good response will identify ONE way in which the
Scientific Revolution affected political thought, such as:
- W illiam Harvey or Andreas Vesalius, both of
- nlightenmentE philosophers sought to apply simi-
lar methods of rationalism, reason, and empiricism
to determine the “natural laws” of human behav-
ior and society, including the “natural” form of
government. For example John Locke, in his Two
Treatises of Government, used logic to determine
that men are capable of cooperating to form
governments, and that those are created with the
consent of the governed. Montesquieu used the
scientific method to identify perfect conditions
for different types of governments (republics for
small states, etc.). He determined that separation
of powers into three branches provided the ideal
way to prevent concentration of power. - tilitarians,U such as John Stuart Mill or Jeremy
Bentham, attempted to use empiricism to quan-
tify ethics in political and social policy. They
advocated that policies be evaluated based on their
results, and that the best were those that effected
the greatest good for the greatest number. - emaleF philosophers in the Enlightenment, espe-
cially Mary Wollstonecraft, used logic and reason
to argue for political equality for women. She
used reason and logic to compare arbitrary sys-
tems of domination of some groups over others,
like slavery or monarchy, to the arbitrary political
subordination of women.
Question 2
Historians have frequently compared the French
Revolution (1789–1799) and the Russian Revolution
(1917–1924), arguing that they are fundamentally similar.
a) A good response will identify how TWO pieces of
evidence support the argument that the French and
Russian Revolutions were similar, such as:
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