AP European History : Secularization of Learning

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP European History

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Example Questions

Example Question #71 : 1500 C.E. To 1900 C.E.

Secularism, which emerged during the Renaissance period, is the belief that __________.

Possible Answers:

art and artistic pursuits are the highest achievements and goals of mankind

political and religious life ought to be separated

common language is the root of nationality

political power is for the immoral and amoral

None of the other answers is correct.

Correct answer:

political and religious life ought to be separated

Explanation:

Secularism emerged as a political and social philosophy in the Renaissance period of European history and grew in influence during the Enlightenment and Industrial eras. It advocates primarily for the separation of the political and the religious (for example, no laws based on religious codes, etc.). It also contends that life on Earth is "more important" than the afterlife and that all religious beliefs should be tolerated, although these tenets of secularism were added by degrees as the centuries went by.

Example Question #12 : Secularization Of Learning

This philosophy was centered around the study of classical writings and emphasized the inherent potential of human-beings. 

Possible Answers:

Classicism

Socialism

Calvinism

Dogmatism

Humanism

Correct answer:

Humanism

Explanation:

Humanism arose in the early part of the Renaissance period. It was based on the study of classical writings, and the early humanists revered the Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato. Humanism emphasized the inherent ability of people to reason, to think critically, and to examine phenomena via evidence.

Example Question #41 : Ap European History

This French philosopher is sometimes referred to as the founder of modern Western philosophy due to his development of the methodic doubt, a systematic process of doubting the veracity of one's own beliefs.

Possible Answers:

Henri Bergson

Nicolas Malebranche

August Comte

René Descartes

Peter Abelard

Correct answer:

René Descartes

Explanation:

Another name for methodic doubt is Cartesian doubt. Rene Descartes was among the most influential philosophers of the 17th century, as evidenced by the use of a variation on his name as a, not uncommon, adjective.

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