Science and Technology

Help Questions

AP European History › Science and Technology

Questions 1 - 10
1

The first reliable mercury thermometer was invented by __________.

Gabriel Fahrenheit

Anders Celsius

Lord Kelvin

Francis Bacon

Isaac Newton

Explanation

The first reliable mercury thermometer was invented by the German scientist Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1714. The scale used to measure temperature was later altered by the Swedish scientist Anders Celsius, who set the freezing point of water at zero and the boiling point at one hundred and created the Celsius temperature measurement system. Lord Kelvin is famous for inventing the Kelvin scale that sets its zero point at absolute zero, the lowest possible temperature attainable before matter becomes completely motionless and devoid of energy.

2

The discovery that the planets move in elliptical orbits is attributed to __________.

Johannes Kepler

Galileo

Nicholas Copernicus

Tycho Brahe

Isaac Newton

Explanation

All of these people made notable contributions to mankind’s understanding of the nature of the solar system and the universe, but the discovery that planets move in elliptical orbits, as opposed to perfect circles as was initially believed, was made by Johannes Kepler in the seventeenth century.

3

For which of the following inventions or theories is Francis Bacon responsible?

An early formulation of the Scientific Method

The Theory of Heliocentricity

The Invention of Calculus

The Invention of Physics

Explanation

Sir Francis Bacon is the man who pioneered the scientific method. It was meant to serve as a pathway for all scientists to objectively observe, and theorize reasons for, natural phenomena in the world.

4

What was one major consequence of the advent of the printing press?

The proliferation of printed Bibles

The start of the Thirty Years' War

An insurrection against the Pope in Rome

The Papal Schism

A widespread decline in the number of clergymen

Explanation

The introduction of the printing press into European societies around 1440 CE allowed for the publication and proliferation of Bibles and other works of religious literature. While the other answers refer to events (very) roughly contemporaneous with the advent of the printing press, none can logically be considered consequences of it.

5

CERN is __________.

a pan-European scientific organization and center of research

a treaty designed to ensure the continued sovereignty of all the independent nations of Europe

a pan-European economic organization designed to prevent rampant inflation or stagflation

a treaty designed to integrate the countries of the former Soviet Union into the European Union

a pan-European military organization designed to provide for the mutual defense of all the European nations against external aggressors

Explanation

CERN was established 1954 on the border between Switzerland and France. It is a pan-European cooperative venture designed to encourage scientific innovation and a pooling of research and resources. It is currently the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and is also where the World Wide Web was implemented.

6

Robert Boyle is primarily known for his innovations in the field of __________.

chemistry

biology

mathematics

astronomy

alchemy

Explanation

Robert Boyle was an Irish chemist who lived during the seventeenth century. He is most widely known for his innovations in the field of chemistry, particularly Boyle’s Law—an equation conveying the inverse relationship between pressure and volume of gas.

7

Which country can be credited with starting the Industrial Revolution?

Great Britain

France

Italy

Spain

Germany

Explanation

Britain had a number of environmental factors which put them in the lead over other nations when it came to industrializing. The island of Great Britain had large reserves of coal for fuel burning that was easily accessible. The British government also exerted extreme control over its populace, leading to large-scale industrial and manufacturing operations. Thirdly, Britain was a small country in comparison to most in Western Europe, and its small but relatively wealthy population helped facilitate industrial modernization.

8

What is the name of the machine used during the Reign of Terror to behead prisoners?

Guillotine

The Breaking Wheel

Fallbeil

Headsman's Axe

Explanation

The Guillotine was the machine used to behead the people of France who were put to death during the French Revolution. The Guillotine remained the primary method of execution in France until 1981 when Capital Punishment was abolished in France. The other methods listed here were used, but not in France.

9

As the center of trade between Europe and Asia, __________ spread Middle Eastern and Chinese technology, mathematics, and philosophy in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

the Italian city-states

the Iberian Peninsula

the Netherlands

the Ottoman Empire

the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Explanation

During the fourteenth and fifteenth century the Italian city-states (Florence, Milan, Pisa, Venice, Genoa, et al.) were the center of trade between Europe and Asia. As the volume of trade grew so too did the interaction between people of various cultures. Middle Eastern mathematics and technology were introduced into European society, as was eastern philosophy.

10

Innovations in the understanding of magnetism during the Scientific Revolution made __________ easier and far more reliable.

navigation

manufacturing

agriculture

cartography

geometry

Explanation

In 1600, William Gilbert published his groundbreaking work on magnetism, specifically in regard to the magnetic nature of the Earth’s atmosphere. This made navigation and the use of compasses far easier and more reliable and allowed European explorers and traders to push further afield and to have much greater faith in the security of their journeys.

Page 1 of 3
Return to subject