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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Henry Adams' father's political party have to do to gain power?

2. What does Henry Adams begin to think about all politicians in "Political Morality"?

3. In "Washington", how does Henry Adams describe the South?

4. How long did the Adams go to Italy for?

5. When Henry Adams returns to the United States in "Chaos", what does he discover about his articles?

Short Essay Questions

1. What fault does Henry Adams find with Pascal's "Ennui"?

2. At the end of "Political Morality", why is Henry Adams left confused about Russell and Palmerston?

3. How does Henry Adams teach his classes at Harvard and why?

4. In "Twilight", what makes Henry Adams feel that his generation seems to be ending?

5. What does Henry Adams say about governments and education at the end of "The Height of Knowledge"?

6. In "The Grammar of Science", why does Henry Adams explore varying scientific views and what is the result?

7. How does Henry Adams' family talk him out of joining the Army?

8. Why does Henry Adams feel his education went backwards in England and Germany?

9. What are the four main influences Henry Adams describes in the first chapter, "Quincy"?

10. What is Hay's role in the Spanish-American war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Henry Adams often reflected on the influence of religion. How did religion influenced Henry Adams throughout his life? How did religion help form his ideas of life and how did religion impact the development of his theories? How does Henry Adams describe religion throughout the various centuries? How did these descriptions influence Adams' ideas?

Essay Topic 2

What advancements did Henry Adams witness that helped him define acceleration? How did acceleration affect his world and what predictions did Adams make for the future?

Essay Topic 3

Henry Adams' Dynamic Theory of History was his most complete theory. How does the Dynamic Theory of History encompass all of Adams' ideas? What ideas in the Dynamic Theory of History seem contradictory with Adams' ideas? Trace how Adams' life experiences influenced the creation of this theory. What made the Dynamic Theory of History applicable to life and what made it unrealistic?

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