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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 is the first right of a sovereign power?

2. What does Hobbes say about controlling thoughts?

3. What does Hobbes call reasoning with oneself?

4. What, left uncontrolled, does Hobbes say can lead to misery and unhappiness?

5. What can the commonwealth do to check bad behavior of its citizens?

Short Essay Questions

1. Give Hobbes' idea about how much a country needs individuals.

2. Relate Hobbes' examples of a contract or a covenant.

3. How does Hobbes extol the idea of the commonwealth?

4. How does Hobbes say a person can increase intellectual virtue?

5. What is Hobbes' definition of author?

6. How does Hobbes describe a despotic dominion?

7. What is Hobbes idea of people being created equal?

8. How does Hobbes define the origins of religion?

9. Describe briefly Hobbes' contract of a commonwealth.

10. What does Hobbes say about having an aversion to something people know nothing about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write your opinion about the religious content of LEVIATHAN. Tell in detail whether you found those parts of the book something you agree with, find objectionable, or simply boring. Cite passages from the book to illustrate your points.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about Hobbes' obvious preference for a monarchy but lumps all types of sovereignty together in his book. In this essay discuss Hobbes as either a consummate diplomat or a political opportunist. This is not verifiable historically and will be your opinion only after reading his book.

Essay Topic 3

Obliquely in the book, Hobbes seems to be defending the English monarchy. Write a paper pointing out how the religious part of the book might also have been a defense of the Church of England. Describing some of the facts about the origins of the Church of England, how do the part of the book attacking the Catholic church fit into that picture?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 775 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample