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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 are some Biblical books Hobbes says are written about certain people and not written by them?

2. What does Hobbes mean when he says something must be strange and uncommon so people can believe it is the true work of God?

3. What is the one exception to a defense of not knowing the law?

4. Why does Hobbes suggest popular figures could be a danger to the commonwealth?

5. What causes the people of a nation to become very angry and pass on their anger to their children?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Hobbes' position on religious statues and icons?

2. What power does the sovereign have over the church according to Hobbes?

3. What does Hobbes say happens to one who does not believe in God?

4. How does Hobbes define a prophet?

5. What does Hobbes have to say about the desire for absolute power?

6. What does Hobbes conclude about the Scriptures?

7. How does Hobbes define a church?

8. What does Hobbes have to say about sin and crime?

9. What complication does Hobbes see in obeying the sovereign and God at the same time?

10. Briefly describe Hobbes' idea of punishment.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Write a critique of LEVIATHAN. In this paper give a brief synopsis, the parts you found most interesting, and the parts (if any) you found objectionable. Conclude with your recommendation on whether it is a good read for those who are interested in political philosophy.

Essay Topic 3

In the Bible, the leviathan was generally spoken of as some kind of fearsome creature. Write a paper stating your opinion of Hobbes' idea of the leviathan and whether the resulting creature (his commonwealth) was somehow frightening.

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