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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When was the magnetic compass invented?
(a) 10th century.
(b) 17th century.
(c) 12th century.
(d) 15th century.

2. What was the name of the Portugese ship described in Chapter 2: The Sea Before Time that ran into a Spanish fleet?
(a) Madre de Deus.
(b) Centurion.
(c) Eagle.
(d) Romney.

3. In the Whiston-Ditton proposal, what did they hope to be exempt from?
(a) Espionage.
(b) Acts of piracy.
(c) War.
(d) Taxes.

4. Where did Newton believe the answer to the longitude problem lie?
(a) An astronomical solution.
(b) A sound and light solution.
(c) The wounded dog theory.
(d) A clock based solution.

5. What was Flamsteed's reaction to his maps being seized?
(a) He burned most of his maps.
(b) He was so frustrated he gave up the quest to solve longitude.
(c) He made incorrect copies and gave those to the British government.
(d) He angrily turned them all over to Newton.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Humphrey Ditton propose to use to solve the longitude problem?

2. How is the fog described at the beginning of Chapter 2: The Sea Before Time?

3. Who came up with a way to draw longitude meridians on the night sky?

4. Before using clocks to navigate longitude, sailors used the __________.

5. What advantage did the magnetic variation method have over astronomical approaches at determining longitude?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the story of Sir Clowdisley included in Chapter 2: The Sea Before Time?

2. What were the economic consequences of not knowing longitude?

3. What did the Longitude Act establish?

4. What was the Longitude Act of 1714?

5. Describe the legend of how Galileo came up with the idea of the pendulum clock.

6. Compare Newton's thoughts about the solution of the longitude problem at the beginning of Chapter 6: The Prize to his thoughts at the end of the chapter.

7. What is the main difference, as identified in Chapter 1, between latitude and longitude?

8. In 1530, Flemish astronomer Gemma Frisiusm wrote that the clocks of his day "provided no problem to those who traveled." In reality, what were the problems with clocks of his day for travel?

9. What was the result of Hooke and Huygens not producing a successful clock that worked at sea?

10. What two advances did Thacker's chronometer make? Why did it still not work?

(see the answer keys)

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