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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. What happened as Chesterton put the final touches onto the heresy he had created?
(a) He found that the heresy was paganism.
(b) He found that he no longer believed it.
(c) He found that the heresy was untenable.
(d) He found that it was orthodoxy.

2. What document does Chesterton refer to by the word "orthodoxy"?
(a) The Disciples' Creed.
(b) The Athanasian Creed.
(c) The Apostles' Creed.
(d) The Nicene Creed.

3. Chesterton boils democracy down to one ideal. What is this?
(a) Individual beliefs take precedence over societal concerns.
(b) Man's ability to rule himself extends only to the limit that he does not violate cultural mores.
(c) The most important things must be done by individuals.
(d) Only a man can rule himself.

4. Why, earlier in Chapter One, does Chesterton tell the story of the sailor?
(a) He is that sailor.
(b) To explain his picture of God.
(c) To illustrate his idea of wonder.
(d) The sailor will appear throughout the book.

5. At the beginning of Chapter III, The Suicide of Thought, why does Chesterton say that the modern world is too good?
(a) It deals well with evil.
(b) It is full of wasted virtues.
(c) It has little conception of vice.
(d) Its ethics are better than they used to be.

Short Answer Questions

1. In the middle of Chapter One, why does Chesterton say this book is a joke on him?

2. According to Chesterton, what is too big an undertaking for a book even of a larger scope?

3. According to Chesterton, at the beginning of Chapter Two, what happens to the men who believe in themselves?

4. What does Chesterton say is losing its authority in the modern mind?

5. According to Chesterton, who is the only person to whom a modern realistic novel would not be boring?

Short Essay Questions

1. The second problem with modern thought is that it is intellectually weak and helpless. What does Chesterton mean by this idea? How is it manifested in everyday life, much less intellectual circles?

2. "But it is a much more massive and important fact that he [the materialist] is not free to raise, to curse, the thank, to justify, to urge, the punish, to resist temptation, to incite mobs, to make New Year resolutions, to pardon sinners, to rebuke tyrants, or even to say 'thank you' for the mustard" (Chesterton 2000, pg 185). What is the context for this statement? Does it logically follow from Chesterton's argument?

3. In Chapter I, Introduction in Defense of Everything Else, Chesterton states that he hates the defense of something that cannot be proved or disproved. How is this important for the rest of the book?

4. The author says people can justly call him a fool because he is a fool. What does this reveal about the man himself? How does this set up expectations for the rest of the book?

5. Humility is chiefly understood chiefly as a restraint on a man's arrogance and boasting. What is Chesterton's argument concerning humility? What example does he give to illustrate a humble view of the world?

6. Poetry is the only thing that keeps a man sane, while reason drives him insane. How does Chesterton support this argument, and is it plausible?

7. According to Chesterton, the complete skeptic knows that he cannot think anything. How does this differ from the young skeptic? How does the complete skeptic show a true awareness of where he is?

8. What does a pragmatist believe and how does he compare to a determinist? What is Chesterton's opinion of pragmatism? How is pragmatism fundamentally separated from the truth?

9. What is "the false theory of progress" (Chesterton 2000, pg 196)? What implications does it have for daily life?

10. Chesterton ends Chapter II, The Maniac, with a look at the true skeptic. What picture does this man present? How does he relate to the man at the beginning of the chapter, the man who believed in himself?

(see the answer keys)

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