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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. According to Chesterton, what is too big an undertaking for a book even of a larger scope?
(a) Proving the Christianity is true.
(b) Explaining the intricacies of Christianity.
(c) Proving from every angle that any one faith is true.
(d) Proving that materialism is an insufficient worldview.

2. What does Chesterton say is losing its authority in the modern mind?
(a) Argumentation.
(b) Scientific absolutes.
(c) First principles.
(d) Religion.

3. How does today's skeptic compare to the skeptic of the French Revolution, according to Chesterton?
(a) Today's skeptic is a true revolutionary.
(b) Today's skeptic is not nearly so violent.
(c) Today's skeptic is not a Jacobin.
(d) Today's skeptic cannot even define what he trusts.

4. As Chesterton explains the origin of the word, the moon is the mother of which group of people?
(a) Lunatics.
(b) Believers.
(c) Priests.
(d) Atheists.

5. According to Chesterton, at the beginning of Chapter Two, what happens to the men who believe in themselves?
(a) They are never properly appreciated.
(b) They have difficulty maintaining that belief.
(c) They end up in insane asylums.
(d) They achieve far more than other men do.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Chesterton assert that tall towers are an example of humility?

2. What happened as Chesterton put the final touches onto the heresy he had created?

3. As the determinist is confronted with the problem of sin, what does Chesterton say that he believes in?

4. What does Chesterton not mean by the word "orthodoxy"?

5. Why does Chesterton admire Joan of Arc?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. Chapter II, The Maniac, begins with the idea that man believing in himself is a weakness. Chesterton asserts this in the face of modern thinking, which says believing in oneself is the strongest way to live. What reasons does Chesterton give for asserting this statement?

3. Chesterton explains that a madman's mind moves in a small, perfect circle. What does he mean with this picture? How does it relate to the movements of a sane man's mind?

4. In Chapter III, The Suicide of Thought, what is Chesterton's opinion of the skeptic? Why does the skeptic not have the right to speak out against anything? Why, contrarily, is he always speaking out against things?

5. Materialistic fatalism has been credited with being merciful, though Chesterton says this is far from the truth. Why can fatalism not be merciful?

6. The only authority for Chesterton's argument is the Apostles' Creed. Is this more or less effective than appealing to the Bible as the sole authority?

7. 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?

8. What does Chesterton say is the spirit of the law in fairy land? Why is this not inconsistent?

9. In Chapter I, Introduction in Defense of Everything Else, Chesterton states that the book is written from his own experiences rather than as the result of research and labor. What expectations does this set up or destroy for the reader?

10. Chesterton assumes that he and his reader will share the common ground of agreeing that an interesting, active life is preferable to simple existence. Is this a fair starting point? Why or why not?

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