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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 does evolution destroy, according to Chesterton?

2. Who is Mr. Blatchford?

3. What does Chesterton name as the second principle of democracy?

4. What does Chesterton name as the chief pleasure?

5. Why does Chesterton not claim this new-found philosophy as his own?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. "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?

7. 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?

8. In Chapter IV, The Ethics of Elfland, what does Chesterton give as the first two principles of democracy? How does he convey a sense of wonder even in these principles?

9. In the example of the explorer who only discovers his own land, Chesterton says that his first emotion might be foolishness. This should not be the sole emotion, though. Why does Chesterton name foolishness as the first emotion and how might this fit the religious explorer?

10. Chesterton says that a perfect view of the world combines a searching mind with the feeling of being welcomed. What does this mean? How does it relate to Christianity?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

According to Chesterton, what happens when men deny their inherent sinfulness? What are the philosophical and theological repercussions? How does this belief separate men from each other?

Essay Topic 2

What is the mindset of the madman? How does it differ from a sane man and how is it similar to a materialist? What is Chesterton's answer to this mindset? Does this answer take into account all aspects of the mindset?

Essay Topic 3

What reasons does Chesterton give for saying that fairy land is the land of common sense? What are his comparisons to rationalism and religion? How far can this argument go? In other words, do common sense and fairy land do have a meaningful interaction?

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