View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When stating that "modern science differs from all previous traditions of knowledge in three major ways, Harari states one of the ways. He says that one quality of modern science is "its willingness to admit" (250) what?

2. Harari uses a discussion of the coin termed "the millares" (173) to illustrate what principle?

3. The measurement called a sila was equivalent to how many gallons?

4. What does Harari assert is the key to understanding a particular culture?

5. In what year was King Richard the Lionheart struck by an arrow, leading to his death two weeks later?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Harari claims that "credit was not invented in modern Europe" (315), what does he say about its origin instead?

2. What is Harari's view of how the Cook expedition marked a turning point within European history?

3. What does Harari say is the key to understanding a particular culture?

4. What is Harari's view of capitalism and what are two counterarguments he addresses?

5. What evidence does Harari provide for his assertion that "the practices of empire-builders were entangled with those of scientists"? (296)

6. What is Harari's message regarding people's tendency to discriminate against outsiders?

7. What evidence does Harari use to demonstrate the profound effect that empires and their belief systems have had on history, even among those cultures that consider themselves anti-imperialist?

8. What is the definition of the term "memetics" (242) and how do most scholars in the humanities feel about it?

9. How does Yuval Noah Harari define culture and what does he assert about its mutability?

10. After Harari describes the rise of Europe as a locus of power in the world, what caveat does he make?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine how Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens invites readers to learn particular lessons from the author's own experiences and to apply those lessons to their own lives. How does the author accomplish this goal and how does this goal relate to the overarching themes of the text?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the messages sent about the theme of appearance versus reality within Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens.

Essay Topic 3

How is the theme of subjective well-being portrayed in Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens? Examine the author's treatment of and messages regarding subjective well-being throughout the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,105 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample