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. Which of the following accusations of the Church does Chesterton refute?

2. What does Chesterton say Europe would look like if it had continued in paganism?

3. What does Chesterton say the Catholic faith utilizes?

4. What does Chesterton call the death of Jesus?

5. What does Chesterton bring up as a strange part of the story of the New Testament?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Chesterton mean or reference when he says that on Good Friday the best things in the world were at their worst?

2. Explain Chesterton's view on the role of the mother in the Christmas story.

3. How does Chesterton prove that you can determine the beliefs of the church by what it rejected?

4. How much have historical events aided or been obstacles to the continuation of the Church?

5. Explain how Chesterton refutes the popular argument that Christ's teachings are dated because he was "a man of his time".

6. Explain the difference that Chesterton sees in the wandering of Christ from the wandering of other philosophers.

7. Explain what Chesterton meant when he said the birth of Christ turned the universe inside out, or that the circumference had been turned into the center.

8. What significance does Chesterton assign to the Christmas story happening in a cave?

9. What important role does Herod play in the Christmas story as Chesterton sees it?

10. What possible exception does Chesterton make to the statement that Christendom is unique in the creation of church militants? Why does he say the exception doesn't count?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Chesterton spends quite a bit of time disputing the popular scientific theories of his time. Write an essay about the scientific theories on the origins of man.

Part 1. How is new knowledge incorporated into the scientific record? Explain the scientific method.

Part 2. What special difficulties does research into an untestable subject such as prehistory present? What methods have been developed to work around them?

Part 3. What are the current scientific theories regarding the origins of man?

Part 4. How do these theories differ with the ones existent in Chesterton's time? Are his arguments still valid?

Essay Topic 2

In the chapter titled "The Witness of the Heretics" Chesterton talks about Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science. Write an essay about Christian Science and its founder.

Part 1. Write a short biography of Mary Baker Eddy and what led her to create Christian Science.

Part 2. Provide details about the beginning of Christian Science, including its inception and founding ideologies.

Part 3. How widely is Christian Science practiced today? Explain the spread and evolution of Christian Science.

Essay Topic 3

On page 82 Chesterton refers to Comtism. Auguste Comte's positivistic philosophy states that metaphysics and theology should be replaced by a hierarchy of sciences. Write an essay about the philosophies of Auguste Comte.

Part 1. Who was Auguste Comte? Write a short biography of the man.

Part 2. What philosophy is he known for? Discuss positivism and Comtism.

Part 3. How do the philosophies of Comte differ from the positions of Chesterton?

Part 4. What is your reaction to the philosophies of Comte?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,101 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample