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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. Agassiz wrote a letter to ________ stating that he had not found any real evidence of the Ice Age in South America.

2. Henry James Sr. was born again during the _________.

3. _________ was a Vermont Transcendentalist born in 1859 and was close to being socialist in viewpoint.

4. One member of the Metaphysical Club was Chauncy Wright also known as the local ____________.

5. In 1854 __________ published a two-book set entitled Types of Mankind asserting the supremacy of the white race.

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some examples of the ways that Ernest Holmes changed the tone of the Harvard Magazine as the editor?

2. Though John Dewey was often considered to be a liberal, what were some of his true views?

3. What were the two events in Henry Sr.'s life which seem to have changed him and his actions?

4. What was based on a combination of the theory of probability and statistics?

5. What was Webster's argument in terms of the legal battle between the two Darmouths which arose?

6. What did Quetlet use the method of least squares for when he was doing his own research?

7. What happened during the Battle of the Wilderness, according to historical records?

8. Why did Ernest Holmes join the army in the first place, according to the book?

9. How did Benjamin Pierce view mathematics and its place within the scientific community?

10. Why did John Dewey eventually become interested in philosophy as the main direction of his work?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The main achievement of this time was the development of a modern life and a modern society.

Part 1: Why was it important for the society to develop into a more modern landscape during this time?

Part 2: Why do you think society didn't believe it was modern 'enough' during this time period?

Part 3: In what ways did society change from that period of time to the modern day today? Are we even more modern now? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

For many of the men in this book, the idea of including Christianity in their believe systems was important.

Part 1: Why do you think these great thinkers also tended to be men of great faith?

Part 2: Do you think it's necessary to link great thoughts with religion and with spirituality? Why or why not?

Part 3: Are the thinker's ideas strengthened or weakened by the inclusion of religion. Why?

Essay Topic 3

To a certain extent, many of the families of the thinkers had certain advantages over other families in the area.

Part 1: Do you think it's fair for some families to have advantages in relation to education? Why or why not?

Part 2: If the educational playing field could be completely level, do you think there could be great thinkers? Why or why not?

Part 3: Why do you think so many of the thinkers in this story had the success they did?

(see the answer keys)

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