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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was the Pythagorean cult’s most sacred symbol because it contained the golden ratio?
(a) The pentagram.
(b) The hexagram.
(c) The sphere.
(d) The diamond.

2. Approximately when did Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Khwarizmi live?
(a) 780-850 AD.
(b) 159-201 AD.
(c) 240-200 BC.
(d) 410-500 AD.

3. The House of Wisdom was based in Baghdad during what centuries?
(a) The 9th to 13th centuries.
(b) The 5th to 7th centuries.
(c) The 2nd to 6th centuries.
(d) The 12th to 17th centuries.

4. The Italian word “zefiro,” meaning “west wind” derived from what Latin and Greek word?
(a) Zephyrus.
(b) Zyloph.
(c) Sifr.
(d) Zebra.

5. When the Indians adopted a Babylonian style number system, its base was what, according to the author in Chapter 3, “Nothing Ventured”?
(a) 10.
(b) 60.
(c) 5.
(d) 20.

6. The system that equipped the USS Yorktown in 1996 and 1997 was predicted to save $2.8 million per year by reducing the ship’s complement by what percentage?
(a) 10%.
(b) 30%.
(c) 5%.
(d) 20%.

7. Where does the author say early medieval Jews took up residence and discovered that Aristotle’s aversion to zero contradicted Jewish theology in Chapter 3, “Nothing Ventured”?
(a) Ancient Egypt.
(b) South America.
(c) Rome.
(d) Muslim Spain.

8. What does the author refer to as “zero’s twin” in the book?
(a) Seven.
(b) One.
(c) Infinity.
(d) Thirteen.

9. What term refers to an argument that produces an inconsistency?
(a) Paradox.
(b) Reprimand.
(c) Quantization.
(d) Dividend.

10. In 1996 and 1997, the USS Yorktown was equipped with a network of how many dual 200 MHz Pentium Pro-based computers running Windows NT 4.0?
(a) 27.
(b) 10.
(c) 14.
(d) 35.

11. Pythagoreanism developed into two separate schools of thought. What group was called “the learners” in Greek?
(a) The omnimatioi.
(b) The akousmatikoi.
(c) The mathēmatikoi.
(d) The Hippasusikoi.

12. In September of 1997, a crewmember entered a zero into the database field on the computers of the USS Yorktown, leading to what type of error?
(a) A divide by zero error.
(b) A subtraction by zero error.
(c) An addition by zero error.
(d) A multiply by zero error.

13. What name refers to sutra texts belonging to the Śrauta ritual and containing geometry related to fire-altar construction?
(a) The Kartikeya.
(b) Shulba Sutras.
(c) Shavi Sutras.
(d) Yogi Sutras.

14. The ancient Babylonians are credited with the creation of what calculation tool?
(a) The stick-stone.
(b) The abacus.
(c) The computer.
(d) The calculator.

15. The ancient Egyptians are credited with creating what numerical system?
(a) The decimal system.
(b) The solar system.
(c) The symbolic system.
(d) The geometrical system.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what written work did Aristotle describe Zeno of Elea’s paradox of motion?

2. Negative numbers first appeared where historically, according to the author in Chapter 3, “Nothing Ventured”?

3. The word “Renaissance” derives from what meaning?

4. When did René Descartes live?

5. Where did Copernicus live?

(see the answer keys)

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