Multiple Choice
Renaissance
Questions 1-4 refer to the passage below.
Is it better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but it is much
safer to be feared than loved when one of the two much be chosen. . . .In general (men) are ungrateful, fickle, false,
cowards, covetous.Men have fewer scruples in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved
by the link of obligation which. . .is broken at every opportunity, but fear preserved you by a dread of punishment that
never fails.
A prince . . . ought to choose the fox and the lion; because the lion cannot defend himself against traps and the fox cannot
defend himself against wolves. Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the traps and a lion to terrify the wolves.
Those who rely simply on the lion do not understand this." The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli (1513)
1. After reading the passage above, according to Machiavelli is it better to be loved or feared?
a. Feared, because that depends on the Prince alone
b. Loved, because that depends on the Prince and the people
c. Loved, because that depends on the Prince alone
d. Neither loved nor feared, "because these things are changeable"
2. Which of the following arguments does Machiavelli make about the nature of men?
a.
They are naturally conflict-prone
b.
They are naturally dissatisfied
c.
They are naturally deceitful
d.
They are naturally incompetent
3. Which idea about leadership would Niccolo Machiavelli most likely support?
a.
leaders should do whatever is necessary to achieve their goals
b.
leaders should fight against discrimination and intolerance
c.
leaders should listen to the desires of the people
d.
elected leaders should be fair and good
4. Machiavelli dedicates his book to
a.
Cesare Borgia
b.
Lorenzo de Medici
c.
Pope Julius II
d.
Louis XII
Questions 5-6 refer to the passage below.
“All I can do is beg our virtuous ladies to raise their minds somewhat above their distaff and spindles and try to prove to
the world that if we were not made to command, still we should not be disdained as companions in domestic and public
matters by those who govern and command obedience.”
Louise Labe, 1555
5. In the excerpt above, the author does which of the following?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Rejects domestic roles of women
Champions women’s intellectual abilities
Condemns the French school system
Encourages women to seek public office
6. In terms of gender relations, Renaissance humanists argued that
a.
b.
c.
d.
men and women were equals in intellectual pursuits.
the status of women had improved since the Middle Ages.
women's sphere of activity was private and domestic.
women should have equal opportunity in marital and extramarital sexual relations.
Short Answer
(A true prince)… holds the life of each individual dearer than his own; who works and strives night and day for just one
end - to be the best he can for everyone; with whom rewards are ready for all good men and pardon for the wicked, if only
they will reform - for so much does he want to be of real help to his people, without thought of recompense, that if
necessary he would not hesitate to look out for their welfare at great risk to himself; who considers his wealth to lie in the
advantages of his country; who is ever on the watch so that everyone else may sleep deeply; who grants no leisure to
himself so that he may spend his life in the peace of his country; who worries himself with continual cares so that his
subjects may have peace and quiet. Upon the moral qualities of this one man alone depends the felicity of the state. Let
the tutor point this out as the picture of a true prince!
Erasmus, The Education of a Christian Prince, 1518
A.
B.
C.
Briefly explain how Erasmus’ statement is characteristic of a Christian Humanist.
Briefly explain how Erasmus’ statement is a reaction to Machiavelli.
Choose one: Louis XI, Henry VII, or Ferdinand of Aragon. Provide an example of how that political leader
rejected Erasmus’ theory?