Western Studies
Ms. Portman

After you read the assigned section, you need to answer the following questions for that section in note form. Be prepared to do some journal writing in class on a variation of the questions and/or discuss the issues raised in your answers and/or take a reading quiz. You also need to come up with one significant question of your own and answer it.

Section 1
1. What was the Renaissance and what were its three major characteristics?

2. What do you think about Machiavelli's theory that if a prince is to act on behalf of his state then he has the obligation to do whatever it takes to keep himself and the state in power, even if this means making immoral decisions?

Section 2
1. In what ways were the characteristics of individualism and secularism evident in the intellectual and artistic movements of the Renaissance?

2. How was Renaissance art different from the art of the Middle Ages?

Section 3
1. Much criticism has been directed toward the Catholic Church for lavishly spending on art and church buildings, while neglecting the needs of the poor. Review the treasures in Europe and elsewhere that have been sponsored by the Catholic Church in cathedrals, art, and literature. Do you think that using church resources to build Gothic cathedrals, for example, was excessive? Support your answer with reason and logic.

2. Discuss the significance of Martin Luther's split with the Catholic Church.

Section 4 Part I (440-444)
1. Why did Henry VIII create a different church in England? Why did his daughter, Mary, want to restore the Catholic Church as the only church in England? What were her motives?

Section 4 Part II (444-448)
1. How did the Catholic Church respond to the Protestant Reformation? How were they able to re-establish the credibility of Catholicism?

Map Activity: Reformation Europe, c. 1550

Outside Reading:
Current Events in Northern Ireland
Quotations About Society in Early Modern Europe

Making Connections:
14.1 and 14.2
14.3 and 14.4

Possible Essay Questions
Two of these questions will show up on your test and you choose to answer one.

1. Why is the Renaissance considered such a significant time period in European history?

2. Explain the relationship between the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. Think about it in terms of ideas and the evolving role of the church.

3. How did the Protestant Reformation change the concept of Christianity in Europe?

4. Discuss the role of politics in the creation and spread of the Protestant Reformation. Give at least two specific examples.

Test Format
10 Multiple Choice Questions (2 points each)
2 Short Answer questions (15 Points each)
1 Essay (50 Points)