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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. Who came up with a way to draw longitude meridians on the night sky?

2. Where was the destination the Centurion was sailing for?

3. Who developed the "lunar distance method" to longitude?

4. What was one of Harrison's innovations?

5. How many men of the original 500 perished on Centurion's voyage to the South Pacific?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were the problems with William Whiston's proposal for determining longitude?

2. What were the economic consequences of not knowing longitude?

3. Describe John Harrison.

4. Explain the title of Chapter 5: Powder of Sympathy.

5. Why is the story of Sir Clowdisley included in Chapter 2: The Sea Before Time?

6. What was King Charles II's role in solving the longitude problem?

7. What was Humphrey Ditton's suggestion for determining longitude?

8. What did the Longitude Act establish?

9. Describe John Harrison's family.

10. What was the result of Hooke and Huygens not producing a successful clock that worked at sea?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In an essay, analyze the role Nevil Maskelyne played in the quest to solve the longitude problem.

Essay Topic 2

Complete a historical analysis of John Harrison. How would you describe him? What qualities did he posses that helped him to be successful?

Essay Topic 3

By entitling her book, Longitude: The True Story of the Lone Genius that Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time, Sobel seems to have a clear bias in her understanding of the history she portrays in her book. Using specific examples from the book, write an essay demonstrating ways in which Sobel's portrayal of history is biased towards Harrison.

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