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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter III, The Suicide of Thought, how does a test of happiness compare to a test of the will?
(a) A test of happiness will always trump.
(b) Happiness cannot truly be tested.
(c) The first is a true test but the second is not.
(d) They both lead to the same end.

2. As Chesterton explains the origin of the word, the moon is the mother of which group of people?
(a) Priests.
(b) Lunatics.
(c) Atheists.
(d) Believers.

3. What is the "false theory of progress?" (Chesterton 2000, pg. 196)
(a) Defining man's progress in terms of religion.
(b) Tracking man's progress poorly.
(c) Confusing people with too much data.
(d) Changing the standards rather than becoming better.

4. What did Chesterton discover about the truths he found in religious thought?
(a) They could not be lived out.
(b) They contradicted each other.
(c) They were not his.
(d) They were not fully truth.

5. Chesterton says that this common ground is mostly found among what group of readers?
(a) People who have read a large amount of Christian apologetics.
(b) Well-educated readers.
(c) Readers from Eastern culture.
(d) Readers from Western culture.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the title of the essay that H. G. Wells wrote on skepticism?

2. What examples does Chesterton give of lunatic thinking?

3. At the beginning of Chapter III, The Suicide of Thought, why does Chesterton say that the modern world is too good?

4. What, according to Chesterton, is the proper place for humility?

5. In Chapter One, what has Christianity named the mixture of the well-known and the unknown?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter I, Introduction in Defense of Everything Else, Chesterton states that the book is written from his own experiences rather than as the result of research and labor. What expectations does this set up or destroy for the reader?

2. Humility is chiefly understood chiefly as a restraint on a man's arrogance and boasting. What is Chesterton's argument concerning humility? What example does he give to illustrate a humble view of the world?

3. The only authority for Chesterton's argument is the Apostles' Creed. Is this more or less effective than appealing to the Bible as the sole authority?

4. Materialism is a much narrower belief than Christianity, in fact, more than any religion. What reasons does Chesterton give for this? How does it relate to the discussion of madness and sanity?

5. Chesterton explains that a madman's mind moves in a small, perfect circle. What does he mean with this picture? How does it relate to the movements of a sane man's mind?

6. Considering the fact that elf land is more rational than the scientific world is, why does Chesterton say that magic flourishes in elf land?

7. In Chapter I, Introduction in Defense of Everything Else, Chesterton states that he hates the defense of something that cannot be proved or disproved. How is this important for the rest of the book?

8. "But it is a much more massive and important fact that he [the materialist] is not free to raise, to curse, the thank, to justify, to urge, the punish, to resist temptation, to incite mobs, to make New Year resolutions, to pardon sinners, to rebuke tyrants, or even to say 'thank you' for the mustard" (Chesterton 2000, pg 185). What is the context for this statement? Does it logically follow from Chesterton's argument?

9. The author says people can justly call him a fool because he is a fool. What does this reveal about the man himself? How does this set up expectations for the rest of the book?

10. Why does Chesterton say that the act of willing is a limiting act? Could it be freeing instead? What happens if you attempt to free something from the laws of its nature?

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