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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. How did Paine depict his feelings in the Preface about the way readers of his work were being punished in some countries?

2. What did Paine discuss about the French government at the end of Rights of Man?

3. Besides defending themselves, what else did Paine say the people were defending by storming the Bastille?

4. What impressed Paine about the National Assembly in Rights of Man?

5. As Paine pointed out in the Miscellaneous Chapter, what did Burke think the government had a monopoly on?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Paine's explanation of reason and ignorance in the Conclusion of Part One?

2. Why was Paine qualified to write about the French's situation accurately?

3. What drawbacks to the English government did Paine write about while covering the rights that the French people had?

4. What was the essence of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens?

5. Who did Paine say his audience was in the third preface and what was his response to the backlash his readers were experiencing?

6. How did Paine clarify the target of the French people during the Revolution?

7. How did Paine defend the French people against the insulting term that Burke used to describe them?

8. What was the English government's perception of the French Revolution and the French government?

9. Which rights did Paine include in the third preface for Rights of Man?

10. What explanation did Paine given in Rights of Man about natural rights and human authority?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the American Constitution with the monarchical government in England, using three examples from Of Constitutions to support your analysis. Specifically, include your assessment of Paine's view of the American legal system and the election process for the presidency.

Essay Topic 2

Both Paine and Burke looked at the storming of the Bastille in very different ways.

1) Describe why Burke might have decided to ignore the Bastille and how he briefly referred to it.

2) Explain Paine's opinion of the Bastille and why he considered it to be an important historical event.

3) Analyze whose opinion of the Bastille you think seems the most logical.

Essay Topic 3

Of Constitutions chronicled America's path to Independence and the forming of the Constitution.

1) Describe at least three key events that led to the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.

2) Explain Paine's objection to the Articles of Confederation and if they seem valid in your opinion.

3) Analyze the ratification of the Constitution and how the concerns the people had back then about the document could be applied to current times.

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