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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. What did Paine think should happen to every bill before it was voted on in a representative style of government?

2. Which one of the following was not included by Paine in the list of things that commerce led to?

3. What did Paine say about the elderly in the workhouse in Ways and Means of Improving the Conditions of Europe?

4. How did Paine think the national debt should be paid off in Ways and Means of Improving the Conditions of Europe?

5. How did Paine describe the idea of bureaucrats managing trade properly?

Short Essay Questions

1. Based on the information provided in Of Constitutions, how did the American Constitution avoid the same mistakes made by the monarchical governments?

2. What did Paine think should be done about the Peers in England?

3. How and why were the committees of America formed before the Declaration of Independence?

4. What was Paine's opinion of George Washington?

5. Why did Paine think that natural rights rejected hereditary government?

6. What did Paine write about the origins of government in Chapter 2?

7. How did Paine discuss social order in Chapter 1?

8. What was Paine's plan for paying off the national debt in Ways and Means of Improving the Conditions of Europe?

9. As discussed in Ways and Means of Improving the Conditions of Europe, what effect would a possible alliance with France have for England?

10. Why did Paine support commerce and universal trade in Ways and Means of Improving the Conditions of Europe?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the comparison between the French and English governments that Paine made in Rights of Man. Also, provide a description of Paine's opinions of both governments, how they corresponded to the main themes of the book, and the points that Paine was making with the comparison.

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

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.

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