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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. In the year 1500, there were about how many Homo sapiens in the world?

2. Empires are noted as "one of the main reasons for the drastic reduction in" (190) what?

3. If 100 commodities are traded in the market, how many different exchange rates do buyers and sellers have to know?

4. In what year was King Richard the Lionheart struck by an arrow, leading to his death two weeks later?

5. From what culture did the myth of Gilgamesh spring?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Harari support his position that history is moving toward more unified and complex cultures?

2. What is Harari's view of capitalism and what are two counterarguments he addresses?

3. When Harari claims that "credit was not invented in modern Europe" (315), what does he say about its origin instead?

4. What connections does Harari draw among capitalism, modern science, and the emergence of European imperialism?

5. For what purpose does Harari include the painting called Franklin's Experiment within the chapter entitled The Discovery of Ignorance?

6. What flaw does Harari point out within the philosophies of Postmodernist thinkers?

7. How does Harari define the term "culturism" (303)?

8. What is Harari's message regarding people's tendency to discriminate against outsiders?

9. What are the two broad features of history that Harari uses to determine why culture developed as it did?

10. Discuss Harari's treatment of the phenomenon of imperialism.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's decision to include humor within the text of Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens. What purpose did the author have in mind when including these instances of humor and how does the inclusion of these instances support the overarching themes and messages of the text?

Essay Topic 2

Examine how Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens invites readers to learn particular lessons from the author's own experiences and to apply those lessons to their own lives. How does the author accomplish this goal and how does this goal relate to the overarching themes of the text?

Essay Topic 3

How does the author utilize or discuss irony within Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the book and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the narrative.

(see the answer keys)

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