Lecture 7

Question 1

What cultural factor limited innovation in ancient China compared to Europe?

Answer 1

Lack of social flexibility

Question 2

In ancient China, what determined a person’s permission to innovate?

Answer 2

Social class

Question 3

Who/what controlled the rate of technological change in ancient China?

Answer 3

The government and religion

Question 4

How was rapid change viewed in ancient China?

Answer 4

As imbalance and something undesirable

Question 5

Why was innovation often suppressed in ancient China?

Answer 5

Because of rigid class structures and centralized control

Question 6

What was one major religious belief in China that affected views on progress?

Answer 6

That rapid change caused imbalance

Question 7

What worldview contributed to the West’s embrace of technological advancement?

Answer 7

The belief that change equals progress

Question 8

Despite inventing many things, why didn’t ancient China industrialize like Europe?

Answer 8

Social rigidity and a religious-cultural resistance to change

Question 9

What technology introduced to China around AD 60 later caused instant change in Europe?

Answer 9

Horse stirrup

Question 10

What major event led to the rise of the knight class in Medieval Europe?

Answer 10

The Battle of Hastings

Question 11

What group of armed men emerged in Medieval Europe and caused destruction in villages?

Answer 11

Knights

Question 12

What was the purpose of the First Crusade launched by the Pope in 1095?

Answer 12

To capture Jerusalem/ redirect knight energy

Question 13

What was the result of the First Crusade?

Answer 13

Spread of ancient alexandrian knowledge to europe

Question 14

In Medieval Europe, what was considered one of the most expensive and valuable items?

Answer 14

A book

Question 15

What did knights bring back to Europe as spoils of war from the First Crusade?

Answer 15

Books

Question 16

The books brought back by knights were Arabic translations of knowledge from where?

Answer 16

Ancient Alexandria

Question 17

Where was alchemy first conceptualized?

Answer 17

Ancient Alexandria

Question 18

Which scholar modified alchemical ideas around 850 AD with The Secret of Secrets?

Answer 18

Razi Al

Question 19

What were the two main goals of alchemy?

Answer 19

Transmutation and the elixir of life

Question 20

What accidental discovery in China came from the search for the elixir of life?

Answer 20

Gunpowder

Question 21

Why did ancient Chinese use black powder in religious festivals?

Answer 21

To scare demons away with loud noises

Question 22

What two components from pigs were used to make potassium nitrate?

Answer 22

Pigs’ urine and pigs’ droppings

Question 23

How did bacteria in pigs’ droppings contribute to gunpowder production?

Answer 23

It converted ammonia into potassium nitrate

Question 24

What event marked the end of the medieval period in 1453?

Answer 24

The fall of Constantinople

Question 25

By 1450, what rendered medieval castles and knights obsolete?

Answer 25

Cannons that could instantly collapse castle walls

Question 26

What societal shift increased demand for books and personal copies of religious texts?

Answer 26

Increased investment in intellectual activity and reading

Question 27

Why were books scarce before the printing press?

Answer 27

Hand copied

Question 28

What institution had specific needs that drove demand for written materials?

Answer 28

The Roman Catholic Church

Question 29

What was the practice of selling forgiveness in advance called?

Answer 29

Selling indulgences

Question 30

What phrase summarizes the idea behind indulgences?

Answer 30

“Pay now, sin later”

Question 31

What new technology did the Roman Catholic Church support to meet its document needs?

Answer 31

The printing press

Question 32

Why did churches support the printing press?

Answer 32

To print indulgence documents

Question 33

What type of ancient texts was there a high demand for copies of during the rise of printing?

Answer 33

Ancient Alexandrian texts

Question 34

Was the Gutenberg Bible the first printed book?

Answer 34

No, smaller books and calendars were printed first

Question 35

What did the printing press in ancient China help lead to the creation of?

Answer 35

Paper money

Question 36

What was the major barrier to printing in Europe before the 14th century?

Answer 36

Paper was too expensive and of poor quality

Question 37

How did Europeans discover the secret of making white paper from China?

Answer 37

They captured and tortured Chinese papermakers

Question 38

What unexpected material allowed for the mass production of paper in Europe after the Black Death?

Answer 38

Linen underwear from deceased plague victims

Question 39

Why couldn’t the demand for books be met after the Black Death?

Answer 39

Monks and scribes were wiped out by the plague

Question 40

Who invented the printing press in 1450 and was later left homeless after losing his press?

Answer 40

Johannes Gutenberg

Question 41

What key materials did Gutenberg use for his printing press?

Answer 41

Oil-based ink and an alloy of lead and tin

Question 42

What two inventions are considered the most important in reshaping European society?

Answer 42

The plow and the printing press

Question 43

According to Harold Innis, what did the printing press change about access to knowledge?

Answer 43

It removed gatekeepers and allowed free access

Question 44

What was the role of the Roman Catholic Church in publishing before 1450?

Answer 44

It controlled all publishing and limited it to religious texts

Question 45

What changed after the invention of the printing press in 1450 regarding censorship?

Answer 45

Books could be printed regardless of church approval, limiting their control

Question 46

What major religious movement was sparked by the printing press in 1517?

Answer 46

The Reformation, led by Martin Luther's 95 Theses

Question 47

What thesis links Protestantism to the rise of the Industrial Revolution?

Answer 47

Robert Merton’s Thesis

Question 48

Why did the Industrial Revolution occur mainly in Protestant countries, according to Merton?

Answer 48

Because Protestantism encouraged growth and personal wealth