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Module 4: Renaissance, Reformation, and Exploration

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did absolute monarchs centralize power, and how did England move toward constitutional monarchy?

Apply social science skills to understand the age of absolutism and the rise of constitutional government: the absolute monarchs such as Louis XIV and Peter the Great and the theory of divine right, and the English Civil War and Glorious Revolution producing constitutional monarchy and the English Bill of Rights (WHII.6 and WHII.7).
A standards-level answer on absolutism and the English revolutions for the Virginia World History SOL: the absolute monarchs and divine right, and the English Civil War and Glorious Revolution that produced constitutional monarchy and the English Bill of Rights, with worked exam questions.
11 min answer →

What drove the European Age of Exploration, and how did the Columbian Exchange and Atlantic slave trade reshape the world?

Apply social science skills to understand the impact of the European Age of Exploration: the motives of God, gold, and glory and new technology, the voyages of explorers such as Columbus and da Gama, the conquest of the Americas, the Columbian Exchange, the Atlantic slave trade, and the rise of mercantilism and colonial empires (WHII.4).
A standards-level answer on the Age of Exploration for the Virginia World History SOL: the motives and technology, the major explorers, the conquest of the Americas, the Columbian Exchange, the Atlantic slave trade, and the rise of mercantilism, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

How did Enlightenment ideas inspire the American and French Revolutions, and what did each achieve?

Apply social science skills to understand the American and French Revolutions: how Enlightenment ideas shaped them, the causes and key documents of the American Revolution, the causes and course of the French Revolution including the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Reign of Terror, and Napoleon (WHII.6 and WHII.8).
A standards-level answer on the American and French Revolutions for the Virginia World History SOL: how Enlightenment ideas shaped them, the causes and documents of the American Revolution, and the causes, course, and aftermath of the French Revolution including Napoleon, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

What caused the Protestant Reformation, and how did it reshape religion and politics in Europe?

Apply social science skills to understand the Reformation in terms of its causes, effects, and broad characteristics: the corruption and sale of indulgences in the Catholic Church, Martin Luther and the 95 Theses, John Calvin and King Henry VIII, the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and the political and social effects including religious wars and stronger nation-states (WHII.3).
A standards-level answer on the Reformation for the Virginia World History SOL: the causes including indulgences and Church corruption, Martin Luther and the 95 Theses, Calvin and Henry VIII, the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and the effects on religion and politics, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

How did the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment change how people understood nature and government?

Apply social science skills to understand the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment: the use of reason and the scientific method, the discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton, and the Enlightenment ideas of natural rights, the social contract, separation of powers, and popular sovereignty from thinkers such as Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau (WHII.6).
A standards-level answer on the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment for the Virginia World History SOL: the scientific method and the discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton, and the Enlightenment ideas of natural rights, the social contract, and separation of powers, with worked exam questions.
12 min answer →

What major empires and civilizations existed around the world in 1500, on the eve of European overseas expansion?

Apply social science skills to understand the world in 1500: the major states and empires across the globe, including the Ottoman, Mughal, and Ming, the African kingdom of Songhai, Japan, and the Aztec and Inca empires, alongside the European states, and the patterns of trade and interaction among them (WHII.2).
A standards-level answer on the world in 1500 for the Virginia World History SOL: the major empires across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe on the eve of European expansion, including the Ottoman, Mughal, Ming, Songhai, Aztec, and Inca, and their patterns of trade, with worked exam questions.
11 min answer →