Enlightenment
Explore the Enlightenment through quizzes on key thinkers, major texts, and the political and scientific changes of the 17th–18th centuries. Review ideas like reason, natural rights, religious tolerance, and constitutional government, and see how they shaped revolutions and modern institutions.
Quizzes
Enlightened absolutism and reform programs
Step into the age of reform-minded monarchs and test what “enlightened absolutism” really meant in practice. This mixed-difficulty quiz covers key rulers, policies, and debates across 18th‑century Europe. Choose your preferred question count and difficulty, then answer at your own pace with no timer.
Enlightenment salons and public debate
Step into the world of Enlightenment salons, coffeehouses, and pamphlet culture where ideas were tested in public. This mixed-difficulty quiz explores how debate, print, and sociability shaped politics, philosophy, and reform across Europe. Choose your question count and difficulty, then see how well you can connect thinkers, venues, and arguments.
Censorship, pamphlets, and the press
Step into the print shops and salons of the Enlightenment and see how ideas spread—and were suppressed. This quiz explores censorship laws, underground pamphlets, newspapers, and the people who battled over public opinion. Expect a mixed set of questions that moves from key terms to real historical cases.
Encyclopédie and knowledge classification
Trace how the Encyclopédie tried to map all human knowledge and why its classification system mattered to Enlightenment thinkers. You’ll meet key editors, contributors, and concepts, then test how ideas were organized across arts, sciences, and crafts. Choose your preferred length and a mixed difficulty that ramps from accessible fundamentals to trickier details.
Natural rights and liberty concepts
Explore Enlightenment ideas that shaped modern freedom, from natural rights to the limits of government power. This mixed-difficulty quiz checks how well you can connect key thinkers, core concepts, and real-world implications. Pick your preferred question count and difficulty, then learn as you go with clear 4-option questions and no timer.
Economics: physiocracy and early liberalism
Explore the economic ideas that shaped the Enlightenment, from physiocratic “rule of nature” to early liberal arguments for markets and trade. This quiz mixes key thinkers, core concepts, and historical context to help you connect theories to the debates of their time.
Social contract theories compared
Compare how Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau build political authority from the “state of nature” to the social contract. You’ll sort key claims about consent, rights, sovereignty, and resistance across thinkers and texts. Ideal for sharpening distinctions and avoiding common mix-ups in Enlightenment political philosophy.
Separation of powers in theory
Explore how Enlightenment thinkers explained the separation of powers and why it became central to modern constitutional design. This mixed-difficulty quiz covers key concepts, classic arguments, and real-world applications. Choose your preferred question count and difficulty, then answer each prompt with 4 options and no timer.
Religious toleration and deism debates
Test your knowledge of Enlightenment-era arguments for religious toleration and the rise of deism. You’ll revisit key thinkers, controversies, and the political stakes behind freedom of conscience. Choose your preferred question count and difficulty, then see how well you can separate nuanced positions from common misconceptions.
Philosophes and their core ideas
Test how well you know the major Enlightenment philosophes and the ideas they’re best known for. From social contract theories to critiques of absolutism and religion, this quiz helps you connect thinkers to their core arguments. Choose your preferred length and difficulty, then see what you really remember.
What you'll find here
- Curated quizzes focused on Enlightenment
- Difficulty spread from easy to hard
- Randomized questions with instant feedback
- Quizzes you can replay and compare on the leaderboard
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Category FAQ
How many quizzes are available?
There are 10 quizzes with 1733 questions total.
Do these quizzes cover major Enlightenment philosophers?
Yes. You’ll see frequent questions on major thinkers and their key ideas, along with important texts and historical context.
How are the questions formatted?
Each question has 4 answer options, and there is no timer so you can work at your own pace.
Are the quizzes suitable for beginners and advanced learners?
Yes. The 10 quizzes vary in difficulty and length, so you can start with basics and move to more detailed material.
What topics are emphasized in this category?
Expect themes like reason and empiricism, natural rights, religious tolerance, political theory, and Enlightenment influence on revolutions.
More to explore
What you’ll learn in these Enlightenment quizzes
These quizzes help you practice the core concepts of the Enlightenment, including reason, empiricism, skepticism of authority, and debates about rights, government, and religion.
You’ll also review major figures and works—such as Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Hume, Kant, and key texts that influenced political reform and revolutionary movements.
How the quizzes work
Each question is multiple-choice with 4 options, and there’s no timer, so you can focus on careful reading and recall rather than speed.
Quiz difficulty and length can vary across the set, letting you choose shorter reviews for quick practice or longer sessions for deeper coverage of people, events, and vocabulary.
Helpful context and quick facts
The Enlightenment wasn’t a single unified movement: it spread through salons, coffeehouses, academies, and print culture, and it developed differently in places like France, Britain, Scotland, and the German states.
- Identify thinkers and match them to key ideas (social contract, separation of powers, natural rights)
- Practice linking concepts to events like the American and French Revolutions
- Review Enlightenment-era science and methods (observation, experimentation, empiricism)
- Recognize important books, essays, and terms commonly used in exam questions
- Strengthen timeline awareness across the 17th and 18th centuries