MCQs on major technological developments from ancient to modern times with particular attention to social, political, and cultural contexts in Europe and the United States. Other topics include: The theory of technological determinism, the ways in which technology has defined “progress” and “civilization”, and the major ethical considerations surrounding today’s technological decisions. 

STS203 Final Exam - History of Technology

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25 Questions

1. Which of the following best describes the place of the internal combustion engine (ICE) in the American automobile industry in 1900?

The ICE had replaced battery power but not steam power.There were still more steam- and battery-powered cars than gas-powered cars.Ford's Model T (ICE) already dominated the market.The ICE had already replaced battery power.

2. What is the best interpretation of the steam trains featured in Gast's 'American Progress', shown below?

It was necessary to lay track on flatland rather than mountainous.Technologies of imperialism clear the West of Indians and buffalo.Steam power would render the work of the farmers in the foreground obsolete.Advances in steam technology lagged behind advances in telegraphy.

3. Which of the following is a reason T. Boone Pickens prefers natural gas over oil to meet US energy needs?

The cost of maintaining aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf is too high.Natural gas produces virtually no carbon emissions.OPEC prices gas more favorably than oil.Fracking can leak chemicals into underground water.

4. What effect did new industrial society have on families and women?

The family could run a small factory from the home.Working class families quickly enjoyed the benefits of industrial society.Women more often stayed at home, which was now distinct from work.Women would care for children in the factory environment.

5. Which of the following best describes Gutenberg's moveable type?

Wooden blocksA mechanical printing pressReusable metallic piecesReusable wooden pieces

6. In Lewis Henry Morgan's three stages of social evolution, which stage involved the practice of animal domestication?

RationalBarbarismCivilizationSavagery

7. What gave the Mongols technological superiority in battle?

Using cannons on the battle fieldUsing lances on horsebackUsing sling shotsShooting bows and arrows on horseback

8. What did the Darby family build to demonstrate the superiority of cast iron produced with coke?

A bridgeA carriageA printing pressA steam engine

9. Which of the following is a fair description of Zheng He's voyages?

He rounded the African continent and entered the Atlantic Ocean.He made it to Hormuz in the Persian Gulf in his final voyage.He crossed the Indian Ocean and explored the coast of Africa.He explored no farther than Southeast Asia.

10. Which civilization built the bridge in the image below?

Medieval EuropeanAncient RomanAncient GreekMedieval Chinese

11. How did scientists discover the Higgs Boson particle?

With super-powered electron microscopesWith super-powered telescopesBy colliding protons in CERN's Large Hadron ColliderBy conducting experiments on Mars

12. Roman concrete was composed of water, a binding agent, and which of the following?

AggregateVolcanic dustMetalMud

13. Which of the following is a fair definition of alchemy?

A form of magic that never existedAn early form of chemistry concerning such things as alcohol and gunpowderA means of surveyingA method of iron production

14. What sort of question might feminist technology studies raise about computer programming?

Can engineers develop a program to determine the gender of computer users?Do computer programs have feelings?Do women program differently than men do?Can a program be designed to help women form more masculine thinking patterns?

15. In a Watt steam engine, what force moves the piston down the cylinder?

Expanding airA waterwheelA vacuumHuman-powered cranks

16. What was the putting-out system in medieval textiles?

Organizing the machines in factoriesLong-distance wool trade with IndiaThe system of loaning weavers capitalWhen a merchant acted as middleman between wool supplier and weaver

17. Why did President Eisenhower propose an 'open skies' policy with his rival, Premiere Khrushchev, in 1955?

To promote joint aerospace engineering programs between the two nationsTo encourage US spying from aircraftsTo prepare for a bombing campaignTo encourage Soviet advances in aerospace engineering

18. What is the most controversial claim made by Lynn White concerning the influence of the stirrup on medieval life?

The Mongols invented the stirrup.The stirrup was strong enough to support a knight in armor.Metal smiths were capable of fashioning stirrups.The stirrup promoted feudalism.

19. How did Galileo come to discover the satellites (moons) of Jupiter?

By understanding the effects of gravityBy using a 20-powered telescopeThrough pendulum experimentsAfter dropping balls from the Tower of Pisa

20. Which of the following best characterizes Germany's role in the Second Industrial Revolution?

Britain surpassed Germany in industrial production.Germany accounted for 90 percent of world industrial production.Germany surpassed Britain in industrial production.Germany excelled in metallurgy but not in chemical and electrical industries.

21. To whom would Roman Catholics of the 17th century most likely turn to in order to confirm or deny Galileo's discoveries?

Monks of the Augustinian orderMembers of the Royal Society of ScienceJesuits of the Collegio RomanoOxford University

22. What was the Sharashka system?

A program to indoctrinate peasants with Soviet ideologyA US-led effort to spread ideas of freedom within the USSRA new network of universities designed to teach Soviet scienceA means of forcing scientists and engineers to work for the state

23. Why did Standard Oil Company come before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1911?

The company had drilled on lands illegally.The company had monopolized and restrained trade.The company had charged the US government with interfering in its business.The company had contracted overseas illegally.

24. Which newly developing nation produced about as much coal as the US around 1990?

BritainChinaCanadaSweden

25. What is the best definition of the applied science, thermodynamics?

The science of chemical reactionsThe science of atomic reactionsThe science of motionThe science of heat