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. In 1391, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a book to his son, Lewis, on which subject?

How to turn lead into silverHow to use a sundialRoman engineeringHow to make and use an astrolabe

2. What is the first step in using an astrolabe?

Lay the device flat on the ground.Focus the telescope on the moon.Move the rete.Select a star, and determine its altitude.

3. What did Enrico Fermi accomplish at the University of Chicago in 1942?

He produced highly enriched uranium.He produced the first nuclear chain reaction.He convinced the physics department to discontinue research on uranium.He produced the first nuclear bomb.

4. Which of the following was NOT an application of electrical theory during the Second Industrial Revolution?

The telegraphThe steam engineThe generatorElectric cars

5. What was the major Roman method for lighting in underground mining?

Carrying torchesOpening shafts for sunlightUsing oil lampsLighting bonfires

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

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

7. Which of the following was a major function of a guild?

To organize worshipTo promote free market competition between producersTo defend workers from factory ownersTo regulate the production, standards, and marketing of a craft or trade

8. Which of the following was NOT a major impact of the Transcontinental Railroad on the Plains Indians?

The Transcontinental Railroad brought more white settlement to Indian lands.The Transcontinental Railroad interrupted Indian irrigation systems.White buffalo hunters could travel easily to the Plains.The Transcontinental Railroad disrupted buffalo migration patterns.

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

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

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

By understanding the effects of gravityThrough pendulum experimentsBy using a 20-powered telescopeAfter dropping balls from the Tower of Pisa

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

RationalSavageryCivilizationBarbarism

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

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

13. In 'Tools of Empire', Daniel Headrick considers the use of steamers part of the 'penetration phase' of empire. What does this mean?

Steam ships allowed imperialists to move deeper into foreign territories.Steam ships became a part of the culture of subjugated nations.Steam ships transported thousands of British soldiers to the coast of Africa.Steam ships lay the first Trans-Atlantic cable.

14. What is the best definition of a socio-technical system?

A union of hardware, software, physical surroundings, and peopleA network of human and non-human actorsA means of communicating over long distancesA means of processing complex data

15. What was Newton's major contribution to the Scientific Revolution?

He developed a mathematical explanation of bodies in motion from planets to falling apples.He wrote in a style accessible to a wide audience.He was the first to publicly support Copernicus.He founded the Royal Society of Science.

16. Which of the following was NOT a technological innovation of the Second Industrial Revolution?

The electric generatorThe internal combustion engineThe use of coke in iron smeltingThe Bessemer Process of steel production

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

Oxford UniversityMonks of the Augustinian orderMembers of the Royal Society of ScienceJesuits of the Collegio Romano

18. Which metal replaced dependence upon wrought iron during the Second Industrial Revolution?

CopperSteelAluminumTin

19. What is the best definition of the social and political system, manorialism?

Rule of a king or queenThe rule of a powerful fewVillage-level communismA set of relationships between lords and serfs

20. Why is Cennini's 'The Craftsman's Handbook' a primary source?

Because it was written in ItalianBecause it dates to the 14th centuryBecause it is about paintingBecause artists use it today

21. Which industry contributed most to Germany's economic development between roughly 1900 and 1913?

CottonElectricalIronRubber

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

AggregateMudMetalVolcanic dust

23. What is the technological function of the lantern that sits atop the Florence Cathedral Dome?

To house a fog light for shipsTo allow air to ventilate the buildingTo press down on the structureTo store building machines

24. Which of the following was NOT a clear Chinese influence on the West?

The process of preparing gunpowderThe process of making paperBlock printingThe use of gunpowder in cannons

25. Which of the following best defines the invention of moveable type?

Likely invented first in Korea, Gutenberg independently developed a similar process.Gutenberg's assistant invented it, but as the master, Gutenberg took credit for inventing moveable type.Gutenberg first invented the process after having traveled to China.Gutenberg stumbled upon the invention while printing the Bible.