Philosophical Foundations of the American Revolution (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

6 mins6 questions
11 mark

“The Devil stands ready to fall upon them and seize them as his own, at what Moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their Souls in his Possession, and under his Dominion. The Scripture represents them as his Goods, Luk. 11. 21. The Devils watch them; they are ever by them, at their right Hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry Lions that see their Prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back; if God should withdraw his Hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one Moment fly upon their poor Souls. The old Serpent is gaping for them; Hell opens his Mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.” 

Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” July 1741

Jonathan Edwards is most associated with which of the following movements? 

  • The “Great Awakening”

  • Methodism

  • Deism

  • Sephardic Judaism

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21 mark

“The Devil stands ready to fall upon them and seize them as his own, at what Moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their Souls in his Possession, and under his Dominion. The Scripture represents them as his Goods, Luk. 11. 21. The Devils watch them; they are ever by them, at their right Hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry Lions that see their Prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back; if God should withdraw his Hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one Moment fly upon their poor Souls. The old Serpent is gaping for them; Hell opens his Mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.” 

Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” July 1741

The movement associated with the author of the excerpt is most comparable with

  • The religious causes of the American Revolution

  • Quakerism and the “holy experiment” 

  • Puritans from the seventeenth century

  • “praying towns” in New England 

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31 mark

“The Devil stands ready to fall upon them and seize them as his own, at what Moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their Souls in his Possession, and under his Dominion. The Scripture represents them as his Goods, Luk. 11. 21. The Devils watch them; they are ever by them, at their right Hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry Lions that see their Prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back; if God should withdraw his Hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one Moment fly upon their poor Souls. The old Serpent is gaping for them; Hell opens his Mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.” 

Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” July 1741

Which of the following challenges did leaders like Jonathan Edwards face in the early 1700s? 

  • The growth of Baptist and Methodist churches

  • The rise of Enlightenment philosophy

  • Diverse immigrant populations 

  • Religious debates from Great Britain

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41 mark

“Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.” 

Thomas Paine, Common Sense, January 1776 

Thomas Paine views government as

  • Inherently good and always promotes societal well-being

  • A necessary evil that exists to restrain human vices

  • Unnecessary in a society where individuals act morally

  • Central to maintaining order and preventing chaos 

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51 mark

“Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.” 

Thomas Paine, Common Sense, January 1776 

Which of the following most directly explains why Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense? 

  • To support the actions of the Boston Tea Party  

  • As a reaction to the Battles of Lexington and Concord 

  • To serve as a justification for the Declaration of Independence 

  • As a response to the Olive Branch Petition 

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61 mark

“Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.” 

Thomas Paine, Common Sense, January 1776  

Which of the following is most similar to the rhetoric and arguments found in the excerpt?

  • The US Constitution 

  • The Virginia Resolves

  • The Treaty of Paris

  • The Mayflower Compact  

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