Test on Condorcet and Confraternities: Historical Analysis

Question 1: Confraternities were prohibited from commissioning famous artists like Tintoretto and Rubens to adorn their quarters, due to strict regulations against lavish displays of baroque piety.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: Famous artists such as Tintoretto, Rubens, and El Greco were commissioned by confraternities to adorn their quarters, and other talents designed chapels, oratories, banners, altarpieces, and images to bring baroque piety to local streets and chapels. These actions were not prohibited, but rather part of their practices.

Question 2: What factor primarily contributed to the significant increase in Jesuit confraternity membership among merchants and peasants in China, from approximately 60,000 in the 1640s to 300,000 by 1700?

A. The Jesuits' initial success in establishing strong ties with Chinese court and intellectual circles.

B. A strategic redirection of Jesuit efforts towards merchants and peasants after persecution of earlier target groups.

C. The adoption of Latin American confraternity models by the Jesuit mission in China.

D. Direct papal decrees mandating the expansion of confraternities exclusively among these social classes.

Explanation: The Jesuit mission in China initially focused on court and intellectual circles, but persecution from 1616 to 1620 caused these members to drop away. This led the Jesuits to concentrate on establishing confraternities among merchants and peasants, which resulted in a substantial increase in numbers from 60,000 in the 1640s to 300,000 by 1700.

Question 3: Condorcet's proscription by the Committee on Public Safety occurred in March 1794.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: Condorcet was proscribed by the Committee on Public Safety in July 1793, not March 1794.

Question 4: Condorcet's political principles were entirely disregarded and failed to make their way into any subsequent French constitutions.

A. Ano

B. Ne

Explanation: The study materials state that 'Many of his political principles made their way into later constitutions.'

Question 5: According to the provided text, what did Condorcet consider to be the fundamental role of secular public schooling?

A. The bedrock of a functioning republic.

B. A means to maintain the ancien régime's social order.

C. A tool for immediate political expediency.

D. A system primarily aimed at supporting the Jacobins' political agenda.

Explanation: The text states that Condorcet was a member of the Committee on Public Instruction, which produced a proposal for secular public schooling, and that he 'considered [it] the bedrock of a functioning republic.'