AP European History Practice Quiz: Enlightened and Other Approaches to Power
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 14 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 14
All Questions (14)
A) monarchs incorporated Enlightenment ideas into their rule.
B) the complete replacement of monarchy with democratic republics occurred.
C) nobles successfully limited the power of the king through new constitutions.
D) the Catholic Church reasserted control over secular rulers.
Correct Answer: A
The provided content states that in the 18th century, states in eastern and central Europe 'experimented with enlightened absolutism,' citing rulers like Frederick II and Joseph II. This term itself implies a fusion of Enlightenment principles with the existing structure of absolute monarchy.
A) reunification of the Holy Roman Empire.
B) rise of Prussia as a major European power.
C) expansion of the Habsburg empire westward into France.
D) establishment of religious uniformity across Europe.
Correct Answer: B
The text explicitly states that 'As a result of the Holy Roman Empire’s limitation of sovereignty in the Peace of Westphalia, Prussia rose to power...'
A) All religious groups without exception.
B) Only the dominant state-sponsored religion.
C) Christian minorities and, in some states, Jews.
D) Exclusively Jewish populations across all of Europe.
Correct Answer: C
The content specifies that by 1800, governments 'had extended toleration to Christian minorities and, in some states, civil equality to Jews.' This indicates the specific groups that benefited from these policies.
A) The strengthening of the Holy Roman Empire's sovereignty.
B) The eastward shift of the Habsburg Empire.
C) The rise of theocratic states.
D) The rule of enlightened absolutists like Frederick II.
Correct Answer: D
The text directly links Enlightenment thought to political power and specifically identifies 'enlightened absolutism' and rulers like Frederick II as an example of this influence in practice.
A) They focused on regaining sovereignty within the Holy Roman Empire.
B) They abandoned their imperial ambitions entirely.
C) They shifted the focus of their empire eastward.
D) They formed a permanent military alliance with Prussia.
Correct Answer: C
The provided content states that after the Peace of Westphalia, 'the Habsburgs, centered in Austria, shifted their empire eastward.'
A) Louis XIV of France
B) Henry VIII of England
C) Joseph II of Austria
D) Philip II of Spain
Correct Answer: C
The text explicitly names 'Frederick II of Prussia, Joseph II of Austria' as rulers who experimented with enlightened absolutism.
A) They strongly reinforced the idea of a single, unified Christian empire.
B) They had no significant impact on the concept of European unity.
C) They challenged the traditional idea of a religiously and politically unified Europe.
D) They led to the creation of a permanent pan-European political union.
Correct Answer: C
The content explains that these developments 'challenged or reinforced the idea of a unified Europe.' The rise of separate powers like Prussia and the shift away from religious uniformity towards toleration represent challenges to the old idea of a single, unified Christendom.
A) It greatly expanded the HRE's sovereignty over all German states.
B) It limited the HRE's sovereignty, weakening its central authority.
C) It transformed the HRE into a highly centralized, absolutist state.
D) It officially dissolved the HRE in 1648.
Correct Answer: B
The text directly states that the 'Holy Roman Empire’s limitation of sovereignty in the Peace of Westphalia' was a key outcome that allowed for other power shifts.
A) a universal policy adopted by all European states simultaneously.
B) limited to eastern and central Europe.
C) a development that occurred only in some states.
D) rejected by all enlightened absolutists.
Correct Answer: C
The text qualifies the extension of rights to Jews by stating it happened 'in some states,' indicating it was not a universal or uniform policy across the continent.
A) Western Europe, particularly France and Spain.
B) The British Isles and Scandinavia.
C) The Italian and Iberian peninsulas.
D) Eastern and central Europe.
Correct Answer: D
The content specifies that 'a number of states in eastern and central Europe experimented with enlightened absolutism,' citing Prussia and Austria as examples.
A) encouraging rulers to justify their power solely through divine right.
B) promoting the idea that reason and reform could be applied to governance.
C) leading to the immediate and universal adoption of democracy.
D) causing a complete rejection of all monarchical systems.
Correct Answer: B
The text states that Enlightenment thought influenced 'different forms of political power.' The example of 'enlightened absolutism' shows that rulers were applying new ideas of reason and reform to their existing systems of governance, rather than completely rejecting them or reverting to older justifications.
A) It created a new, powerful, and independent state, contributing to a competitive state system rather than a single entity.
B) It successfully unified all German-speaking peoples under one banner, creating a new form of unity.
C) It allied with the Habsburgs to restore the power of the Holy Roman Empire.
D) It promoted a single, universal religion across the continent.
Correct Answer: A
The content states that political developments 'challenged' the idea of a unified Europe. The rise of a new, sovereign power like Prussia, which occurred because the HRE's unifying power was limited, exemplifies this challenge by creating another major player in a system of competing states, undermining the notion of a single, unified body.
A) A Habsburg ruler from Spain
B) The Pope in Rome
C) Frederick II of Prussia
D) The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Correct Answer: C
The text explicitly lists 'Frederick II of Prussia, Joseph II of Austria' as examples of rulers who experimented with enlightened absolutism.
A) immediately following the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
B) primarily during the early 17th century.
C) by the year 1800.
D) only after the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
Correct Answer: C
The source material clearly states, 'By 1800, most governments in western and central Europe had extended toleration to Christian minorities...'