- 1. The Making of the English Working Class, published in 1963 by historian E. P. Thompson, is a seminal work that profoundly redefined the study of history and class in Britain. Through meticulous research and a commitment to primary sources, Thompson explores the emergence of the working class in England during the Industrial Revolution, illustrating how their identities, cultures, and collective consciousness formed amidst social, economic, and political upheaval. Unlike traditional narratives that often depict the working class merely as victims of industrialization, Thompson asserts that they were active agents in shaping their own history, responding creatively to the challenges posed by capitalism and industrialization. He emphasizes the importance of class experience, community, and the role of social movements, thereby giving voice to the struggles and aspirations of ordinary men and women. The book is not just a historical account but also a passionate plea for recognizing the agency and humanity of the working classes. Thompson's innovative narrative style combines rigorous scholarship with a profoundly humane perspective, making the work not only a critical historical analysis but also a literary achievement that resonates with issues of class, identity, and social justice even today.
Which period does Thompson's study primarily cover?
A) 1688 to 1789
B) 1832 to 1901
C) 1649 to 1688
D) 1780 to 1832
- 2. What does Thompson mean by 'class consciousness'?
A) An innate characteristic of poor people.
B) A direct and automatic result of one's economic position.
C) A theory developed solely by political theorists.
D) A cultural formation of shared identity and interests.
- 3. Thompson heavily utilizes the archives of which government agency?
A) The Home Office
B) The Foreign Office
C) The Bank of England
D) The Admiralty
- 4. What was the primary goal of the Corresponding Societies?
A) Building factories for cooperative ownership.
B) Establishing new religious institutions.
C) Promoting international free trade agreements.
D) Parliamentary reform and universal suffrage.
- 5. The Combination Acts of 1799-1800 were laws against what?
A) Trade unions and worker combinations.
B) Sedition and treason against the crown.
C) Importing foreign grain.
D) The publication of radical newspapers.
- 6. Thompson argues that the working class was present at its own...
A) Ending
B) Theorizing
C) Funding
D) Making
- 7. The 'Jacobin' influence in England referred to sympathy with which revolution?
A) The Industrial Revolution
B) The French Revolution
C) The American Revolution
D) The Glorious Revolution
- 8. Thompson's analysis gives significant weight to the experiences of which often-overlooked group?
A) The peasantry of Ireland
B) The financial elite of London
C) The landed aristocracy
D) Skilled artisans and craftsmen
- 9. What year was E.P. Thompson's 'The Making of the English Working Class' first published?
A) 1963
B) 1968
C) 1971
D) 1958
- 10. Which group does Thompson identify as a key radical organization in the 1790s?
A) The Chartists
B) The London Corresponding Society
C) The Fabian Society
D) The Labour Party
- 11. Which Methodist leader is criticized by Thompson for promoting a spirit of submission?
A) Martin Luther
B) John Wesley
C) John Calvin
D) William Booth
- 12. The book is a critique of which type of deterministic theory?
A) Technological determinism
B) Economic determinism
C) Climate determinism
D) Biological determinism
- 13. What 1819 event, a violent attack on a reform meeting, is discussed in the book?
A) The Boston Massacre
B) The Massacre of Glencoe
C) The Peterloo Massacre
D) The St. George's Fields Massacre
- 14. What does Thompson argue was being defended against the imposition of the cash nexus?
A) Mercantilism
B) The feudal system
C) The moral economy
D) The gold standard
- 15. Which government acts, passed to suppress radical activity, does the book examine?
A) The Coercive Acts
B) The Intolerable Acts
C) The Six Acts
D) The Townshend Acts
- 16. What radical weekly newspaper, important to working-class organizing, is featured in the book?
A) The Spectator
B) The Economist
C) The Black Dwarf
D) The Times
- 17. Thompson argues that class is a relationship, not a...
A) Thing
B) Feeling
C) Theory
D) Law
- 18. Which radical thinker and author of 'Rights of Man' is a major figure in the book?
A) Thomas Paine
B) Edmund Burke
C) Adam Smith
D) John Locke
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