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The Enlightenment: Life in the UK test revision

What the Life in the UK test can ask about this topic, explained in plain English. We have 5 checked facts on this topic, and 2 of them are Test Traps. Here are the 5 that come up most.

The facts to know

Which Enlightenment thinker developed ideas about economics that are still referred to today?

Adam Smith.

Adam Smith thought about how wealth is made and traded, and his ideas are still quoted by economists and politicians. The handbook pairs him with David Hume, who worked on human nature. The easy way to keep them apart is that Smith is money and markets, Hume is the mind. Both belong to the Scottish Enlightenment.

Test Trap. Adam Smith (economics) is often confused with David Hume (human nature and philosophy). Smith = money; Hume = human.

Why it matters: Smith and Hume are a classic swap: economics versus human nature.

Memory hook: Adam Smith, the money-smith: he hammered out ideas about economics.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 17

The ideas of which Enlightenment thinker about human nature still influence philosophers?

David Hume.

David Hume asked what human beings are really like: how we think, feel and decide. Philosophers still argue with him today, which is a compliment of sorts. The handbook lists him beside Adam Smith, so the exam may offer both names in one question. Remember that Hume sounds like 'human', and human nature was his subject.

Test Trap. David Hume (human nature) is often confused with Adam Smith (economics). Hume = human; Smith = money.

Why it matters: Paired with Adam Smith in the handbook, so the two are a favourite swap in multiple-choice questions.

Memory hook: Hume = human: his subject was human nature.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 17

What name is given to the development of new ideas about politics, philosophy and science in the 18th century?

The Enlightenment.

The Enlightenment was an age of thinking rather than fighting. Across the 18th century, writers and scientists asked fresh questions about how people should be governed, how the mind works and how nature operates. Many leading figures were Scottish. Their ideas fed directly into the Industrial Revolution and into modern British views on personal freedom.

Why it matters: The 'check that you understand' list names the ideas of the Enlightenment, so expect a definition or century question.

Memory hook: Enlightenment: the lights came on in the 1700s, and people started to think for themselves.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 17

Many of the great thinkers of the Enlightenment came from which part of the UK?

Scotland.

Scotland punched well above its weight in the 18th century. The handbook then names Adam Smith on economics and David Hume on human nature, and adds James Watt, whose steam work powered the Industrial Revolution. That is why questions on the Enlightenment tend to circle back to Scotland rather than London.

Why it matters: Which nation supplied many Enlightenment thinkers is asked plainly, and often.

Memory hook: Think of the Enlightenment as a Scottish reading list: Smith, Hume, Watt.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 17

Which of these was one of the most important principles of the Enlightenment?

Everyone should have the right to their own political and religious beliefs.

Strip the Enlightenment down to one idea and it is this: your beliefs are your own business. People should be free to hold their own political and religious views, and the state should not try to impose them. The handbook stresses that this principle still matters in the UK today, which is why it appears in the values chapter.

Why it matters: This links the history chapter to the values chapter, and questions cross that line.

Memory hook: Enlightenment rule: my beliefs, my choice, not the state's voice.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 17

Try 2 practice questions

Question 1

Which of these statements is correct?

  1. A key Enlightenment principle was that The state should decide the religion of all its citizens, and that the state should not dictate them.
  2. A key Enlightenment principle was that everyone should have the right to their own political and religious beliefs, and that the state should not dictate them.
Show the answer

Answer: A key Enlightenment principle was that everyone should have the right to their own political and religious beliefs, and that the state should not dictate them.

Strip the Enlightenment down to one idea and it is this: your beliefs are your own business. People should be free to hold their own political and religious views, and the state should not try to impose them. The handbook stresses that this principle still matters in the UK today, which is why it appears in the values chapter.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 17

Question 2

Which of these statements is correct?

  1. Adam Smith's ideas about human nature continue to influence philosophers.
  2. David Hume's ideas about human nature continue to influence philosophers.
Show the answer

Answer: David Hume's ideas about human nature continue to influence philosophers.

David Hume asked what human beings are really like: how we think, feel and decide. Philosophers still argue with him today, which is a compliment of sorts. The handbook lists him beside Adam Smith, so the exam may offer both names in one question. Remember that Hume sounds like 'human', and human nature was his subject.

Official handbook: Chapter 3, section 3.3, page 17

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