mckaywest11e

Quiz for Primary Source 23.3: Ernest Renan on National Identity

Question

1. Renan argued that the most important national bonds were

ethnic bonds.

economic bonds.

spiritual bonds.

cultural and linguistic bonds.

Correct. The answer is c. Renan believed that nations were built on a sense of common destiny, not on imagined ethnic homogeneity or on common material interests.

Incorrect. The answer is c. Renan believed that nations were built on a sense of common destiny, not on imagined ethnic homogeneity or on common material interests.

Question

2. In Renan’s view, why was a shared sense of the past important to the creation of a nation?

Because it reminded people that they had always been united

Because it helped people to locate and defend their national borders

Because it helped people identify the ethnic characteristics that set them apart from others

Because it gave people a sense of shared sacrifice and suffering

Correct. The answer is d. Renan believed that a shared sense of sacrifice and suffering was even more valuable in creating a nation than a shared sense of past glories.

Incorrect. The answer is d. Renan believed that a shared sense of sacrifice and suffering was even more valuable in creating a nation than a shared sense of past glories.