1. PART A: Which of the following identifies a central idea of the text?

A) Europe’s changing religious makeup resulted in shifts of power as well as political and religious divisions throughout the continent.
B) Europe became more divided as Christianity pushed out paganism, and leaders began to use religion as a means to discriminate against groups of people.
C) Europe’s shift toward supporting primarily Christian religions, resulted in less fighting and violence, as Christianity promoted moral behavior.
D) European rulers primarily used Christianity as a means to control their people and to increase their own wealth and influence.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

A) “The first Christians made contact with powerful tribal leaders, who converted for political reasons more often that spiritual ones.” ( Paragraph 6)
B) “Europeans would have been loyal to their small kingdom or duchy, and they also would have been loyal to ‘Christendom,’ which referred to every country that Christians lived in.” ( Paragraph 10)
C) “While the Catholic Church had been accused of corruption before, and selling indulgences had been criticized before, Luther’s incredibly public act came at a time when the Catholic Church was ripe for reform.” ( Paragraph 11)
D) “The Piece of Westphalia recognized three separate Christian traditions — Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism — and prompted the reorganization of Europe into nation states.”

3. PART A: Which statement best describes the relationship between paganism and Christianity?

A) Christian leaders converted the few practicing pagans in Europe during the Middle Ages because they viewed them as a threat to their belief systems.
B) Most of Europe converted to Christianity from paganism because Christianity was considered the ruling religion throughout the rest of the world.
C) Although Christianity eventually replaced paganism as the ruling religion in Europe, it adopted some of its practices from pagan traditions.
D) Tribes in Europe during the Middle Ages converted to paganism because it more accurately represented their beliefs.

4. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

A) “At the time, Christians in Europe saw any religion that was not Christianity, Islam, or Judaism as a pagan religion.” ( Paragraph 3)
B) “They believed there were godly wills and stories tied to natural phenomena, like seasons, as well as to natural elements like the springs, rocks, and hills.”
C) “Often, towns simply attached a saint’s name to whatever natural item they believed had protected them according to their pagan beliefs and continued to leave offerings there.”
D) “These tribal leaders then encouraged their tribes to convert, and the tribes did so by intertwining Christian beliefs with their old pagan beliefs.”

5. How does the author support the idea that religion had an important influence on politics in Europe?