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History of pseudoscience - Quiz
Contributed by: Khatun
  • 1. Which of the following was a notable development in pseudoscience during the 20th century?
A) The formulation of quantum mechanics
B) The invention of the microscope
C) The discovery of penicillin
D) The rise of Creationism
  • 2. What demised in the 20th century according to the text?
A) Reflexology
B) Creationism
C) Spiritualism
D) Ancient astronaut theories
  • 3. What theory saw its first formulation in the 20th century?
A) Ancient astronaut theories
B) The modern evolutionary synthesis
C) Germ theory
D) The theory of relativity
  • 4. When was reflexology introduced in the US?
A) 1913
B) 1968
C) 1991
D) 1987
  • 5. Under what initial name was reflexology introduced in the US in 1913?
A) Life force healing
B) Foot mapping
C) Energy balancing
D) Zone therapy
  • 6. What concept does reflexology rely on regarding an undetectable life force?
A) It channels energy solely through the spine
B) It connects various parts of the body to the feet, hands, and ears
C) It purifies blood through the palms
D) It connects the brain directly to the heart
  • 7. Who began opposing the teaching of the theory of evolution in American public schools?
A) Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin
B) Soviet scientists
C) American fundamentalist Christians
D) Skeptical foundations
  • 8. Which famous trial notoriously upheld a law against teaching the theory of evolution?
A) The Space Race Trial
B) The Skeptics Trial
C) The Scopes Trial
D) The Genesis Trial
  • 9. What historical event caused a renewed interest in science in the second half of the 20th century in the USA?
A) The Space Race
B) The invention of the internet
C) The publication of Chariots of the Gods?
D) The Scopes Trial
  • 10. Why did stricter science standards lead to the re-introduction of evolution in the curriculum?
A) The findings of the James Randi Educational Foundation
B) Pressure from young Earth creationists
C) Worry that the USA was falling behind on the Soviet Union
D) The collapse of spiritualism
  • 11. Why were laws against teaching evolution eventually ruled unconstitutional?
A) They violated the separation of church and state
B) They were opposed by Erich von Däniken
C) They violated international space treaties
D) They conflicted with reflexology principles
  • 12. What did Christian fundamentalists produce in an attempt to evade the ruling against anti-evolution laws?
A) A supposedly secular alternative to evolution called Creationism
B) A scientific guide on zone therapy
C) Skeptical foundations
D) Ancient astronaut literature
  • 13. Who wrote the influential young Earth creationist publication The Genesis Flood?
A) John C. Whitcomb and Erich von Däniken
B) James Randi and Henry M. Morris
C) John C. Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris
D) Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin
  • 14. What core idea is shared by all versions of ancient astronaut theories?
A) The Earth is young and was flooded globally
B) Humans originated on Mars and migrated to Earth via space travel
C) Extraterrestrials created reflexology in ancient times
D) Intelligent extraterrestrials visited Earth in the distant past and made contact with humans
  • 15. When did popular authors like Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin begin publishing ancient astronaut theories?
A) The 1980s
B) The 1990s
C) The 1960s
D) The 1910s
  • 16. Which notable publication in the ancient astronaut genre appeared in 1968?
A) Zone Therapy
B) Chariots of the Gods?
C) Stichting Skepsis
D) The Genesis Flood
  • 17. Why were prominent skeptical foundations formed late in the 20th century?
A) To promote ancient astronaut theories
B) To support young Earth creationism
C) To counter the growth of pseudosciences
D) To advance zone therapy
  • 18. In what year was the Center for Inquiry founded?
A) 1996
B) 1976
C) 1991
D) 1992
  • 19. In what year was The Skeptics Society founded?
A) 1992
B) 1996
C) 1987
D) 1991
  • 20. Which of the following US skeptical foundations was founded in 1996?
A) The Skeptics Society
B) The James Randi Educational Foundation
C) The Center for Inquiry
D) The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
  • 21. Which other skeptical foundation was also founded in 1996 in the US alongside the James Randi Educational Foundation?
A) The Center for Inquiry
B) The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
C) Stichting Skepsis
D) The New England Skeptical Society
  • 22. In what year was the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry founded?
A) 1992
B) 1976
C) 1991
D) 1987
  • 23. What happened to the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry in 1991?
A) It relocated to the Netherlands
B) It became part of the Center for Inquiry
C) It was disbanded permanently
D) It merged with The Skeptics Society
  • 24. What is the name of the skeptical foundation founded in the Netherlands in 1987?
A) The Skeptics Society
B) Stichting Skepsis
C) The James Randi Educational Foundation
D) The New England Skeptical Society
  • 25. Which of these organizations was founded first?
A) The Center for Inquiry
B) The James Randi Educational Foundation
C) The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
D) The Skeptics Society
  • 26. How does a pseudoscience present itself?
A) As politics
B) As science
C) As art
D) As a religion
  • 27. What is one popular proposal for demarcation between proper science and pseudoscience?
A) The ideological standard
B) The popularity index
C) The falsification criterion
D) The geographical origin
  • 28. Who notably contributed to the falsification criterion?
A) Samuel Hahnemann
B) Karl Popper
C) Ignaz von Peczely
D) Harry Houdini
  • 29. Which science traces its origins from the protoscience of alchemy?
A) Chemistry
B) Neuroscience
C) Psychiatry
D) Astronomy
  • 30. Lysenkoism developed as part of what?
A) A literary device
B) A religious movement
C) An ideology
D) Mainstream medicine
  • 31. Which pseudoscience remains popular despite being rejected by a large majority of scientists?
A) Astrology
B) Phrenology
C) Lysenkoism
D) Spirit photography
  • 32. When did Spiritualism trace its origins in America?
A) 1882
B) 1848
C) 1800
D) 1796
  • 33. When was homeopathy first formulated?
A) 1881
B) 1796
C) 1848
D) 1877
  • 34. Around what year was phrenology developed?
A) 1882
B) 1850
C) 1796
D) 1800
  • 35. What 19th-century pseudoscientific belief involved visible features on Mars?
A) Oceans
B) Canals
C) Craters
D) Pyramids
  • 36. When was phrenology prevailingly abandoned by the scientific community?
A) In the late 20th century
B) At the beginning of the 18th century
C) Halfway through the 19th century
D) When Harry Houdini started performing
  • 37. Who invented iridology halfway through the 19th century?
A) Samuel Hahnemann
B) Karl Popper
C) Ignaz von Peczely
D) Ignatius L. Donnelly
  • 38. What was the nationality of Ignaz von Peczely?
A) Dutch
B) Italian
C) German
D) Hungarian
  • 39. Who began claiming the ability to communicate with the dead in 1848, launching American Spiritualism?
A) Giovanni Schiaparelli and Ignatius L. Donnelly
B) Plato and Harry Houdini
C) Ignaz von Peczely and Samuel Hahnemann
D) The Fox sisters
  • 40. Until what decade did the religious movement of Spiritualism remain popular?
A) The 1850s
B) The 1970s
C) The 1890s
D) The 1920s
  • 41. Who began exposing famous mediums and other performers as frauds?
A) Harry Houdini
B) Karl Popper
C) Samuel Hahnemann
D) Ignaz von Peczely
  • 42. Who formulated the principles of homeopathy in 1796?
A) Ignatius L. Donnelly
B) Giovanni Schiaparelli
C) Ignaz von Peczely
D) Samuel Hahnemann
  • 43. What was the nationality of Samuel Hahnemann?
A) Dutch
B) German
C) Italian
D) Hungarian
  • 44. What primitive technique did mainstream medicine use when homeopathy was formulated?
A) Phrenology
B) Bloodletting
C) Skull measurement
D) Spirit photography
  • 45. What did homeopathic medicine essentially consist of due to extreme dilution?
A) Ectoplasm
B) Undiluted toxins
C) Strong chemicals
D) Water
  • 46. During which decade did homeopathic institutions and schools spread across the US and Europe?
A) The 1920s
B) The 1880s
C) The 1790s
D) The 1830s
  • 47. Who first reported the supposed Martian canals in 1877?
A) Giovanni Schiaparelli
B) Ignatius L. Donnelly
C) Karl Popper
D) Harry Houdini
  • 48. What was the nationality of Giovanni Schiaparelli?
A) Hungarian
B) Italian
C) German
D) Dutch
  • 49. Who wrote the 1882 book 'Atlantis: The Antediluvian World'?
A) Ignaz von Peczely
B) Ignatius L. Donnelly
C) Samuel Hahnemann
D) Giovanni Schiaparelli
  • 50. What was Ignatius L. Donnelly's profession besides author?
A) Astronomer
B) Physician
C) Magician
D) Politician
  • 51. Who first mentioned Atlantis as a literary device in two of his dialogues?
A) Harry Houdini
B) Plato
C) Karl Popper
D) Ignaz von Peczely
  • 52. In what year was the Dutch Vereniging tegen de Kwakzalverij formed?
A) 1796
B) 1848
C) 1882
D) 1881
  • 53. When did studies show the Flat Earth theory actually began?
A) Thousands of years ago
B) The 21st century
C) The 2000s
D) The 1990s
  • 54. What allowed the Flat Earth theory to spread much quicker in the 1990s?
A) Global newspapers
B) The internet starting up
C) Television broadcasting
D) Social media platforms
  • 55. What was the name of the trial where Intelligent Design suffered a major legal defeat?
A) Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
B) Brown v. Board of Education
C) Scopes v. State
D) Roe v. Wade
  • 56. Teaching Intelligent Design in public schools violates which amendment's Establishment Clause?
A) Second Amendment
B) Fourth Amendment
C) Fifth Amendment
D) First Amendment
  • 57. In what year was the NOVA production Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial released?
A) 2007
B) 2003
C) 2010
D) 2009
  • 58. What is the scientific consensus regarding vaccination and autism?
A) There is strong scientific proof supporting the link.
B) There is a broad scientific consensus against the link.
C) Scientists are undecided.
D) Vaccines definitely cause autism.
  • 59. Which celebrity joined the debate claiming vaccines cause autism because her son has autism?
A) Angelina Jolie
B) Jenny McCarthy
C) Oprah Winfrey
D) Gwyneth Paltrow
  • 60. Who published the original research supposedly indicating a link between vaccines and autism?
A) Andrew Wakefield
B) Charles Darwin
C) Erich von Däniken
D) John E. Jones III
  • 61. What was Andrew Wakefield's profession?
A) Surgeon
B) Physicist
C) Chemist
D) Astrologer
  • 62. In what month and year was Andrew Wakefield reported to have fixed the data by The Sunday Times?
A) February 2009
B) March 2007
C) December 2003
D) May 2010
  • 63. Which newspaper reported that Andrew Wakefield fixed the data?
A) The Guardian
B) The Sunday Times
C) The Washington Post
D) The New York Times
  • 64. When did the General Medical Council hearing begin to examine charges of professional misconduct against Andrew Wakefield?
A) 2003
B) February 2009
C) March 2007
D) May 2010
  • 65. On what date was Andrew Wakefield struck off the United Kingdom medical register?
A) 15 March 2007
B) 1 January 2000
C) 24 May 2010
D) 10 February 2009
  • 66. In what year did Erich von Däniken's Mystery Park open?
A) 1990
B) 2010
C) 2003
D) 2007
  • 67. How many visitors a year was Erich von Däniken's Mystery Park expected to receive?
A) 100,000
B) 1,000,000
C) 50,000
D) 500,000
  • 68. In what year did Erich von Däniken's Mystery Park close due to financial difficulties?
A) 2010
B) 2003
C) 2009
D) 2006
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