Which English humanist is best known for Utopia and his critique of European society?

• A. Sir Thomas More
• B. Erasmus
• C. Francis Bacon
• D. Desiderius Erasmus

Answer: (A)

The question tests your ability to link a Renaissance humanist to his famous work and critique of European society. Sir Thomas More is the English humanist who wrote Utopia in 1516, using a fictional island and its social system to highlight and critique the flaws he saw in European politics, property practices, and governance. More’s Utopia satirically contrasts communal property, rational laws, and educational reform with the greed and corruption he observed at home, embodying the humanist impulse to apply classical learning to contemporary social issues. The other figures listed are not English or are associated with different work: Erasmus (Desiderius Erasmus) was Dutch, and while a major humanist, did not author Utopia; Francis Bacon is known for developing empirical philosophy and the scientific method, not for a utopian critique of European society.