Free Response Practice Test Number 1

                "Why are the trials and tribulations of Galileo often considered both predicative of the future of Western Civilization as well as a perfect encapsulation of the context of his own time?"

Galileo Galilei was 'the father of science,' as said by many. While he did make an unbelievable amount of discoveries and change so many concepts of his time, he was held back by many things. His discoveries showed a glimpse of what the future of Europe would look like, but the restrictions he had also were a perfect example of what life was like in his time. For example, he did not have the much technology available in order to make discoveries, and he had to stay cautious of the government and the church to make sure that they approved of his ideas. If Galileo lived in our modern times, he would have had much more space and freedom allowing his brilliant mind to change the world, which is a perfect example how restricted life was in his own time. 

The time in which Galileo lived was one that was very difficult in which to stray from the norm. The church and government had the control over the people, and were very strict judges of what the people did. As you can then imagine, scientific research was a very controversial subject. Many things researched in the scientific field were against what the church taught, and therefore against the government as well. If Galileo wanted to continue to be permitted to perform his research, he had to be cautious of the authority's watchful eye. Other restriction's on Galileo's work included the tools and techniques available at that time. Obviously, in modern times we have much more developed machinery, capable of doing so much more than what was even imagined in the time of Galileo. His brilliant mind, if it had been born into this century, would be able to do so much with these advances. If he was able to do so much with the meager resources he had in the old days and was able to create things that we still use today, then imagine what he would have been able to do with all of the amazing things we have today? He would make even more mountain moving discoveries. 

When one thinks of the time in which Galileo lived, they feel as though they cannot relate to it at all. Old times, old people, old ways; that has nothing to do with them, right? This is what most people believe, and while it is true that times have much changed since then, it is not as much as they think. Galileo's discoveries, for example, are still very frequently used today. Take a look at the telescope. Astronomers and scientists all over the world still use this groundbreaking invention. To some, it seems to be a basic part of life, something not too special, but then think of this: it was created centuries ago, by a scientist who had the restrictions of the church and state to work around, and a great lack of resources. Not so simple then, is it? When pondering the brilliance of Galileo, one must take into consideration the time period in which he worked.

Galileo's telescope is just one of the many things he gifted to the world. Many of these things are not only still being used, but built upon. We now have many kinds of telescopes available, ones that Galileo could never have created in his time, though he had the mind to be able to. His mind plus modern technology would have equaled unbelievable advances not yet dreamed of, just like what people felt in his time. His inventions may have seemed strange or useless to some people of his time and he and his inventions may even have seemed crazy. However, they showed an glimpse of what the future would be like far beyond their time. The outstanding accomplishments of his time made the basics of our world today. Without people in history making these kinds of advances, we would have no base to build on in modern times. We cannot do it without them.

Galileo wasn't called the "Father of Science" for nothing. He mattered a lot, and in fact, he started a whole scientific revolution. He was the father, the creator of what we build upon today, what we continue to create from. Galileo is an incredible example of something old and new at the same time. His work and ways showcased the thoughts and beliefs of people in his time period, but also showed the future. If he had been given the chance to work with our technology today, he would still just be making unfathomable discoveries that would serve as the ground for the generations of the future.