In social gatherings called ___, wealthy hostesses of Paris helped spread the ideas of the Enlightenment to educated Europeans.

In social gatherings called ___, wealthy hostesses of Paris helped spread the ideas of the Enlightenment to educated Europeans.

• A. sans culottes
• B. philosophes
• C. salons
• D. neoclassical

Answer: (C)

Ideas spread through conversations in social spaces where educated people could mingle and exchange thoughts. In Paris during the Enlightenment, wealthy hostesses organized salons—courteous, lively gatherings where philosophers, writers, scientists, and critics could discuss new ideas, critique authority, and share writings. These salons helped move Enlightenment thinking beyond a small circle of scholars by shaping opinions, influencing rulers, and circulating notions of reason, religious tolerance, and progress across educated Europe. The other terms describe unrelated things: sans-culottes were revolutionary crowds, philosophes are the thinkers themselves, and neoclassical refers to an artistic style.

Ideas spread through conversations in social spaces where educated people could mingle and exchange thoughts. In Paris during the Enlightenment, wealthy hostesses organized salons—courteous, lively gatherings where philosophers, writers, scientists, and critics could discuss new ideas, critique authority, and share writings. These salons helped move Enlightenment thinking beyond a small circle of scholars by shaping opinions, influencing rulers, and circulating notions of reason, religious tolerance, and progress across educated Europe. The other terms describe unrelated things: sans-culottes were revolutionary crowds, philosophes are the thinkers themselves, and neoclassical refers to an artistic style.