The Enem History test asks the candidate for interpretive capacity and ability to make relationships with various disciplines.
Therefore, we have prepared a list with 16 questions that address themes of the History of Brazil, General, America and Africa. Everything for you to prepare yourself and enter the University of your dreams.
question 1
(Enem/2013) It should be noted that, of all the Brazilian captaincies, Minas was the most urbanized. There was no hegemony of one or two major centers there. The region was full of villages and camps, large and small, in whose streets many people circulated.
PAIVA, E. F. Gold and transformations in colonial society. São Paulo: Current, 1998.
The regions of Portuguese America had different occupation logics. An explanation for the specificity of the region described in the text is identified in:
a) cultural appropriation in the face of external influences.
b) manufacturing production in the face of commercial exclusivity.
c) religious insubordination before the ecclesiastical hierarchy.
d) state inspection in view of economic particularities.
e) administrative autonomy from metropolitan institutions.
Correct alternative d) state inspection in view of economic particularities.
Due to the extraction of gold, Minas Gerais has always been more watched by the government in order to ensure that the wealth found would reach the Court.
The other options do not reflect the historical reality of the region in this period with exaggerations such as "manufacturing production" and "administrative autonomy".
question 2
(Enem/2016) On the anniversary of the first decade of the March on Rome, in October 1932, Mussolini will inaugurate his Via dell Impero; the new Via Sacra of Fascism, decorated with statues of Caesar, Augustus, Trajan, will serve to worship the ancient and the glory of the Roman Empire and as a commemorative space for Italian pride. In the shadows of the recreated past rises the new Rome, which can boast and celebrate its emperors and strong men; his great poets and apologists like Horace and Virgil.
SILVA, G. Ancient history and past uses a study of ancient appropriations under the Vichy regime. São Paulo: Annablume, 2007 (adapted).
The return to classical antiquity from the perspective of cultural heritage was carried out with the aim of
a) affirm the Christian ideals to regain lost greatness.
b) use the restored traces to justify the political regime.
c) spread ancestral knowledge to moralize social customs.
d) remake classic urbanism to favor political participation.
e) rebuild the republican organization to strengthen state administration.
Correct alternative b) use the restored traces to justify the political regime.
Mussolini uses the past of the Roman Empire to show the continuity between the two regimes and thus used various symbols from this era to reinforce this link. In this way, he reinforced the idea of an expansionist past to justify the conquests in Africa, for example.
The other options are not correct, as the Mussolini regime had no intention of "affirming the Christian ideals to regain lost greatness" and also did not use antiquity to "favor participation politics".
question 3
(Enem/2016) Today is our national party. The whole of Brazil, from the capital of the Empire to the most remote and insignificant of its hamlets, unites unanimously to celebrate the day that took it from the dependent nations to place him among the sovereign nations, and gave them their destinies, which had hitherto been in charge of a people strange.
Gazeta de Notícias, 7 Sept.1883.
The festivities around the Independence of Brazil mark our calendar since the years immediately after September 1822. This celebration is directly related to:
a) the construction and maintenance of symbols for the formation of a national identity.
b) the dominance of the Brazilian elite over the main political positions, which took effect soon after 1822.
c) the interests of landlords who, after independence, demanded the abolition of slavery.
d) popular support for the measures taken by the imperial government to expel foreigners from the country.
e) the population's awareness of their rights acquired after the Court's transfer to Rio de Janeiro.
Correct alternative a) the construction and maintenance of symbols for the formation of a national identity.
This is an issue where more knowledge of interpretation is needed than of history. The use of symbols such as national festivals, flag and anthem aims to form a community that identifies with these emblems and thus, a national identity.
Other options are not correct. Alternative b) "the dominance of the Brazilian elite over the main political positions, which took effect soon after 1822" could confuse us. However, the political scenario in independent Brazil was quite confused and there was still no national awareness on the part of this elite.
question 4
(Enem/2010) For Paraguay, therefore, this was a war for survival. In any case, a war against two giants was bound to be a debilitating and severe test for such a narrowly-based economy. Lopez needed a quick win, and if he couldn't win quickly, he probably would never win.
LYNCH, J. The Republics of Silver: from Independence to the War of Paraguay. BETHELL, Leslie (Org). History of Latin America: from Independence to 1870, v. III. São Paulo: Edusp, 2004.
The Paraguay War had important political consequences for Brazil, as
a) represented the affirmation of the Brazilian Army as a political actor of the first order.
b) confirmed the achievement of Brazilian hegemony over the Platinum Basin.
c) achieved the emancipation of black slaves.
d) encouraged the adoption of a constitutional monarchic regime.
e) solved the financial crisis, due to the indemnities received.
Correct alternative a) represented the affirmation of the Brazilian Army as a political actor of the first order.
The Brazilian army came out of the conflict strengthened and started to demand more participation in the political scenario, which would end up resulting in the republican coup.
Other options are not correct. After all, Brazil does not conquer the hegemony of the Platinum Basin, nor are black slaves emancipated.
question 5
(Enem/2011) If the mania for closing, a true habitus of the medieval mentality born perhaps from a deep feeling of insecurity, was diffused in the rural world, it was also found in the urban environment, since one of the characteristics of the city was that it was limited by doors and a wall.
DUBY, G. et al. “14th-15th centuries”. In: ARIÈS, P.; DUBY, G. History of private life from Feudal Europe to the Renaissance. São Paulo: Company das Letras, 1990 (adapted).
The practices and uses of the walls underwent important changes in the late Middle Ages, when they assumed the function of crossing points or porticoes. This process is directly related to:
a) the growth of commercial and urban activities.
b) the migration of peasants and artisans.
c) the expansion of industrial and industrial parks.
d) the increase in the number of castles and manors.
e) the containment of epidemics and diseases.
Correct alternative a) the growth of commercial and urban activities.
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the walls had a defensive function. However, with the increase in population and the displacement of people and goods, it was urgent to control entry and exit into cities, in addition to collecting the respective taxes.
Other options are not correct. Option e) "the containment of epidemics and diseases" was already a function of the walls and alternative c) "the expansion of industrial and industrial parks" does not correspond to the historical facts of the time.
question 6
(Enem/2016)
TEXT I
Although they, modern artists, are new forerunners of an art to go, nothing is older than abnormal art. There are many who already study it by psychiatrists in their treatises, documenting it in the countless drawings that decorate the inner walls of asylums. These considerations are provoked by the presentation of the Malfatti. Be honest: futurism, cubism, impressionism and tutti quanti are just so many branches of caricatural art.
WOLF. M. Paranoia or Mystification: About Anita Malfatli's Exhibition. The state of Sao Paulo. 20 Dec. 1917 (adapted).
TEXT II
Anita Malfatti, possessed of a high awareness of what she does, the vibrant artist was not afraid to raise with her fifty works the most irritated opinions and the most contradictory hostilities. Her canvases shock the photographic prejudice that is usually carried in the spirit of our painting exhibitions. In art, reality in illusion is what everyone is looking for. And the most perfect naturalists are the ones who best deceive.
ANDRADE, O. The Anita Malfatti exhibition. Newspaper of Cormercio. 11 Jan. 1918 (adapted).
TEXT III
The analysis of the documents presented demonstrates that the Brazilian artistic scene in the first quarter of the 20th century was characterized by (a)
a) mastery of academicism, which hindered the reception of the realist aspect in the work of Anita Malfatti.
b) dissonance between the artistic strands, which diverged on the validity of the European aesthetic model.
c) exaltation of the beauty and rigidity of form, which justified the adaptation of European aesthetics to the Brazilian reality.
d) impact of new aesthetic languages, which changed the concept of art and fueled the search for a national artistic production.
e) influence of the European avant-garde artistic movements, which led the modernists to copy their techniques and themes.
Correct alternative d) impact of new aesthetic languages, which changed the concept of art and fueled the search for a national artistic production.
In this question, it is necessary to use the knowledge of literature and art classes in order to answer it well.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Brazilian artists used the new European artistic currents to reinterpret Brazil and talk about what it was "to be Brazilian". This is reflected in several movements that adapt European movements to the Brazilian reality.
Other options are not correct. Anita Malfatti did not do "academic" style art and Brazilian artists reiterated European avant-garde movements, not just copying them.
question 7
(Enem/2016)
The image refers to an intense popular mobilization and can be translated as
a) the popular campaign that confronted the legitimacy of indirect elections in the country.
b) the demonstration of thousands of people in favor of holding elections for the Senate.
c) the marches held for the end of the Military Dictatorship in Brazil and Argentina.
d) rallies and popular demonstrations for political opening in a slow and secure way.
e) the movement that demanded the right to equal voting for men and women.
Correct alternative a) the popular campaign that confronted the legitimacy of indirect elections in the country.
At the end of the military dictatorship (1964-1985), when repression eased, the population took the opportunity to demand a series of political reforms, including the right to vote for president.
Henfil's cartoon portrays one of the marches by Diretas-Já that mobilized Brazil.
The other options are not in accordance with the historical facts of this period.
question 8
(Enem/2016) The Law of the Twelve Tables, from the middle of the fifth century a. C., fixed in writing an old customary right. With regard to unpaid debts, the code ultimately allowed for killing the debtor; or sell him as a slave “across the Tiber”—that is, outside the territory of Rome.
CARDOSO, C. F. S. Compulsory work in Antiquity. Rio de Janeiro: Graal, 1984.
The aforementioned law was a milestone in the struggle for rights in Ancient Rome, as it made it possible for commoners to:
a) modify the agrarian structure based on the latifundium.
b) exercise the practice of slavery over their debtors.
c) conquered the possibility of marriage with their countrymen.
d) expand political participation in public political positions.
e) demand social changes based on knowledge of the laws.
Correct alternative: e) demand social changes based on knowledge of the laws.
Despite still being more favorable to the patricians than to the commoners, the Law of the Twelve Tables allowed the laws to be registered and immutable, which helped a lot in a judicial process. It also authorized commoners to occupy more political positions, something that previously figured as an exception rather than a rule.
Other options are not correct. Alternatives d) "increase political participation in public political positions" and c) "conquer the possibility of marriage with the countrymen" refer to facts that will occur posteriorly.
question 9
(Enem/2012) It is true that in democracies the people seem to do what they want; but political freedom does not consist of that. One must always keep in mind what is independence and what is freedom. Freedom is the right to do whatever the laws allow; if a citizen could do everything they forbid, he would have no more freedom, because others would also have such power.
MONTESQUIEU. From the Spirit of Laws. São Paulo: Editora Nova Cultural, 1997 (adapted).
The characteristic of democracy highlighted by Montesquieu concerns:
a) the status of citizenship that the individual acquires when making decisions for himself.
b) the conditioning of citizens' freedom to compliance with the law.
c) the possibility for the citizen to participate in power and, in this case, free from submission to the laws.
d) the free will of the citizen in relation to what is prohibited, as long as he is aware of the consequences.
e) the right of citizens to exercise their will in accordance with their personal values.
Correct alternative b) the conditioning of citizens' freedom to compliance with laws.
A good question to unite knowledge of Sociology, Philosophy and text interpretation. The Enlightenment thinker Montesquieu proposes a concept of freedom where the individual would be responsible for their choices.
In this way, he points out the law and the consequences of disobeying it, as a necessary limit for freedom and social coexistence.
The other options are not correct because they claim that the human being could "participate in power without obey the laws" or that man's freedom would be limited by something subjective like "values personal" .
question 10
(Enem/2014) The Brazilian State's relations with the labor and union movement, as well as public policies focused on the issues social issues during the first government of the Vargas Era (1930-1945), are themes widely studied by Brazilian academia in its various aspects. They are also the themes most remembered by society when thinking about the Vargas legacy.
D'ARAUJO M. Ç. State, working class and social policies. In: FERREIRA J.; DELGADO L. THE. (Org.). The time of national statism: From the beginning to the height of the Estado Novo. Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian Civilization, 2007.
During the government of Getúlio Vargas, actions of a social nature were developed, among which the
a) dissemination of paramilitary organizations inspired by European fascist regimes.
b) approval of norms that sought to guarantee land tenure for small farmers.
c) creation of a set of labor laws associated with the control of union representations.
d) implementation of a pension and security system to assist rural workers.
e) implementation of civil associations as a strategy to bring the middle classes and the government closer together.
Correct alternative c) creation of a set of labor laws associated with the control of union representations.
At the same time that it promoted laws that improved the lives of workers, the government of Getúlio Vargas used the unions to control them.
Other options are not correct. Options b) "approval of rules that sought to guarantee land tenure to small farmers" and d) "implementation of a system of social security and security to serve rural workers" are wrong because labor rights did not include workers rural areas.
question 11
(Enem/2010) England asked for profits and received profits. Everything turned into profit. Cities had their profitable dirt, their profitable slums, their profitable smoke, their profitable disorder, their profitable ignorance, their profitable despair. The new factories and new blast furnaces were like the Pyramids, showing more man's enslavement than his power.
DEANE P. The Industrial Revolution. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar, 1979 (adapted).
What relationship is established in the text between the technological advances that took place in the context of the English Industrial Revolution and the characteristics of industrial cities in the early nineteenth century?
a) The grandeur of the buildings where the factories were located revealed the advances in engineering and architecture of the period, transforming cities into places of aesthetic and artistic experimentation.
b) The ease of establishing profitable relationships transformed cities into privileged spaces for free enterprise, characteristic of the new capitalist society.
c) The development of urban planning methods increased the efficiency of industrial work.
d) The construction of urban centers integrated by means of transport facilitated the displacement of workers from the periphery to the factories.
e) The high level of exploitation of industrial workers caused the emergence of urban agglomerations marked by poor housing, health and hygiene conditions.
Correct alternative e) The high level of exploitation of industrial workers caused the emergence of urban agglomerations marked by poor housing, health and hygiene conditions.
The Industrial Revolution brought the possibility of finding more products at affordable prices, but this phenomenon was not accompanied by an improvement in the life of the working class. Therefore, option e) portrays very well what was happening to the working class at this time.
The other options are not correct because they describe positive aspects of the Industrial Revolution that simply did not happen at this time.
question 12
(Enem/2011) Following the intention of the Renaissance bourgeoisie to expand its domain over nature and geographic space, through scientific research and technological invention, scientists would also throw themselves into this adventure, trying to conquer form, movement, space, light, color and even expression and feeling.
(SEVCENKO, N. The Renaissance, Campinas, Unicamp, 1984)
The text presents a period spirit that also affected artistic production, marked by the constant relationship between
a) faith and mysticism.
b) science and art.
c) culture and commerce.
d) politics and economics.
e) astronomy and religion.
Correct alternative b) science and art.
In the Renaissance, authors constantly sought to use scientific advances in their artistic creations. We can mention the study of anatomy that became mandatory to accurately draw the human body.
The other alternatives do not fit the text, as the artists were not directly influenced by the concepts described.
question 13
(Enem/2015)
TEXT I
Across the country the law of May 13, 1888 freed few blacks in relation to the colored population. Most had already conquered manumission before 1888, through possible strategies. However, the historical importance of the 1888 law cannot be measured in numerical terms alone. The impact that the extinction of slavery caused in a society constituted from the legitimacy of property on the person cannot be included in figures.
ALBUQUERQUE. W. The dissimulation game: Abolition and black citizenship in Brazil. São Paulo: Company das Letras, 2009 (adapted).
TEXT II
In the years immediately preceding Abolition, the free population of Rio de Janeiro became more numerous and diversified. The slaves, much less numerous than before, and with the Africans more acculturated, certainly did not distinguish themselves very easily from the freedmen and the free blacks and browns who lived in the city. It is also no longer reasonable to assume that a person of color is likely to be captive, as freed and free blacks could be found everywhere.
CHALHOUB, S. Visions of Freedom: A History of the Last Decades of Court Slavery. São Paulo: Company das Letras, 1990 (adapted).
On the end of slavery in Brazil, the element highlighted in Text I that complements the arguments presented in Text II is (a)
a) variety of captive resistance strategies.
b) legal control exercised by the owners.
c) social innovation represented by law.
d) practical ineffectiveness of deliverance.
e) political significance of Abolition.
Correct alternative e) political meaning of Abolition.
Both texts address the political and social aspect of the abolition of slavery, highlighting aspects such as place of the freed in society and the consequences of the Golden Law within a society of owners and properties.
The other options emphasize legal aspects or criticize the Lei Áurea that are beyond the subject addressed in the text.
question 14
(ENEM/2010) In our country, we want to replace selfishness with morality, honor with probity, uses for principles, convenience for duties, the tyranny of fashion for empire of reason, contempt for disgrace for contempt for vice, insolence for pride, vanity for greatness of soul, love of money for love of glory, good company for the good people, the intrigue for merit, the witty for the genius, the shine for the truth, the tedium of lust for the charm of happiness, the pettiness of the great for the greatness of man.
(HUNT, L. French Revolution and Private Life. In: PERROT, M. (Org.) History of Private Life: from the French Revolution to the First War. Vol. 4. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1991 (adapted))
Robespierre's speech of February 5, 1794, of which the transcribed excerpt is a part, relates to which of the social-political groups involved in the French Revolution?
a) To the upper bourgeoisie, who wanted to participate in the French legislative power as the dominant political force.
b) To the French clergy, who wanted social justice and was linked to the upper bourgeoisie.
c) To military personnel from the small and middle bourgeoisie, who defeated the rival powers and wanted to reorganize France internally.
d) To the enlightened nobility, who, due to their contact with the Enlightenment intellectuals, wanted to extinguish French absolutism.
e) To the representatives of the small and middle bourgeoisie and the popular classes, who wanted social justice and political rights.
Correct alternative e) To the representatives of the small and middle bourgeoisie and the popular classes, who wanted social justice and political rights.
Robespierre was one of the most radical leaders of the French Revolution because he violently criticized sectors such as the clergy, the nobility and the bourgeoisie. Therefore, in this passage he extols the qualities of those who suffered most during the Ancien Regime: the serfs and the petty and middle bourgeoisie.
question 15
(Enem/2018)
The encounter between the Old and the New World, which Columbus' discovery made possible, is of a very particular type: it is a war – or the Conquest – as was said then. And a mystery remains: the result of combat. Why the blazing victory, if the inhabitants of America were so outnumbered by their opponents and fought on their own soil? If we limit ourselves to the conquest of Mexico – the most spectacular, since Mexican civilization is the most brilliant in the pre-Columbian world – how explain that Cortez, leading hundreds of men, managed to take the kingdom of Montezuma, which had hundreds of thousands of warriors?
TODOROV, T. The conquest of America. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 1991 (adapted)
In the context of achievement, according to the analysis presented in the text, a strategy to overcome disparities
raised was
a) to implant Christian missions among the submitted communities.
b) use the physical superiority of African mercenaries.
c) explore existing rivalries between native peoples.
d) introduce vectors for the spread of epidemic diseases.
e) buy land to weaken autochthonous theocracies.
Alternative c) explore existing rivalries between native peoples.
The author exposes his perplexity at the achievement. How was it possible for half a dozen Spaniards to conquer an empire with the Aztec? In spite of everything that has been written, there is the possibility that Cortez was more diplomat than a warrior, allying himself with the rival gang to unseat Montezuma. So he was able to multiply his army and conquer the Aztec Empire.
The other alternatives are fanciful and do not correspond to the strategies employed by Cortez.
question 16
(Enem/2019)
The sovereignty of citizens endowed with full rights was essential for the existence of the city-state. According to political regimes, the proportion of these citizens in relation to the total population of men could vary a lot, being quite small in the aristocracies and oligarchies and larger in the democracies.
CARDOSO, C. F. The classic city-state. São Paulo: Attica, 1985.
In Classical Antiquity city-states, the proportion of citizens described in the text is explained by the adoption of the following criteria for political participation:
a) Land control.
b) Freedom of worship.
c) Gender equality.
d) Exclusion of the military.
e) Literacy requirement.
Correct alternative a) Ground control.
In Ancient Greece, where the city-states existed, the concept of citizenship was reserved for men, free, born in cities and owners.
The other alternatives did not serve as a criterion, as they were concepts foreign to this society.
Do you want to know more about this discipline at Enem? read:
- History in Enem
- Brazilian History Questions in Enem
- Gold Cycle
