PHI 101: Multiple Choice Questions
Republic Excerpts pp. 137-148 Quiz - 7. Extra Credit (Answer unclear)
Give an example of Thrasymachus's definition of justice in today's world (contemporary society).
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 8-14 - 7. At the end, what does Socrates say is the outcome for him?
a. I can now understand what justice is b. I now knows that a just life is better than an unjust life c. I now wish I had never spent time talking to Thrasymachus d. I am tired e. I know nothing (Correct Answer)
Presocratics: Thales, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus - 1. What is the significance of this date: May 23, 585BC?
a. It is the day Thales correctly predicted a complete solar eclipse. (Correct Answer) b. It is when Pythagoras sacrificed a bull in gratitude for discovering his theorem c. The day Xenophanes died d. When Heraclitus published his philosophy book.
Quiz: Crito - 6. Extra credit
Pick one of the four accusations that is made against Socrates in the Apology and briefly explain how he defends himself. (He would talk to people and reveal their contradictions)
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 1-7 - 6. Extra Credit
What is Socrates' point about the social contract in Crito? OR Explain why Socrates is an example of civil disobedience (be specific). (Anamnesis; rational inquiry)
Quiz #2: Euthyphro - 2. Which of the following best summarizes Euthyphro's first attempt to teach Socrates?
a. "Do what I am doing now" (Correct Answer) b. "Learn from the holy books" c. "Obey" d. "What all the gods love is _____" e. "The part of justice that deals with the gods"
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 8-14 - 2. "For it is no ordinary matter that we are discussing, but the right conduct of life." Where does the dialogue lead directly after this statement?
a. A horse has a specific work b. The work of something is that which can only be done with that thing c. Each thing, i.e., creature, organ or tool, has a specific function or purpose d. There is a specific virtue or excellence of everything for which a specific work or function is appointed e. All of the above (Correct Answer)
Quiz: Apology - 2. Why didn't Socrates go into politics?
a. A little voice in his head said "No" b. He does not have enough time since he must do philosophy (Correct Answer) c. He is far too ugly for the public eye d. He does not have enough money e. Politicians are stupid and he is not stupid so he can't do it
Quiz: Kant's Spectacles - 5. What is Hegel's dialectic?
a. A way of talking to another person in order to convince them of your position b. How the world was made, why it is here and what will happen in the future c. A total account of all scientific thought and why religion is wrong d. A box of trinkets discovered in 18th century Jena, Germany. e. The process of a synthesis confronting its opposition and becoming a new thesis (Correct Answer)
An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy - chapter 1- 3. What is the only value judgment that Scruton says is widely accepted today?
a. All judgments of religion are correct b. Only the pronouncing judgments of science have any credibility c. The judgment that all judgments are wrong (Correct Answer) d. To judge another worth of love and respect no matter what e. Philosophical judgments based on great ideas
Quiz: Meno - 4. As a refutation of the Socratic paradox Socrates proposes a theory of learning. Which of the following best encapsulates this theory?
a. All teaching is just remembering b. All learning is just remembering (Correct Answer) c. Nothing can be taught d. Nothing is actually remembered e. All remembering is taught
Republic Excerpts pp. 137-148 Quiz - 2. What is the "noble lie"?
a. An account of how human beings are made of different metals that determine their role in society. (Correct Answer) b. Only philosophers can truly receive an education that will matter for them and their country. c. That all humans are created equal before the gods. d. Mechanisms of war are found in all cultures due to inherent and fixed human nature. e. Eating the flesh of your enemies will make you fit to be a ruler.
Quiz: Apology - 3. Which of the following BEST accounts for what Socrates is really trying to do with Athens?
a. Annoy the hell out of everyone b. Corrupt the youth so the city will change c. Make the city better (Correct Answer) d. Make people who think they are wise look stupid e. Give everyone he talks to an example of what wisdom really is
Quiz #14 Explanation part 1 pp. 25-33 - 5. Why has one of the 4-causes of Aristotle, in particular, become less and less acceptable to most members of the scientific community?
a. As a way of explaining it is too hard to understand, the concept is unnecessarily complex b. The ends or purposes of nature are too obvious to warrant any means of explain phenomena under observation c. It is to hard to quantify numerically the reason for something's existence or usefulness d. Explanations for which no test is appropriate are useless (Correct Answer) e. None of the above
Republic Excerpts Quiz (2nd half) - 4. Why does Socrates say "Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him (p. 15-16)?" Pick the best answer.
a. Because as the prisoner comes up out of the cave into greater degrees of light his eyes at first will not be properly adjusted and the objects will be difficult to see. b. Because his memory overpowers the reality of what is immediately in front of him. c. Because truth is only found by the one who sees and knows shadows in a philosophical sense. d. Because shadows represent the false reality of perception of the physical world. (Correct Answer) e. None of the above
Quiz #2: Euthyphro - 4. Why does Socrates seem so frustrating, ironic, and maybe even annoying (kind of a jerk)?
a. Because he is so wise this is how he seems to those who are ignorant b. This is what he does to match the arrogance, pride, and stubbornness of his interlocutors, those he is talking to (Correct Answer) c. He doesn't seem this way, he is always polite, open and honest, completely straightforward and clear d. Socrates was a bad person. He was taken to court for corrupting the youth and undermining the society e. It was probably due to his frustration with his low status in society, a poor working-class man who didn't have much power in government
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 8-14 - 3. Why must rulers be rewarded with either money or honor?
a. Because they are greedy b. Because some rulers are so good that they will rule even if they do not gain anything c. Because it would not be just to rule without some form of compensation d. Because only then will they have an incentive to make others better (Correct Answer) e. Because you cannot trust the ruler who does not accept payment
Quiz: Descartes Method 1-2 pp. 195-204 - 1. How does Descartes define "reason" or "good sense"?
a. Being able to connect what should be connected in thoughts, deeds or otherwise b. Having the ability to make predications c. Having common sense d. Knowing how to live, survive and manage your affairs well e. Distinguishing the true from the false (Correct Answer)
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 1-7 - 1. Cephalus is an old businessman who represents traditional Greek culture. Which of the following is NOT his opinion about becoming old?
a. Bodily satisfactions (sleeping, eating, drinking, sex etc.) decay and disappear b. Talking and have a good conversation becomes very satisfying, like it never was in youth c. All of the best things of life are taken away and other people treat old people badly (Correct Answer) d. Old age is a relief because it spares us and starts to relieve the burden of the fierce tensions of the passions, i.e., lust e. In old age comes great tranquility
Quiz: Kant's Spectacles - 6. For Hegel how is all progress achieved?
a. By finding the path of least resistance b. Avoiding everything that is harmful c. Evading chaos d. Through the conflict of opposites (Correct Answer) e. By trying to stay as comfortable as possible
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 1-7 - 3. How does Socrates refute the second definition of justice (using the Elenchus)?
a. By getting Polemarchus to agree that it is hard to know who is a friend or enemy b. By getting Polemarchus to agree that sometimes we need to harm friends c. By getting Polemarchus to acknowledge that sometimes we need to help enemies d. By getting Polemarchus to concede that people are only good at what they are good at and not everything e. By getting Polemarchus to claim that the just person is best for making war and as an ally f. All of the above (Correct Answer)
Quiz: Causation Part II pp. 33-45 - 4. 1. Which of the following defines the "correspondence theory of truth" (p.39)?
a. By this theory truth is known only through reaching an understanding of revelation. b. Just like written correspondence this theory of truth is one that can be written down. c. Nobody knows because the inventor of the theory did not leave any explanation. d. The truth of the sentence, statement or proposition consists simply in its correspondence with the facts. (Correct Answer) e. It is the kind of theory which makes the following kinds of sentences true: all types of Mexican food is made of the same basic ingredients but in different forms and ratios.
Quiz: Descartes Method 1-2 pp. 195-204 - 4. In section 2 Descartes lays out four rules for his philosophical endeavor, which of the following is NOT one of these?
a. Clear and present: Never accept anything as true which I did not clearly know to be such (avoid hasty judgments) b. Revelation: seek divine guidance and direction in coming to any possible solution (Correct Answer) c. Divide: split a problem into as many parts as possible d. Conquer: orderly solve the parts of a problem, don't just tackle any one at a time e. Record: keep track of everything done in a general way so that nothing is left out
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 8-14 - 4. What fear motivates the good ruler to run for office and spend time governing?
a. Conquest from a neighboring state b. The consequences of a bad ruler (Correct Answer) c. Spousal infidelity d. Harm being done to children e. All of the above
Quiz: Descartes Discourse on Method 3 & 4 pp. 204-212 - 5. Because dreams can be as vivid as reality Descartes initially says he must doubt everything. What solution does he give later to distinguish waking life from a dream world?
a. Dreams are never wholly in accordance with the waking reality of the world b. Our reasonings are never so clear or so complete during sleep as when we are awake (Correct Answer) c. Logic tells us that dreams are fake d. He does not give a solution to this vivid problem e. Time is different in the waking world than in our dreaming realities
Quiz #2: Euthyphro - 1. When Euthyphro meets Socrates what is he on his way to do?
a. Euthyphro is on his way to meet friends to talk about courage. b. Euthyphro has just been to the market and is on his way home to visit his father. c. Euthyphro is seeking council from a divine oracle with regards to what actions he should do. d. Euthyphro is on his way to court to prosecute a murder case against his own father. (Correct Answer) e. Euthyphro has just been out all night drinking and stumbles into Socrates in a drunken way.
Quiz: Causation Part II pp. 33-45 - 1. 1. Where do empiricists say that all knowledge comes from (p. 39)?
a. Experience (Correct Answer) b. God c. Science d. Reading e. Play
An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy - chapter 1 - 5. What does Scruton says is "like everything human, so much easier to destroy than to create"?
a. Folkways b. Traditions c. Conventions d. Customs e. Dogmas f. All of the above (Correct Answer)
Quiz #14 Explanation part 1 pp. 25-33 - 3. Aristotle developed an exhaustive list of possible causes for everything. Which of the following is NOT one of the four causes given by Aristotle?
a. Formal cause b. Explanatory cause (Correct Answer) c. Material cause d. Efficient cause e. Final cause
Republic Excerpts Quiz (2nd half) - 7. What is the subject or disciple that is presented as being most desirable for education?
a. Gymnastics b. Music c. Warfare d. Mathematics (Correct Answer) e. History
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 8-14 - 5. What happens to Thrasymachus when Socrates says "The just man has turned out on our hands to be good and wise and the unjust man bad and ignorant"?
a. He gives a snorting laugh b. He farts c. He leaves d. He tries to attack Socrates but others hold him back e. He blushes (Correct Answer)
Sophists - 3. What is Plato's relationship to the sophists?
a. He is a sophist himself b. He loved them because Socrates was also a sophist c. He despised them and rejects their relativism (Correct Answer) d. Plato was unaware of the sophists e. None of the above
Quiz: Apology - 6. Socrates says that there are two groups of accusers against him; the first and the later. Which group does he say he is most afraid of?
a. He is most afraid of the first accusers because they have prejudiced the judges. (Correct Answer) b. He is most afraid of the later accusers because they are present at the trial to argue their case. c. He is most afraid of the first accusers because they said that Socrates was a traitor. d. He is most afraid of the later accusers because they have the best arguments. e. He says that though he is afraid he soon will not be because of philosophy.
Quiz: Apology - 1. As part of his defense Socrates appeals, in a roundabout way, to a character witness. Who is the character witness that Socrates says can explain his behavior?
a. His interlocutor Euthyphro b. Athena the patron goddess of wisdom c. The god at Delphi (Correct Answer) d. His friend Meletus e. Anytus the politician
Quiz: Meno - 3. In this reading there is a description and discussion of what is known as the "Socratic paradox." Which of the following best articulates this?
a. How can you claim not to know X and also claim to know what X is not? (Correct Answer) b. Only if you know X will you be able to recognize X when searching for X. c. How can X be known if no knowledge of X is possible? d. What is the definition of X if X is relative? e. None of the above
Quiz: Meno - 1. Meno wants to know how someone becomes virtuous. He proposes three possible options. Which of the following is NOT one of these options?
a. It can be taught b. It comes through religion (Correct Answer) c. It is the result of practice (not something taught) d. It is possessed by the nature of the individual, i.e., automatically
Quiz: Kant's Spectacles - 3. "Kant wished to strike a new path between two strands of 18th century philosophy. The rationalists had argued that reason can comprehend the world unaided by the senses, whereas the empiricist maintained that all knowledge must be firmly grounded in experience. Both have their weaknesses." Which of the following best explains the weakness of the rationalists?
a. It can only relate to individual, subjective, relative experiences, there is nothing shared b. It can say much about the world but sacrifices certainty c. It presents a purely objective state of affairs where everything is accessible to anybody d. It may be indubitably true but says little about the way the world is (Correct Answer) e. None of the above
Quiz: Kant's Spectacles - 4. "Kant wished to strike a new path between two strands of 18th century philosophy. The rationalists had argued that reason can comprehend the world unaided by the senses, whereas the empiricist maintained that all knowledge must be firmly grounded in experience. Both have their weaknesses." Which of the following best explains the weakness of the empiricists?
a. It can say much about the world but sacrifices certainty (Correct Answer) b. It can only relate to individual, subjective, relative experiences, there is nothing shared c. It may be indubitably true but says little about the way the world is d. It presents a purely objective state of affairs where everything is accessible to anybody e. None of the above
Republic Excerpts Quiz (2nd half) - 1. What is the "divided line"?
a. It is a mystery in Platonic philosophy that nobody understands b. It represents a hierarchy of two worlds the visible and the intelligible (Correct Answer) c. Without this line there is no way to understand the difference between life and death d. Plato uses geometry, a line that is split, to explain the differences between men and women e. None of the above
Republic Excerpts pp. 137-148 Quiz - 1. What is Glaucon's point in recounting the story about the Ring of Gyges?
a. It is always better to do what you want than to be concerned with acting in a just or good way b. We are only good or just, or conditioned to be so, because we think somebody is watching (Correct Answer) c. Nobody can really ever be good or just, it is only human nature d. There are too many different and competing factors in life to ever know if we are being good or unjust e. None of the above
Quiz #2: Euthyphro - 3. In this dialogue, there is a deep issue in the background. Which of the following best captures that issue?
a. It is only because of the divine, something outside and beyond humans, that there is moral or ethical obligation at all. b. There must be some standard of goodness, ethics, and virtue in order for us to make any claims about right and wrong. c. It is possible, through reason and dialogue, to know what is the right thing to do. d. WE can be misled into thinking we are ethical or righteous by unclear thinking, thinking that is contradictory. e. All of the above (Correct Answer)
Quiz: Apology - 4. Which of the following BEST presents Socrates's attitude towards death?
a. It is the greatest of all evils b. It is nothing good c. He does not know if it is evil (Correct Answer) d. A certain blessing for all mortals e. Pain
Republic Excerpts pp. 137-148 Quiz - 4. What is the conclusion of the discussion of exercising in the nude?
a. It is vulgar and unsanitary b. Conventions change, what was once ridiculed can become beautiful (Correct Answer) c. Only the uneducated would do such a thing d. Knowing how to do it is not necessary for being educated e. None of the above (they did not talk about this at all)
Presocratics: Thales, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus - 6. For Heraclitus the Arché, the defining principle of all reality, was fire. Why did he think this?
a. It is warm, hot and burning and the source of creation b. Because it exemplified change, strife and war (Correct Answer) c. Fires go out and thus end just as everything else does d. It requires input, fuel and air, just as life requires input e. Fires are different depending on what they are burning or used for
Quiz: Meno - 5. Socrates has a discussion with an uneducated slave boy. What is the result of this discussion?
a. It proves that to make advancements in knowledge one must first be educated. b. It shows that anyone can arrive at the truth if the right teaching method is applied. (Correct Answer) c. Education is purely a matter of being told the answers. d. If you cannot produce the answers by yourself then you are not educated. e. All learning outcomes, and thus truth, are subjective because of the variation of the individuals involved.
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 8-14 - 6. What definition of justice does Socrates propose?
a. Justice is piety b. Justice is knowledge c. Justice is love d. Justice is wisdom (Correct Answer) e. Justice is impossible
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 1-7 - 2. What is the first definition of justice, appealed to by Cephalus, and refuted by Socrates?
a. Justice is telling the truth and returning what one has borrowed (honoring contracts) (Correct Answer) b. Justice is making it so that everyone has an equal opportunity to do anything that they want or get whatever they want c. Justice is the golden rule, doing unto others what we would have them do to us d. Justice is maximizing the greatest good for the greatest number of people e. Justice is making everything fair, money, power, abilities, all possible outcomes
Republic Excerpts pp. 137-148 Quiz - 3. What is the result of the noble lie supposed to be?
a. Make citizens care more for the country and for each other (Correct Answer) b. Teach everyone how to obey the laws c. Make education free for everyone d. Allow women to make their own decisions e. None of the above
Republic Excerpts pp. 137-148 Quiz - 5. What does Plato say about the equality of the sexes?
a. Men who are to be rulers will receive a certain kind of education that women who are to be rulers will also receive. (Correct Answer) b. Men are stronger than women and this means that only they have the required strength to make others obey them and be rulers. c. Women should rule over everyone because they are the ones who are able to bear the next generation. d. There are no differences between men and women whatsoever. e. A nation is strongest when there is a division of labor such that individuals, i.e., male and female, can specialize in certain roles.
Quiz: Descartes Method 1-2 pp. 195-204 - 2. Descartes says, "I have formed a method that gives me the means, as I think, of gradually augmenting my knowledge ... My present design, then, is not to teach the method which each ought to follow for the right conduct of his reason." What does Descartes say is his "purpose" here?
a. Merely to show how he has conducted his own reason (Correct Answer) b. To make us be more like him c. To help us reject philosophical skepticism d. Teach us about the history of philosophy e. Just show us what is right and wrong, true and false
Quiz: Kant's Spectacles - 7. What is the currency of Hegel's dialectic?
a. Money b. Freedom (Correct Answer) c. Time d. Space e. Words f. All of the above
Quiz: Crito - 2. Crito says "Not only will I be deprived of a friend, the like of whom I shall never find again, but many people who do not know you or me very well will say that I could have saved you if I were willing to spend money, but that I did not care to do so" (p. 47: 44b-c). What is Crito worried about?
a. Money b. Reputation (Correct Answer) c. Corruption d. Virtue e. Selfishness
Quiz #14 Explanation part 1 pp. 25-33 - 1. Causation is not the same as correlation. What feature does a cause have?
a. None of these options b. The ability to identify itself as being the cause c. It is short, sweet and to the point d. A cause contains the power to produce an effect (Correct Answer) e. Causes are impossible to identify because they are always dependent on something else
Quiz: Meno - 6. Socrates and Meno agree that virtue is a "kind of knowledge." Based on this what else do they agree upon?
a. Not all kinds of knowledge are the same according to the individual b. If virtue is a kind of knowledge then it is teachable (Correct Answer) c. Virtue is the kind of goodness that everyone can agree upon in all situations d. Only because knowledge is knowable is it possible for it to be a virtue e. None of the above, because they come to no further agreement
Quiz: Descartes Discourse on Method 3 & 4 pp. 204-212 - 1. "And that I might not be prevented from living thenceforth in the greatest possible felicity, I formed a provisory code of morals, composed of four maxims." Which of the following is NOT one of Descartes's moral maxims?
a. Obey the laws and customs of his country as well as following the religion of his childhood b. As far as possible to be firm and resolute in his decided upon course of action c. To consistently follow the order of maximizing the most good for the most individuals, i.e., increasing the positive outcomes for as many as possible (Correct Answer) d. Always to try to conquer himself rather than circumstances: change his desires rather than the order of the world e. To know himself, i.e., to continue to follow his occupation in philosophy of cultivating his reason, the God given light of distinguishing true from false
Quiz: Meno - 7. "So true opinion is in no way a worse guide for correct action than knowledge." What does this mean (pick the one best answer)?
a. Opinions can be true or false but knowledge is always true. b. Being aware of the opinions of others allows us to know what to do in any situation. c. The best way to act is to have knowledge because that will assure the correct outcome every time. d. Correctly guessing what is right has the same result as knowing what is right. (Correct Answer) e. Only opinions can guide those who do not know.
Republic Excerpts pp. 137-148 Quiz - 6. Based on your reading which of the following do you think Plato most agrees with?
a. Organize society and education according to the fact that: Human abilities depends on individuals' decisions b. Organize society and education according to the fact that: Everyone is equal c. Organize society and education according to the fact that: Everyone is different (Correct Answer) d. Organize society and education according to the fact that: Most people are mundane, some are excellent and a few are elite e. Organize society and education according to the fact that: People who are low can become high, and the best can become the most lowly
Quiz: Crito - 4. What do we learn, at the end of the dialogue, should be valued more than anything else?
a. Our children and families b. Our friends and relationships c. Our life d. Goodness (Correct Answer) e. Money, honor and fame
Quiz: Descartes Method 1-2 pp. 195-204 - 5. Descartes says there are two kinds of people, or rather two kinds of minds which his project of "striping one's self of all past beliefs ... ought not to be taken." Which of the following are these two kinds of minds?
a. People who conditioned by long exposure are believers in the unseen AND those who are complete skeptics of all knowledge b. Those that believe themselves more capable than they really are AND those who follow the opinions of others (Correct Answer) c. Children AND those with a diminished rational capacity (the ill or insane) d. Those with a feminine sentimentality AND the kind of people who do not understand the laws of science. Barbarians AND mystics
Republic Excerpts Quiz (2nd half) - 3. Who do the people chained for their whole lives staring at shadows on a cave wall best represent (p. 14)?
a. Philosophers who have been able to decipher the true complexity of abstract representation b. Theists shackled to their belief systems c. The dead who no longer are able to grow or learn as they did in life d. We the uneducated normal people of the world (Correct Answer) e. Children who have the limits inherent to their age
An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy - chapter 1 - 1. Scruton says that philosophy can be approached in two ways. Which of those ways does he say is the only way will use in his book?
a. Philosophy can be approached by studying how it has been done. b. Philosophy can be approached by doing it. (Correct Answer) c. Philosophy can be approached by comparing it to other fields like science or religion. d. Philosophy can be approached only when it is adequately read like literature. e. Philosophy can be approached as a spiritual quest for truth.
Quiz: Crito - 5. While talking with Crito, for awhile, Socrates begins a hypothetical discussion with a third party. Who is this third member of the dialogue?
a. Plato b. Euthyphro c. Gods d. Laws (Correct Answer) e. Warden
Sophists - 4. Who argued that there were no gods but rather that they were invented by humans in order to create order and establish control?
a. Protagoras b. Gorgias c. Socrates d. Critias (Correct Answer) e. None of the above
Sophists - 2. Who presented arguments to prove that knowledge was impossible?
a. Protagoras b. Gorgias (Correct Answer) c. Socrates d. Critias e. None of the above
Sophists - 5. Who said, "of all things the measure is man ... "?
a. Protagoras (Correct Answer) b. Gorgias c. Socrates d. Critias e. None of the above
Quiz: Descartes Method 1-2 pp. 195-204 - 3. After a long and excellent education, Descartes says "I found myself involved in so many doubts and errors, that I was convinced I had advanced no farther in all my attempts at learning, than the discovery at every turn of my own ignorance." Which of the following best describes Descartes's condition?
a. Psychogogia b. Socratic Wisdom (Correct Answer) c. Elenchus d. Arrogance e. Eudaimonia
Sophists - 1. What is the main contribution of the sophists that can also be seen as a similarity with Socrates?
a. Questioning of conventions and critique of the limits of knowledge (Correct Answer) b. Using a dialectical method to find truth and epistemological certainty c. Belief and proof of the existence of gods d. Establishment of constitutional authority e. None of the above
Quiz: Descartes Method 1-2 pp. 195-204 - 6. What led Descartes to "image that all things, to the knowledge of which man is competent, are mutually connected ... there is nothing so far removed from us as to be beyond our reach, or so hidden that we cannot discover it, provided only we abstain from accepting the false for the true."
a. Religion b. Geometry (Correct Answer) c. Philosophy d. Experience e. Virtue
Quiz #14 Explanation part 1 pp. 25-33 - 6. Who presented "the most forceful critique of causal knowledge," that is, an expression of the impossibility of knowing what causes something?
a. Rousseau b. Buddha c. John Locke d. David Hume (Correct Answer) e. Immanuel Kant
Quiz: Causation Part II pp. 33-45 - 2. 1. What does this mean: "It appears, that in single instances of the operation of bodies we never can, by our utmost scrutiny, discover anything but one event following another, without being able to comprehend any force of power by which the cause operates or any connection between it and its supposed effect." Pick the one best answer.
a. Science depends on understanding cause and effect in relation to the logical necessity of event sequences b. We never experience causes, only events that follow other events, no necessary connection (Correct Answer) c. The plot of logic is always causally defined by metaphysical assumptions d. New theories rely almost exclusively on past evidence to substantiate their predictive claims e. You never know what will happen, because you can never know everything that has happened
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 1-7 - 4. "Is not the man who is most skillful to strike a blow in a fight also the most wary to guard against a blow? Is it not also true that he who knows best how to guard against disease is also most cunning to communicate it and escape detection?" Which of the following best matches Socrates's point?
a. Some boxers are really good at landing a punch but also are unable to block or protect b. The worst people are typically those who have the least amount of knowledge and skill but are instead filled with evil towards the world c. Boxers and doctors are not the same because one only harms people and the other only helps people, so they should not be used as examples of justice d. No doctor could ever poison someone because they only know how to heal people e. The best people, the richest, most talented or strongest are also the people most capable of being evil and harming others. (Correct Answer)
Quiz: Kant's Spectacles - 1. Why does Kant say that we never learn of space and time through experience?
a. Space is too large to ever be experienced b. Time is infinite and therefore impossible to experience c. Time is an illusion d. Space is purely relative to perspective and nothing more e. We never perceive objects that are not in space and time (Correct Answer)
Quiz: Apology - 7. "I went to one of those reputed wise ... when I examined this man ... I thought that he appeared wise to many people and especially to himself, but he was not. I then tried to show him that he thought himself wise, but that he was not. As a result he came to dislike me, and so did many of the bystanders." What are the three groups of "wise men" that Socrates examined?
a. Teachers, statesmen and explorers b. Philosophers, sophists and poets c. Politicians, poets and craftsmen (Correct Answer) d. Philosophers, craftsmen and politicians e. Teachers, explorers and sophists
Quiz: Apology - 5. Socrates says that his accusers have told many lies about him. However, "of the many lies they told, one in particular surprised me." What is the lie that surprised Socrates?
a. That he is a philosopher b. That he is a priest c. That he can do magic d. That he is an accomplished speaker (Correct Answer) e. That he is a lazy annoying bum
Quiz: Descartes Discourse on Method 3 & 4 pp. 204-212 - 3. Descartes says that even though he can doubt almost everything, even having a physical body there is something he cannot doubt. What is the thing Descartes cannot doubt?
a. That he is doubting (but from class, this should be the right answer) b. That God exists (Based on my results this is the Correct Answer) c. That there is an afterlife d. That he has a soul e. That there is truth
Republic Excerpts Quiz (2nd half) - 5. "If I am right, certainly professors of education must be wrong." What does Socrates say they are wrong about?
a. That they can educate people the best b. They assume that everything can be taught c. They believe that all that is known is the material world d. That they can put knowledge into a soul (Correct Answer) e. They can't understand what they try to teach
Presocratics: Thales, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus - 5. Which belongs to Xenophanes?
a. The conception of one unmoving god (Correct Answer) b. Ability to accurately predict astronomical events like eclipses c. Mythical status d. Extensive philosophical writings e. None of the above
Quiz #14 Explanation part 1 pp. 25-33 - 4. Which of the following is a definition of one of the 4-causes given by Aristotle? Pick the one best answer.
a. The divine will for things b. Domino effect c. Ends or purposes of nature (Correct Answer) d. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction e. Thought starts everything
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 1-7 - 5. What does Thrasymachus NOT say about his definition of justice?
a. The just is nothing else than the advantage of the stronger b. The just is the advantage of the good person over the evil (Correct Answer) c. The just is the advantage of the established government d. The just is the same thing everywhere
Republic Excerpts Quiz (2nd half) - 6. Which kind of government does Socrates say is the best? Pick the one best option.
a. The one where there are no rulers at all b. The one where the rulers are most reluctant to govern (Correct Answer) c. The one where rulers have authority from god d. The one where the rulers are most eager to govern e. The one where the rulers are philosophers
Quiz: Causation Part II pp. 33-45 - 5. 1. Which of the following defines the "coherence theory of truth" (p. 39)? Pick the one best option.
a. The truth of the sentence, statement or proposition depends on human thought alone. (Correct Answer) b. It is the kind of theory which makes the following kinds of sentences true: all types of Mexican food is made of the same basic ingredients but in different forms and ratios. c. Any theory that is internally coherent, it does not have any contradictions or paradoxes. d. It is a theory that finds truth through communion with eternal principles or laws. e. The truth of theories is found in their predictive power.
Quiz: Kant's Spectacles - 2. Which of the following does NOT apply to the "central insight of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant"?
a. The way we understand the world is partly tied to the faculties we use to arrive at that understanding. b. All of our knowledge depends solely on our sensory ability to drink in information from the world. (Correct Answer) c. Our perceptions are not purely passive. d. To perceive the world is to change it.
Quiz: Meno - 2. Which of the following is NOT one of the four definitions of virtue proposed by Meno?
a. There is a type of virtue for every type of human being, one for women, for men, children, slaves and old people b. Virtue is justice c. Virtue is the ability to rule over others d. Virtue is knowing the difference between right and wrong (Correct Answer) e. Virtue is desiring what is good or beautiful and having the power to get it
Quiz: Descartes Discourse on Method 3 & 4 pp. 204-212 - 6. Which of the following best agrees with Descartes's argument about the existence of God?
a. There is an order to everything, e.g., the stars, light, motion, etc. are all governed by laws in an orderly way. Because of all of this obvious and apparent order there must be a designer: Therefore God exists. b. Though he can doubt many things, thus showing that he is imperfect, Descartes still has an idea of a perfect being, such an idea must of necessity have come from outside of himself: Therefore God exists. (Correct Answer) c. Nobody has every seen God. Nobody has ever heard God. Nobody really has knowledge of God: Therefore God does not exist. d. Many people throughout history, in every culture, in every place on earth have born witness to the existence of a supreme creator. Billions of people have believed in God, currently believe in God and will believe in God. All of these people cannot be wrong. Therefore God exists. e. The world is imperfect, full of suffering and pain. If God is defined as omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent than it is impossible that such a being could have created this world: Therefore God does not exist.
An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy - chapter 1 - 4. Throughout this chapter, Scruton repeatedly refers to and discusses "moral relativism." Which of the following best defines this?
a. There is not absolute right or wrong for everyone (Correct Answer) b. There is always the right or wrong thing to do c. The moral thing is to do what helps the most people d. The moral thing to do is to always do your duty e. The moral thing is to cultivate virtues and to be good
Quiz: Descartes Discourse on Method 3 & 4 pp. 204-212 - 2. "I endeavored to discover the falsehood or incertitude of the propositions I examined ... by clear and certain reasonings." Descartes contrasts his method with skepticism. How does he characterize "skeptics"?
a. Those who doubt merely for the sake of doubting (Correct Answer) b. Those who do not believe anything but their own creations in thought, speech or word c. People who only know how to question and never find an answer d. Individuals who cannot believe in the holy revelations of God e. Those who are uneducated and endowed only with a blinkered and narrow view of life
Presocratics: Thales, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus - 3. For Pythagoras, what is the Arché of the universe, e.g., the defining principle of all reality?
a. Time b. Water c. Number (Correct Answer) d. The Divine e. Matter
Quiz: Descartes Discourse on Method 3 & 4 pp. 204-212 - 4. According to Descartes, what is necessary in order to think?
a. To believe b. To have language c. To exist (Correct Answer) d. To have faith e. To have reason
An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy - chapter 1 - 2. Why are the questions of philosophy to be studied?
a. To find profound answers to these questions. b. To exercise our minds in an ancient tradition of thought. c. For the sake of the questions themselves. (Correct Answer) d. For the answers to the difficult questions of existence. e. To understand human intellectual history.
Sophists - 6. Which of the following does NOT a feature of the sophists?
a. Traveling teacher of philosophy and rhetoric b. Had a method for finding truth about the world (Correct Answer) c. Were dismissive of metaphysics d. Interested in arête or excellence in the sense of moral virtue e. Always taught for a fee
Quiz: Causation Part II pp. 33-45 - 3. 1. What is Hume attacking?
a. We can have a knowledge of cause and effect b. The reasonableness of probability c. That we have reason for believing that the future will be like the past d. That some object we have identified as causing something else will continue to produce its particular effect e. All of the above (Correct Answer)
Quiz: Crito - 3. Which of the following best matches what Socrates and Crito agree should be done when something bad, unjust or harmful is done to us?
a. We should return the harm or injustice b. Revenge must be sought c. The person or group that enacted the detrimental action should be punished d. Two wrongs do not make a right (Correct Answer) e. None of the above
Presocratics: Thales, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus - 2. Thales was the first to ask the question all pre-Socratic philosophers asked, what was this question?
a. What is the basic "stuff" of the universe? (Correct Answer) b. How can we know the "truth"? c. What is the "best" way to live? d. Is philosophy more "important" than science? e. Is there a god and life after death?
Quiz: Republic Book 1 pp. 8-14 - 1. How does Thrasymachus define the unjust?
a. What profits man's self and is for his advantage b. Goodness of judgment c. Intelligence d. Good e. All of the above (Correct Answer)
Quiz: Crito - 1. What does Socrates mean here: "Do you not think it a sound statement that one must not value all the opinions of men, but some and not others, nor the opinions of all men, but those of some and not of others?"
a. You should always trust what most people think is the right opinion like in a democracy. b. Everyone's advice cannot all be equal. (Correct Answer) c. Rest assured, the majority is always right. d. Go with your gut and trust your feelings. e. Follow your heart.
Republic Excerpts Quiz (2nd half) - 2. "Now, that which imparts truth to the known and the power of knowing to the knower is what I would have you term the ____________" (p. 11). What best fills the blank?
a. idea of the good (Correct Answer) b. best education c. great d. wisdom of the philosophers e. holiness of leaders
Quiz #14 Explanation part 1 pp. 25-33 - 2. "The causal principle holds that events can be seen as the effects of causes that must be both _________, and a system of such interconnected causes and effects is called a causal nexus." What best fills the blank?
a. logical and philosophical b. necessary and sufficient (Correct Answer) c. obvious and practical d. lawful and ordered e. clear and present
Presocratics: Thales, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus - 4. Pythagoras' philosophy was inextricably connected to a new religion he founded. Both existed and were known to Plato 150 years after Pythagoras. Which of the following is NOT one of the influences that Pythagoreanism had on Plato?
a. soma sema (The body is a tomb for the soul) b. transmigration of souls c. utopia is possible (society can be designed perfectly to benefit all) d. equality of the sexes e. divide humankind into a hierarchy of three levels f. Truth can be reached through dialectic (Correct Answer)
