Introduction to Philosophy Final Exam (StraighterLine):
Questions & Answers
Who is a philosopher, in the original sense of the world? - ANSWER:A lover and pursuer of wisdom,
regardless of the subject matter.
Which is a common characteristic of philosophical questions? - ANSWER:They involve fundamental
concepts that are unavoidable by the thoughtful person.
Which is the branch of philosophy that studies issues concerning art and beauty? - ANSWER:Aesthetics
Which of the following branches of philosophy does not involve questions related to values? -
ANSWER:Metaphysics.
Which of the following is a common myth about philosophy? - ANSWER:Philosophical questions are
simply semantic disputes in which no one opinion is any better or worse than another is.
In philosophy, what is an argument? - ANSWER:Giving reasons for a belief.
What fallacy is it when an argument attacks the person rather than the person's beliefs? -
ANSWER:Argumentum ad Hominem
What fallacy is it when an argument assumes only two options when in fact there are more? -
ANSWER:False dilemma
"I don't agree with Jones when she says we should wait for a trial, and I'll tell you why. I don't approve of
letting someone get away with murder! That's why I say let's hang him now!" What fallacy does this
most clearly illustrate? - ANSWER:Red Herring.
What must be the case for an argument to succeed with a rational person? - ANSWER:The premises
must be acceptable and they must logically support the conclusion.
What does the branch of philosophy called metaphysics study? - ANSWER:Being.
What does the branch of philosophy called epistemology study? - ANSWER:Knowledge.
What are Thales, Anaximenes and Anaximander collectively known as? - ANSWER:The Milesians.
According to Theano, what did Pythagoras claim? - ANSWER:Everything is in accordance with number.
What was the essence of reality for Heraclitus? - ANSWER:Change.
What is reality according to a follower of Parmenides? - ANSWER:One and unchanging.
What is the cause of change for Empedocles? - ANSWER:Love and strife.
What did Anaxagoras do? - ANSWER:He introduced the matter\mind distinction to philosophy.
What did the Atomists do? - ANSWER:They distinguished between atomic properties and relational
properties.
, Which is a theme common to all the pre-Socratics? - ANSWER:The experienced world is a manifestation
of a more fundamental underlying reality.
What did Socrates hope to achieve by practicing the Socratic method? - ANSWER:He wanted to discover
adequate definitions that would give knowledge of the essential nature of things.
Where do the Forms exist, according to Plato? - ANSWER:In a separate, immaterial realm.
How are the Forms apprehended, according to Plato? - ANSWER:By reason.
Which would Plato have agreed with? - ANSWER:The senses are a source of error, illusion, and
ignorance.
Plato had three famous theories: - ANSWER:The Theory of Knowledge, The Theory of Love and
Becoming, The Theory of Forms.
When the Delphi Oracle pronounced Socrates to be the wisest of people, Socrates thought the
pronouncement referred to the fact that he: - ANSWER:was aware of his own ignorance.
Three of Plato's more enlightening and well-known dialogs are: - ANSWER:Apology, Republic and Meno
Aristotle's primary area of interest was: - ANSWER:Metaphysics.
Which of the following is not one of the ten basic categories Aristotle used to describe the ways in which
humans think about things? - ANSWER:weight.
How many souls did Aristotle believe humans have? - ANSWER:three.
Aristotle's works include all of the following except: - ANSWER:Confessions
What is a thing, according to Aristotle? - ANSWER:A specific form in a particular hunk of matter.
What does Aristotle mean by the efficient cause of a thing? - ANSWER:Where it came from.
If you want to say what a thing is, which of Aristotle's four causes must you provide? - ANSWER:The
formal cause.
What did Aristotle say about all change? - ANSWER:It is a movement from potentiality to actuality.
Which of the following is an example of what Aristotle called a universal? - ANSWER:The property of
being red.
What is a syllogism? - ANSWER:A kind of inference.
Which ancient philosophical tradition did Plotinus represent? - ANSWER:Neoplatonism
St. Augustine rejected this Neoplatonic claim. - ANSWER:The highest reality is the One, an impersonal,
indefinable, and indescribable god.
What do Pyrrhonic skeptics maintain? - ANSWER:People should suspend judgment about all things.
What is asserted by the principle of noncontradiction? - ANSWER:A proposition and its contradictory
opposite can't both be true at the same time.
Questions & Answers
Who is a philosopher, in the original sense of the world? - ANSWER:A lover and pursuer of wisdom,
regardless of the subject matter.
Which is a common characteristic of philosophical questions? - ANSWER:They involve fundamental
concepts that are unavoidable by the thoughtful person.
Which is the branch of philosophy that studies issues concerning art and beauty? - ANSWER:Aesthetics
Which of the following branches of philosophy does not involve questions related to values? -
ANSWER:Metaphysics.
Which of the following is a common myth about philosophy? - ANSWER:Philosophical questions are
simply semantic disputes in which no one opinion is any better or worse than another is.
In philosophy, what is an argument? - ANSWER:Giving reasons for a belief.
What fallacy is it when an argument attacks the person rather than the person's beliefs? -
ANSWER:Argumentum ad Hominem
What fallacy is it when an argument assumes only two options when in fact there are more? -
ANSWER:False dilemma
"I don't agree with Jones when she says we should wait for a trial, and I'll tell you why. I don't approve of
letting someone get away with murder! That's why I say let's hang him now!" What fallacy does this
most clearly illustrate? - ANSWER:Red Herring.
What must be the case for an argument to succeed with a rational person? - ANSWER:The premises
must be acceptable and they must logically support the conclusion.
What does the branch of philosophy called metaphysics study? - ANSWER:Being.
What does the branch of philosophy called epistemology study? - ANSWER:Knowledge.
What are Thales, Anaximenes and Anaximander collectively known as? - ANSWER:The Milesians.
According to Theano, what did Pythagoras claim? - ANSWER:Everything is in accordance with number.
What was the essence of reality for Heraclitus? - ANSWER:Change.
What is reality according to a follower of Parmenides? - ANSWER:One and unchanging.
What is the cause of change for Empedocles? - ANSWER:Love and strife.
What did Anaxagoras do? - ANSWER:He introduced the matter\mind distinction to philosophy.
What did the Atomists do? - ANSWER:They distinguished between atomic properties and relational
properties.
, Which is a theme common to all the pre-Socratics? - ANSWER:The experienced world is a manifestation
of a more fundamental underlying reality.
What did Socrates hope to achieve by practicing the Socratic method? - ANSWER:He wanted to discover
adequate definitions that would give knowledge of the essential nature of things.
Where do the Forms exist, according to Plato? - ANSWER:In a separate, immaterial realm.
How are the Forms apprehended, according to Plato? - ANSWER:By reason.
Which would Plato have agreed with? - ANSWER:The senses are a source of error, illusion, and
ignorance.
Plato had three famous theories: - ANSWER:The Theory of Knowledge, The Theory of Love and
Becoming, The Theory of Forms.
When the Delphi Oracle pronounced Socrates to be the wisest of people, Socrates thought the
pronouncement referred to the fact that he: - ANSWER:was aware of his own ignorance.
Three of Plato's more enlightening and well-known dialogs are: - ANSWER:Apology, Republic and Meno
Aristotle's primary area of interest was: - ANSWER:Metaphysics.
Which of the following is not one of the ten basic categories Aristotle used to describe the ways in which
humans think about things? - ANSWER:weight.
How many souls did Aristotle believe humans have? - ANSWER:three.
Aristotle's works include all of the following except: - ANSWER:Confessions
What is a thing, according to Aristotle? - ANSWER:A specific form in a particular hunk of matter.
What does Aristotle mean by the efficient cause of a thing? - ANSWER:Where it came from.
If you want to say what a thing is, which of Aristotle's four causes must you provide? - ANSWER:The
formal cause.
What did Aristotle say about all change? - ANSWER:It is a movement from potentiality to actuality.
Which of the following is an example of what Aristotle called a universal? - ANSWER:The property of
being red.
What is a syllogism? - ANSWER:A kind of inference.
Which ancient philosophical tradition did Plotinus represent? - ANSWER:Neoplatonism
St. Augustine rejected this Neoplatonic claim. - ANSWER:The highest reality is the One, an impersonal,
indefinable, and indescribable god.
What do Pyrrhonic skeptics maintain? - ANSWER:People should suspend judgment about all things.
What is asserted by the principle of noncontradiction? - ANSWER:A proposition and its contradictory
opposite can't both be true at the same time.
