Deck 3: Phaedo Plato

Question 1

Crito asks Socrates how he and Socrates's other friends might be of service to the philosopher once he is gone. In response, Socrates instructs Crito to

A) rectify the injustice of Socrates's condemnation.
B) care for themselves.
C) give him a fitting burial.
D) found a school to carry on Socrates's teachings.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When asked about the burial of his body, Socrates does not respond by saying that

A) after death, he will no longer be identified with his body.
B) his friends must bury his body in the way they think best.
C) it does not matter at all how his body is buried.
D) his friends will have to catch him first before they bury him.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

As Socrates drinks the poison, he

A) tells a joke.
B) curses his enemies.
C) prays to the gods.
D) None of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Socrates responds to his friends' weeping by

A) chastising them.
B) weeping himself.
C) thanking them for their devotion.
D) sending them away.

Question 5

Socrates chooses not to delay taking the poison because he

A) does not want to prolong his friends' suffering.
B) does not want to continue suffering with the knowledge that his death is inevitable.
C) thinks he will not gain from clinging to life but will only earn ridicule.
D) thinks the poison harm his spirit but not his body.

Question 6

Comparing Socrates with other men, the narrator calls him

A) the best.
B) the wisest.
C) the most just.
D) All of the above

Question 7

Socrates does not care how his body will be buried.

Question 8

Socrates ignores the presence of his jailer.

Question 9

Socrates delays drinking the poison to enjoy one final conversation with his friends.

Question 10

Socrates denies the immortality of the soul.

Question 11

Socrates suggests that one should die in silence.

Question 12

With his final words, Socrates tells Crito to pay his (Socrates's) debt to Asclepius, the god of healing.

Question 13

What do you think Socrates meant by his instructions to Crito and the others to "care for themselves"? How would caring for themselves be of service to Socrates?

Question 14

What is the significance of Socrates's last words? Why do you think he asks Crito to repay his debt to Asclepius?

Question 15

Why does Socrates choose not to enjoy one more night of dining and drinking with his friends? How does this choice reflect on Socrates' character?