Deck 8: Greek Humanism: 800-100 Bce

Question 1

As enunciated in The Republic , Plato's political ideas would best be described as

A) liberal.
B) anarchic.
C) anti-democratic.
D) tyrannical.
E) conservative.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The writers of America's Declaration of Independence would appear to have adopted similar ideas to those of the

A) Epicureans.
B) Romans.
C) Cynics.
D) Stoics.
E) Daoists.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

For the ancient Greeks, "philosophy" might best have been defined as

A) logical thinking and resultant scientific research.
B) the love of knowledge for its practical purposes.
C) scientific research into the human mind.
D) questioning of authority.
E) examination of all aspects of knowledge.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The early Greeks' attitudes toward the technological aspects of science would best be described as

A) indifferent.
B) excited.
C) competitive.
D) combative.
E) extensive.

Question 5

Which of these is the correct statement?

A) Socrates taught Aristotle, and Aristotle taught Plato.
B) Aristotle taught Socrates, and Socrates taught Plato.
C) Socrates taught Plato, and Plato taught Aristotle.
D) Plato taught Aristotle, and Aristotle taught Socrates.
E) Plato taught Socrates, and Socrates taught Aristotle.

Question 6

The Empiricists made their greatest contributions in the field of

A) philosophy.
B) mathematics.
C) medicine.
D) sociology.
E) astronomy.

Question 7

Hippocrates, the first empiricist of modern science

A) gave us the concept of deductive reasoning.
B) desired to help others learn to observe everything around them.
C) concentrated on human rationality to explain the world.
D) searched for a way to experience what he called "ultimate reality."
E) stressed the need for discovering cures for diseases.

Question 8

Evaluate the degree to which the developments of the Hellenistic world (mainly political, cultural, and economic) affected the ordinary population.

Question 9

Eratosthenes did his greatest work in the field of

A) geography.
B) mathematics.
C) astronomy.
D) physics.
E) medicine.

Question 10

Define philosophy. Why do you think that some have described philosophers as similar to owls, who come out only at night (i.e., in the twilight of a civilization)?

Question 11

Pre-Socratic philosophers were primarily concerned with

A) investigating the physical world.
B) comparing political systems.
C) analyzing ethical problems.
D) deriving meaning from the arts.
E) studying political systems.

Question 12

What values and ideals did the Hellenistic philosophers and philosophies expose and embrace? How might these compare to Classical philosophic beliefs? Contrast the basic art forms of each.

Question 13

The field most affected by Alexander's expansion of his empire into the Middle East was that of

A) the arts.
B) religion.
C) science.
D) literature.
E) business.

Question 14

When we speak today of teaching using the "Socratic method," we are referring to a type of teaching that

A) looks for practical methods to solve problems.
B) uses problematic questioning that challenges students to go beyond what they think they know.
C) concentrates on learning the basic mathematic and scientific laws and theories.
D) stresses examination of theories over finding practical uses for knowledge.
E) demands much written work of students.

Question 15

Over time, the Greek gods and goddesses became

A) extremely important to the spiritual growth of the country.
B) merely symbolic, with little influence on the people.
C) personalities to be emulated.
D) much more human-like.
E) forgotten, as the people turned to guiding their own destinies.

Question 16

A true epicurean, in the original sense of the word, would have

A) thrown him/herself into politics for the good of the community.
B) worked tirelessly to ensure the equal treatment of all citizens.
C) shunned earthly wealth in favor of living a simple, austere life.
D) searched endlessly for the natural laws governing human life.
E) spent much time examining his/her own personal life, trying to achieve serenity in all things.

Question 17

Identify the most significant contributions of classical philosophy to the modern civilized world.

Question 18

Hellenic culture is often deemed to represent a "high point in the history of the western world." Would you agree? Why or why not?

Question 19

How did religion serve the Greeks? Discuss the ways in which its functions differed from the religions of Israel and of Egypt.

Question 20

Discuss the reasons why later poets and philosophers have equated the Greeks with "truth and beauty."

Question 21

In comparing Hellenic to Hellenistic arts and literature, we find that

A) Hellenistic literature built on the successes of the Hellenic period and became even greater.
B) Hellenistic art seemed more boastful and pretentious.
C) Stone sculpture reached its apex in Hellenic times.
D) Hellenistic artists were more daring and imaginative than Hellenic ones.
E) More expressive art came out of the Hellenic era, because the people were much wealthier.

Question 22

Which of these statements about early Greece is true?

A) Though the Greeks seldom practiced their religion in public, they believed strongly in an afterlife.
B) Priests and priestesses in many places completely replaced the gods and goddesses.
C) Educated Greeks came to believe that the stories of the gods' behaviors in earlier times were myths.
D) They viewed human life in this world as much more dependent on whims of their gods and goddesses than on what they themselves could accomplish.
E) They created a priestly class, or caste, so that their priests and priestesses could grow in power.

Question 23

The classical attitude toward male homosexuality might best be described as one of

A) condemnation.
B) disgust.
C) enthusiastic encouragement.
D) acceptance.
E) disbelief.

Question 24

Greek philosophy is divided into the ____________________ , ____________________, and ____________________ periods.

Question 25

The Greeks would most likely have defined hubris as

A) political ineptitude.
B) social climbing.
C) unwarranted overconfidence.
D) overarching ambition.
E) jealousy.

Question 26

Concerning the situation for females in ancient Greece, it is believed that

A) Spartan women became warriors alongside their men.
B) Athenian women of good repute stayed out of the public eye.
C) Rural women sometimes conducted business inside the poleis.
D) Athenian women enjoyed citizenship, but they chose to leave voting to the males.
E) Anti-female prejudice in literature has existed since the time of Homer.

Question 27

Which of the following was not introduced by the classical Greeks?

A) epic poetry
B) sculpture of the human form
C) drama
D) the novel
E) classical architecture

Question 28

Greek philosophy is noted for its

A) self-confidence.
B) hubris.
C) religiosity.
D) humor.
E) pessimism.

Question 29

Which of the following was true of the typical Greek polis?

A) Many of the inhabitants came from different cultures, making the polis truly multicultural.
B) The average polis had a population of about 50,000.
C) Political discussions were a very important part of polis life.
D) Education was limited to a very few - the extremely wealthy.
E) In Hellenistic times, rural areas were more important than the polis at the center.

Question 30

Pre-Socratic philosophy laid major emphasis on

A) aesthetics.
B) political balance.
C) generalized inquiry.
D) natural law.
E) mathematical logic.

Question 31

Plato's analytic treatise on ideal politics was ____________________.

Question 32

One way that life changed for Greek women when the Romans took control was that they

A) could divorce their husbands more easily.
B) were more confined and restricted than before.
C) gained independent legal status.
D) had the few educational opportunities open to them earlier removed by the Romans.
E) were no longer viewed as property of their husbands, though unmarried women were still under the complete domination of their fathers.

Question 33

A new element was introduced by the various mystery religions, that of

A) dependence on the gods to intervene on humans' behalf.
B) faith rather than reason as their basis for everything.
C) the promise of wealth in this world in exchange for blind obedience.
D) a strong sense of security.
E) free will.

Question 34

The cave metaphor in Plato's writings refers to

A) the need of humans to have a place of refuge from their enemies.
B) the ability of humans to form a community.
C) the difference between reality and falsely understood images.
D) the importance of a stable physical environment.
E) the desire of humans to create a stable home environment.

Question 35

Greek religion was

A) controlled by a powerful priesthood.
B) the same from one end of the country to the other.
C) filled with gods created in man's image.
D) dominated by fear of the afterlife.
E) centered around an ethical system of high moral conduct.

Question 36

Tried and found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens, Socrates was forced to ____________________ ____________________.

Question 37

The city of Alexandria in Egypt experienced all of the following except

A) increasing trade along the Nile valley.
B) the construction of a magnificent library and museum.
C) becoming the intellectual center of the Mediterranean world.
D) becoming home to Philo and his many inventions.
E) the development of a flourishing medical community.

Question 38

A modern phrase to describe the Greeks' idea of the golden mean might be

A) "Be careful, for you reap what you sow."
B) "You can't make an omelet with breaking a few eggs."
C) "You can't always get what you want."
D) "Don't keep all your eggs in one basket."
E) "Every cloud has a silver lining."

Question 39

How did Greek slavery change over time?

A) It became hereditary.
B) The silver mines came to be worked by debtor slaves.
C) The number of slaves decreased dramatically.
D) Skilled craftsmen were enslaved so that their masters could profit from their artistry.
E) Most came to be used as farm labor.

Question 40

The Greeks who adopted the mystery religions believed that a defiance of Fate was

A) usually justified.
B) completely useless.
C) important for achieving one's own goals in life.
D) not without consequences for the wealthy and influential among them.
E) only for the wealthy and influential.

Question 41

Women called ____________________, who were entertainer-prostitutes, were uniquely allowed extensive freedoms.

Question 42

____________________ was one of the Greeks' popular arts.

Question 43

Christian and Muslim scholars viewed ____________________ as the "Master" of science and philosophy.

Question 44

The gods would rain down disaster on a man who exhibited overconfidence, or ____________________.

Question 45

____________________ was the father-figure and ruler among the Greek deities.

Question 46

The middle ground between all extremes of thought and action was known as the ____________________ ____________________.

Question 47

____________________ carved the fabled marble statue of Athena in the Parthenon.