Deck 3: Utopias: Model States

Question 1

In The Republic, what common theme is explored throughout Socrates' text?

A)Power
B)Social class
C)Intellectual merit
D)Justice
E)Liberty

Answer 1

D

Question 2

George Orwell wrote of the dangers of unchecked political power in his book, 1984.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Although it was obviously a Christian society, Bacon's Bensalem emphasized religious freedom.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Utopias new and old help us understand the possibilities and limits of politics.

Question 5

In Marx's first stage of communism, governments naturally wither away.

Question 6

Why does Socrates' discussion revolve around an imaginary city in The Republic?

A)Each component displays a particular cardinal virtue.
B)The philosopher-kings can govern with moderation.
C)Attachments to the family illustrate a concern for the common good.
D)It illustrates how the Guardian class can prevent social conflict.
E)It shows how workers and artisans are able to perfect the spirited part of their souls.

Question 7

What does the word "utopia" mean?

A)"A place where all is well"
B)The place that we all "want" to be
C)"No place"
D)"Man's ideal"
E)Both A and C

Question 8

The key to Skinner's utopia is behavioral engineering.

Question 9

Behind utopian visions are a set of shared assumptions about human beings and what is best for them.

Question 10

Skinner's "Frazier" offers a philosophical account of the "Good Life."

Question 11

Plato's Republic establishes a classless society.

Question 12

A visionary system embodying perfect political and social order is called a dystopia.

Question 13

Who thought that their utopian vision would actually be achieved?

A)Plato
B)Francis Bacon
C)Karl Marx
D)Both A and B
E)Both B and C

Question 14

The word utopia comes from a book by Robert Owen.

Question 15

Compared to Marx, Bacon offers a more detailed description of his utopian society, Bensalem.

Question 16

Plato believed that ideal state authority should rest in the hands of the philosopher-kings.

Question 17

What is the purpose of The Republic's "Noble Lie?"

A)Undermine the institution of the family
B)Reinforce social equality
C)Ensure popular acceptance of the class system
D)Convince lower classes of the existence of social mobility
E)Pressure the Guardian class to be more moderate

Question 18

The Republic was a highly actionable blueprint from Plato for creating a new political regime.

Question 19

Political philosophy is the study of fundamental questions about how government can balance the needs of society versus the wants of society.

Question 20

Karl Marx viewed the shift to communism as inevitable.

Question 21

According to Bacon, science is the key to

A)selection and training of "good citizens."
B)improving the human condition.
C)religious tolerance.
D)protection of the people from outside evils.
E)economic security.

Question 22

Why is Bacon's New Atlantis described best as the first modern utopia?

A)It is based on scientific advancement.
B)Its politics are progressive.
C)Its author expected this society to come into existence.
D)It is less radical than Plato's Republic.
E)It was written after Sir Thomas More's Utopia.

Question 23

In which of these utopias is private property abolished?

A)The Republic
B)Walden Two
C)The Second Stage of Communism
D)Both A and C
E)All of the above

Question 24

Which utopia was based on more psychological principles?

A)The New Atlantis
B)The Republic
C)Walden Two
D)Communist Manifesto
E)None of the above

Question 25

Which is untrue?

A)Marx saw economics as the key to utopia.
B)Plato saw philosophy as the key to utopia.
C)Orwell saw politics as the key to utopia.
D)Bacon saw science as the key to utopia.
E)Skinner saw psychology as the key to utopia.

Question 26

With its emphasis on science, education and toleration, what word would best describe Bacon's society?

A)Moderate
B)Libertarian
C)Restrictive.
D)Serendipitous
E)Progressive

Question 27

Could the drive to create a utopia lead to the creation of a dystopia? How might this occur?

Question 28

"Newspeak" is introduced by the government in which dystopian work?

A)A Clockwork Orange
B)Brave New World
C)1984
D)The Giver
E)Children of Men

Question 29

Are the characteristics of dystopia apparent in any twentieth- or twenty-first century regimes or societies? If so, briefly discuss such a regime's characteristics.

Question 30

Even if we could create a utopian society, why would it not survive?

A)It would be impossible to continue a perfect society.
B)Outside influences would destroy it from within.
C)Citizens could not resist the urge to make it more perfect.
D)A perfect society would be static, but the world is always changing.
E)Perfection cannot remain balanced indefinitely, and most likely could not correct itself.

Question 31

Whose work is considered to offer a dystopian vision of society?

A)Plato
B)Francis Bacon
C)Karl Marx
D)B. F. Skinner
E)None of the above

Question 32

What term is used to describe the abolishment of private property and the creation of a classless society?

A)Proletariat upheaval
B)Social experiment
C)Bourgeois government
D)Withering away of the state
E)None of the above

Question 33

How are utopias useful to the study of political science? What practical purposes do they serve?

Question 34

Which author focused on how to "arrange" society in a methodological way?

A)Karl Marx
B)Francis Bacon
C)Plato
D)B. F. Skinner
E)John Locke

Question 35

What term does Walden Two use to describe good health, a minimum of unpleasant labor, and a chance to exercise your talents and true leisure?

A)Political equality
B)The good life
C)Behavioral freedom
D)Scientific society
E)Personal nirvana

Question 36

After reading about these utopian societies, can you see any common characteristics of these societies? Discuss these common characteristics and why they are vital to utopian success.

Question 37

Many utopian writers see science and technology being used to improve people's lives. Orwell, by contrast, sees science and technology used to dominate and control people's lives. Which do you think is more likely? In what ways may science and technology both improve and harm people's lives?

Question 38

In the Western tradition, what does the broad meaning of "justice" involve?

A)Questions of proper punishment for violations of the law
B)Questions of who should be elected
C)Questions of distribution
D)Both A and B
E)Both A and C

Question 39

Which writer provided only a vague outline of what his utopia would look like?

A)Skinner
B)Socrates
C)Marx
D)Plato
E)Bacon

Question 40

What is the major flaw of Frazier's utopia?

A)Elitism
B)No check on power
C)Anemic institutions
D)Undue reliance on imagination
E)Freedom from economic security

Question 41

Consider the control that society has in B. F. Skinner's Walden Two with that of dystopian authorities in works like 1984 and A Clockwork Orange. In what ways are they similar or different?