Question 1

According to the text, which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

The text states that both Kierkegaard and Kafka illustrate a pervasive uneasiness in Western society. This is supported by various examples and arguments throughout the text. Therefore, statement A is correct. The other statements are either not mentioned in the text or contradicted by the arguments presented.

Question 2

D. H. Lawrence, writing in Women in Love , expressed the idea that

Accepted Answer

D

Question 3

​ If one follows Thomas Mann's career, one may conclude that he

Accepted Answer

Thomas Mann initially held conservative views but shifted towards a more liberal stance as he became increasingly critical of the societal and political developments leading up to and following World War I. His changing views are reflected in his writings and public statements, where he expressed disillusionment with conservative policies and their consequences.

Question 4

The doubts about core Western values in the interwar period yielded

Accepted Answer

The interwar period was marked by a profound questioning of core Western values, leading to various responses: a reaffirmation of the rational-humanist tradition, despair about the future of Western civilization, a turn towards new radical ideologies including forms of totalitarianism, and a revival or increased interest in Christianity.

Question 5

Which of the following authors wrote "The Waste Land"?​

Accepted Answer

T. S. Eliot wrote "The Waste Land".

Question 6

Johan Huizinga argues in  In the Shadow of Tomorrow that ​

Accepted Answer

Throughout the book, Huizinga is critical of the modern Western civilization and argues that it has decayed significantly. He believes that people need to realize the extent of this decay, and that the tragedy of the age is that it was not understood prior to the war. Huizinga does not argue that delusion and misconception have been eliminated by the violence of war, nor does he argue that Europe emerged from the war still strong in spirit. He also does not suggest that the West prioritized reason over myth, although he does explore the tension between the two.

Question 7

To what was Thomas Mann referring with the statement "Fanaticism turns into a means of salvation... politics becomes an opiate for the masses...and reason veils her face"?

Accepted Answer

Thomas Mann was referring to the rise of Nazism and how it turned into a means of salvation for the German people. He also believed that politics became an opiate for the masses, meaning that it became a way to distract people from their problems instead of seeking solutions through reason. Finally, Mann believed that reason was being overshadowed by fanaticism and emotionalism. All of these factors were present during the rise of Nazism in Germany.

Question 8

Dadaism embraced the observation that

Accepted Answer

All of the given options accurately reflect the ideology of Dadaism. It rejected traditional notions of art and culture and embraced randomness, absurdity, and a rejection of rational thinking. It sought to challenge and undermine established societal norms and beliefs.

Question 9

When the text refers to "the God that Failed," it is a reference to

Accepted Answer

"The God that Failed" was a book published in 1949 by six former communists who had become disillusioned with the ideology. Therefore, the reference is to communism.

Question 10

Which of the following statements concerning European moods and beliefs in the 1920s is NOT correct? ​

Accepted Answer

The statement that "most felt the values of old Europe could be recovered quickly" is not correct. In fact, many Europeans felt that the war had shattered old Europe and that a new world order was necessary.

Question 11

Surrealists in the 1920s were likely to

Accepted Answer

Surrealists in the 1920s were interested in exploring the world of fantasy and the subconscious mind, and creating art that reflected the irrational and imaginative aspects of the human psyche.

Question 12

In terms of post-World War I art, one may correctly say

Accepted Answer

Dadaists and surrealists were known for their rejection of reason and their embrace of irrationality and absurdity in their art. This was a response to the disillusionment and trauma felt by many after World War I.

Question 13

According to the text, which movement in literature achieved a brilliant flowering in the interwar period?

Accepted Answer

The text specifically mentions that "modernism achieved a brilliant flowering in the interwar period."

Question 14

The most influential expression of pessimism, Oswald Spengler's The Decline of the West, argued that Western Civilization was in the last of which three stages?

Accepted Answer

According to Oswald Spengler's The Decline of the West, Western Civilization was in the last of three stages: heroic youth, creative maturity, and decadent old age.

Question 15

The German-speaking Jewish writer in Czech Bohemia, Franz Kafka, wrote about all the following themes EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Franz Kafka was known for his exploration of themes such as anxiety, alienation, and the futility of fighting against irrational forces, as seen in works such as "The Metamorphosis" and "The Trial." While his works often contain existential and absurd elements, they do not typically offer a hopeful view of finding inner peace in such a world. Additionally, his works frequently explore the theme that the innocent do not always receive justice.

Question 16

Which of the following took as its focus the grim lives of English workers? ​

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following took as its...

Question 17

André Breton may be associated with

Accepted Answer

André Breton is associated with the Surrealist movement in art and literature, which emphasized tapping into the subconscious and allowing free association to guide the creation of works. This idea is often summed up in the phrase "writing should flow least from the intellect," meaning that intellectual control and planning should be minimized in favor of accessing more primal and instinctive impulses.

Question 18

The notion of absolute truth was rejected by ​

Accepted Answer

All of the options are correct in rejecting the notion of absolute truth. Nietzsche rejected the idea of there being any objective truth or meaning in the world; modernism rejected universal truths and embraced subjectivity and individualism; the new physics challenged traditional notions of causality and objectivity; and D. H. Lawrence rejected fixed ideals and embraced a more mystical and fluid understanding of reality.

Question 19

All of the following pieces of art take injustice and suffering as their themes EXCEPT ​

Accepted Answer

Joan Miró's Harlequin's Carnival does not depict injustice or suffering, but rather a whimsical and fantastical scene. The other art pieces all address themes of social and political injustice, including the wrongful imprisonment of Sacco and Vanzetti, the forced migration of African Americans, the bombing of civilians in Guernica, and the persecution of Jews during the Holocaust.

Question 20

Who said of World War I, "We cannot but feel that no event has ever so destroyed so much that is precious in the common possessions of humanity"?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Who said of World War I, "We...

Quiz 30: Thought and Culture in an Era of World Wars and Totalitarianism