Question 1

A statement, according to Aristotle, is
A) like a prayer.
B) composed of three or more terms.
C) like knowledge, always true.
D) either true or false.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle defined a statement as something that can either be true or false, distinguishing it from questions, commands, and prayers which do not have truth values.

Question 2

The first principles of a science are
A) the clearest and most certain things we know.
B) arrived at by demonstration.
C) proved to be true through syllogistic reasoning.
D) unknowable.

Accepted Answer

The first principles of a science are considered the foundational elements that are the clearest and most certain things we know within that field. They serve as the basis from which further knowledge is built and are not typically arrived at by demonstration or syllogistic reasoning, nor are they considered unknowable.

Question 3

In Aristotle's account of the four causes,
A) the efficient cause of the world is God.
B) a final cause is pure potentiality.
C) the formal cause is the three-dimensional shape (or form) that a material object has.
D) the material cause is the one that explains the individuality of things.

Accepted Answer

D

Question 4

Pleasure, for Aristotle, is
A) never to be sought as an end.
B) the end that humans are naturally motivated by.
C) unsuitable as the principal end for rational creatures.
D) the reason we should be virtuous.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle believed that pleasure is not the highest good and should not be the principal end for rational creatures. Instead, he argued that the highest good is eudaimonia (flourishing or well-being), which is achieved through virtuous activity.

Question 5

Virtue, Aristotle says, is defined by a mean relative to us. He means that
A) facts about an individual and her circumstances are relevant to what should be done.
B) we all have different values.
C) if you think x is the right thing to do, who's to say you are wrong?
D) there are no virtues common to all.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle's concept of virtue being a mean relative to us suggests that the determination of what is virtuous takes into account personal and situational factors, making option A correct. He argues that virtues are qualities that lead to the right amount of a trait, not too much or too little, and this "right amount" can vary depending on individual circumstances.

Question 6

Suppose I do something wrong, but offer an excuse. Which of these excuses, if true, would be acceptable, according to Aristotle?
A) I didn't know that was wrong.
B) My parents mistreated me when I was young.
C) I did it to Jones because Jones did it to me.
D) I was forced to do it.

Accepted Answer

According to Aristotle, an action done under compulsion or force is considered involuntary and thus excusable.

Question 7

God, Aristotle says,
A) cares for his creatures as a father cares for his child.
B) functions as the final cause for the world.
C) knows the number of hairs on each person's head.
D) is a moved unmover.

Accepted Answer

The answer of God, Aristotle says,
A) cares for his creatures...

Question 8

Soul, according to Aristotle, is
A) the unique possession of rational creatures such as humans.
B) a primary substance.
C) common to all nature-facts.
D) the form of a living body.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle defines the soul as the form of a living body, meaning it is what gives a body its life. He does not limit it to rational creatures but sees it as present in all living things, distinguishing between different kinds of souls (vegetative, sensitive, and rational) based on their functions.

Question 9

Aristotle defines happiness (eudaemonia) as
A) harmony in the soul.
B) a feeling of excellence (arete) pervading the soul.
C) activity of the soul in accord with reason.
D) whatever makes you feel good about yourself.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle defines happiness (eudaemonia) as the activity of the soul in accordance with virtue (arete), or reason, emphasizing a life lived in fulfillment of the rational part of the soul.

Question 10

Aristotle differs from Plato in
A) believing knowledge is different from opinion.
B) holding that something like a puppy is as real as anything can be.
C) loving wisdom less.
D) being more otherworldly than Plato.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle differs from Plato primarily in his view of the reality of the physical world. While Plato saw the physical world as less real than the world of forms or ideas, Aristotle believed that the physical world is real and that we can gain knowledge of it through our senses and experience. This is why he would argue that something like a puppy is as real as anything can be, in contrast to Plato's view that the physical manifestations of things are just shadows of their ideal forms.

Question 11

Aristotle explains change in terms of
A) atoms and the void.
B) flux and opposition.
C) the vortex motion of the universe.
D) actuality and potentiality.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle explains change in terms of actuality and potentiality, where potentiality represents the capacity for change and actuality the realization of that change.

Question 12

Nature is purposive, Aristotle says, in virtue of
A) the plan God had in mind when he created nature.
B) intentions resident in every nature-fact.
C) the entelechy resident in things.
D) our using nature for our own purposes.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle's concept of purpose in nature is tied to the idea of "entelechy," a term he uses to describe the condition of something whose essence is fully realized, or the innate drive within things to reach their full potential. This concept does not rely on an external planner (like God) or human purposes, but rather on the intrinsic properties and goals within natural entities themselves.

Question 13

What distinguishes primary substance from all the other categories?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What distinguishes primary substance from all the...

Question 14

What is truth?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is truth?...

Question 15

Does Aristotle's logic do anything to resolve the problems posed by the Sophists' teaching of rhetoric?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Does Aristotle's logic do anything to resolve...

Question 16

What is a first principle? Why are first principles needed? How are they known?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a first principle? Why are...

Question 17

What is an essence?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is an essence?...

Question 18

What is God like? What kind of cause is God?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is God like? What kind of...

Question 19

Characterize the three kinds of soul.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Characterize the three kinds of soul....

Question 20

How is soul related to body?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How is soul related to body?...

Quiz 8: Plato: Knowing the Real and the Good

A statement, according to Aristotle, is

The first principles of a science are

In Aristotle's account of the four causes,

Pleasure, for Aristotle, is

Virtue, Aristotle says, is defined by a mean relative to us. He means that

Suppose I do something wrong, but offer an excuse. Which of these excuses, if true, would be acceptable, according to Aristotle?

God, Aristotle says,

Soul, according to Aristotle, is

Aristotle defines happiness (eudaemonia) as

Aristotle differs from Plato in

Aristotle explains change in terms of

Nature is purposive, Aristotle says, in virtue of