A STEP BEYOND

TESTS AND ANSWERS

TEST 1

_____ 1. Two of the speakers taking part in Plato's dialogues are his brothers,

A. Glaucon and Adeimantus

B. Polemarchus and Bendis

C. Cephalus and Philemon

_____ 2. Thrasymachus is the speaker

A. most easily demolished by Socrates

B. who is the most formidable adversary for Socrates

C. who wins grudging approval from Socrates

_____ 3. In the opening argument we learn that riches

A. encourage you to want even more

B. make it easier for you to do what is right

C. are the undoing of many men

_____ 4. Benefiting your friends and causing harm to your enemies is Polemarchus' definition of

A. good sense

B. expedience

C. justice

_____ 5. A Socratic conclusion is that

I. it is never right to do evil to anyone
II. the only way to harm a man is by making him a worse man
III. it is sometimes right to refuse to obey a ruler

A. I and II only

B. II and III only

C. I, II, and III

_____ 6. Which type of argument is not a Socratic technique?

A. analogy

B. parable

C. statistics

_____ 7. A well-known theory promulgated by one of the speakers is

A. The End Justifies the Means

B. Might Makes Right

C. Each Man's Reach Must Exceed His Grasp

A. it is ridiculous to think that an unjust man is happier than a just one

B. only a fool would choose to be unjust in a just society

C. it is much better to seem to be just than actually to be just

_____ 9. Which of these examples is not offered by Socrates?

A. the violent man with the carving knife

B. the carpenter who lacks the proper tools

C. the Allegory of the Cave

_____ 10. Another Platonic description for soldiers is

A. warrior kings

B. vigilant ones

C. guardians

11. Describe the Socratic method-sometimes called the Method of Dialectic-and illustrate it with an example from The Republic.

12. Plato is not only a philosopher, he is also an artist who brings literary expression to his ideas. Discuss Plato's artistry in The Republic.

13. Trace Plato's examination of the nature of justice from the introduction of the topic in Book I to the discovery of justice in the soul in Book IV.

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