Download Phil 1010 – Introduction to Philosophy

Phil 1010 – Introduction to Philosophy
Pre-assessment Quiz
10 Questions
Name __________________________________________________________________
1. Philosophy is:
1) a social science like sociology
2) a physical science like chemistry
3) a technical craft like pottery making
4) one of the fine arts like painting
5) none of the above
2. Philosophy strives to:
1) destroy religion in every form
2) convince people that they are wrong about whatever they believe
3) ask questions about what may have previously been assumed
4) show that science is always right.
5) show that science is always wrong
3. One of the most important Greek philosophers was:
1) Kant
2) Socrates
3) Homer
4) Ovid
5) St. Paul
4. One of the most important twentieth century philosophers was:
1) Martin Luther King
2) John F. Kennedy
3) Bertrand Russell
4) Muhammed Ali
5) Bob Dylan
5. Who said “I think, therefore I am.”
1) Jean Paul Sartre
2) Benjamin Franklin
3) George Washington
4) Rene Descartes
5) Napoleon
6. Which of the following objections to philosophy do you regard as valid:
1) it is nonsense
2) it is not practical
3) it conflicts with what I believe and thus it is wrong
4) all of the above
5) none of the above
7. A person who says that “when it comes to philosophy, everybody has their own opinions and
you can’t say they are wrong if they honestly believe what they say” is:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
an idiot
a relativist
a subjectivist
a scholar
absolutely right!
8. The following is not a philosophical question:
1) Does God exist? -- because it cannot be proven either way.
2) Is time and space real? – because everyone already knows the answer.
3) What is the nature of man? -- because the question doesn’t make any sense
4) How does the mind interact with the body? -- because it all depends only on how you
define things
5) How many people voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election? -because it is a matter of fact and the question can be answered by research
9. The following is true about philosophical discussion:
1. Everyone has their own opinions, all opinions are equally good, and usually the
loudest person wins.
2) In philosophy, it doesn’t matter if you are right or wrong. What counts is just that you
participated.
3) Discussion in philosophy is guided by the principles of critical reasoning.
Everybody has their own opinions but some opinions are more reasonable than
others.
4) All of the above.
5) None of the above.
10. Please select the true statement below.
1) Philosophy is an activity of cold reason and emotion has nothing to do with it.
2) Philosophy is worthless if it does not conclude with final answers to questions.
3) Philosophy is worthless if ultimately everyone does not agree with what is being said.
4) Philosophy has been valuable to the advancement of human knowledge, even
when it was more concerned with clarifying what was meant by the question
than in proposing an answer.
5) Progress in science has accelerated as the questions science asks become seen as
philosophical issues.