1. According to atomism
A) nothing is created out of nothing, nor can something be reduced to nothing.
B) compounds of atoms are eternal because the atoms that comprise them are eternal.
C) some things are created out of nothing, and some things can be reduced to nothing.
D) nothing is created out of nothing, and everything can be reduced to nothing.
2. Death, according to Epicurus,
A) is either a dreamless sleep or a journey to another world.
B) is deprivation of sensation.
C) is a journey to another world
D) remains a mystery to us.
3. If the fundamental claims of atomism are true, then
A) the cosmos is devoid of incorporeal beings.
B) the only truly divine things are the eternal, indestructible atoms.
C) there is no afterlife.
D) All of the above.
4. If “the impious man is not he who denies the gods of the many, but he who attaches to
the gods the beliefs of the many,” then
A) believers in personal immortality and divine providence are impious.
B) believers in atomism are impious, and believers in personal immortality are pious.
C) believers in atomism are pious.
D) Both A and C
5. According to Epicurus, the human soul
A) is made up of atoms
B) cannot survive the death of the body
C) is the organ of sensation
D) All of the above.
6. According to Epicurus,
A) One ought to pursue wealth, as it can afford us greater comfort and pleasure
B) Not all pleasures are to be chosen
C) The happy life requires that one pursue only the vain desires
D) No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of evils
7. Which of the following BEST describes the logical connection(s) between atomism
and hedonism in Epicurus’ thought? Read each answer option very carefully!
A) Atomism denies the existence of incorporeal beings, such as immortal souls. If the
human soul—the organ of perception and thought—is made up of atoms which disperse
back into nature at life’s end, then death would be nothing more than a dreamless, eternal
sleep and not a journey into another, potentially wretched, world. The Epicurean,
knowing this, thereby achieves a reassuring calmness of mind, a tranquility of soul.
B) According to atomism, the universe is made up exclusively of atoms and void, and
there are immortal gods which are highly complex compounds of atoms. These gods
direct the course of human events, and reward individuals who avoid overindulgence in
sensual pleasures, and punish with infirmity and disease those who do not.
C) According to atomism, the universe is made up exclusively of atoms and void, having
been created this way by the gods. In order to live a good and happy life, the human
being must practice moderation and self-restraint with regard to the bodily pleasures, and
concentrate all of his energies on “knowing the truth about god.” Only when he
understands that mankind was designed to live according to the universal moral law
established by his Maker can he enjoy the tranquility of soul which constitutes the very
highest kind of pleasure.
D) According to atomism, the universe is made up exclusively of atoms and void, and
the human being is thus nothing more than a body. A good life is a life lived in
accordance with nature. Epicurus says “every pleasure because of its natural kinship to us
is good, yet not every pleasure is to be chosen.” The very BEST life will be one dedicated
exclusively to the proper maintenance of the body, through healthy lifestyle choices.
8. A man brutally murders an innocent victim. According to Epicurus, in what way would
this act rightly be considered “evil”?
A) Such an act is a direct violation of the divine commandment: “Thou shalt not kill.”
B) Such an act is a direct violation of the victim’s unalienable right to life.
C) The criminal is doing irreparable harm to his own soul.
D) Such an act is evil insofar as it engenders a fear in the mind of the criminal of
eventually being caught and punished severely by the civil authorities.
9. Which of the following arguments against vulgar hedonism does Epicurus NOT make?
A) Even though every pain is an evil, not all pains are to be avoided.
B) Vulgar hedonism undermines traditional morality.
C) The pains consequent upon over-indulgence either cancel the pleasures or leave a
balance of pain.
D) The vulgar hedonist fails to discriminate properly among the various desires and the
different pleasures that come from their satisfaction.
10. Each of the following is, according to Epicurus, an essential ingredient to living well
EXCEPT:
A) Friendship
B) Equanimity
C) Health
D) Wealth
11. For Epicurus, the good life consists in
a. the delight one takes in a spirited game of chess.
b. Enjoying good food and drink.
c. Freedom from pain and mental anxiety.
d. experiencing a “runner’s high.”
5
1. Each of the following is an essential feature of law EXCEPT:
a. It must be rational.
b. It must be made known.
c. It aims at the good of certain individuals only.
d. It must be made by whoever has care of the community.
2. Law is more concerned with protecting property rights than with making human beings
good.
T/F
3. Each of the following is a type of law discussed by St. Thomas in our reading
EXCEPT:
a. divine law
b. eternal law
c. human law
d. none of the above
4. If a law is not promulgated, then
a. It is not a legitimate law.
b. Everyone has a duty to search for and discover it.
c. It is binding only on those who are able to discover it.
d. None of the above.
5. A law whose effect is to diminish the common good would, according to St. Thomas,
be
a. Legitimate, so long as it’s made by him who has care of the community.
b. An ordinance of reason.
c. Legitimate, so long as it’s promulgated.
d. Tyrannical.
6. Which of the following statements about the eternal law is correct?
a. It is God’s rule over the cosmos
b. It is identical with God’s essence, and as such cannot be known in itself.
c. It is identical with Divine Reason
d. All of the above
7. Divine law is necessary because
a. Of the restricted scope of the human law.
b. Of man’s inability to judge other men’s motives and intent.
c. Man’s ultimate end is not discoverable by human reason.
d. All of the above.
8. Each of the following statements is consistent with St. Thomas’ natural law theory
EXCEPT:
a. The good is that which is consistent with man’s nature.
b. All lifestyles are natural.
c. The purpose of law is to make men good.
d. That which runs contrary to man’s nature is “evil”.
9. Each of the following is a natural human inclination enumerated by Thomas Aquinas
EXCEPT:
a. To know the truth about God
b. To procreate
c. To live in society
d. None of the above.
10. According to Thomas Aquinas’ concept of Natural Law, all of the following would be
deemed immoral EXCEPT:
a. Suicide
b. Homosexuality
c. Willful ignorance
d. None of the above
11. According to St. Thomas’ Natural Law teaching,
i. God is the author of the natural law
ii. human laws are always grounded in the natural law
iii. Nobody can have any understanding of the natural law if they lack access to the Bible
and its teachings
iv. morality is inseparable from human nature
v. Man’s natural inclinations in one society may be completely different in another
society
vi. killing innocents is wrong only because in the Bible God said “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”
vii. Philosophy (the love of wisdom) is natural, and hence good.
a. i, ii, iii.
b. i, v, vi.
c. i, iv, vii.
d. iii, vi, vii.
12. Human law
a. Is man-made.
b. Is the application of natural law
c. Is valid only if it aims at the common good
d. All of the above
13. Nature is to convention as
i. what is mutable is to what is immutable
ii. what is immutable is to what is mutable
iii. biology is to fashion
iv. divine law is to natural law
v. natural law is to man-made law
a. i, ii, iv.
b. ii, iv.
c. i, ii, v.
d. ii, iii, v.
Chapter 6
1. According to Hobbes, which two needs drive human action?
a. Personal gain and love of others
b. Personal gain and survival
c. Love of others and survival
d. Love of others and desire for peace
2. Why, according to Hobbes, do human beings enter into a commonwealth?
a. Self-preservation
b. Commodious living
c. Stability
d. All of the above
3. According to Hobbes’ Leviathan, human life without government would be characterized
by each of the following EXCEPT:
a. no agriculture
b. no technology
c. no clocks
d. all of the above
4. “But though the benefits of this life may be much furthered by
mutual help; since yet those may be better attained to by dominion,
than by the society of others, I hope no body will doubt, but that men
would much more greedily be carried by nature, if all fear were
removed, to obtain dominion, than to gain society.”
What is Hobbes’ main argument in this passage?
a. Most people would prefer to achieve comfortable self-preservation
through entering into collaborative associations
b. The life of a tyrant is preferable to that of a mere citizen
c. The life of a citizen is preferable to that of a greedy tyrant
d. Without law and order, life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and
short.”
5. “Drive safely: the life you save may be your own.”
This would be an example of:
a. Psychological realism
b. Christ’s Golden Rule
c. Hobbes’ Golden Rule
d. A and B
6. According to Hobbes, government censorship is necessary
a. because some opinions might incite people to rebellion
b. In order to promote concord
c. Because peace, stability, and security are more important than “free
speech” rights
d. All of the above
7. In Hobbes, “good” and “evil” refer to:
a. Pleasure and pain
b. Virtue and vice
c. The object of love, the object of aversion
d. A and C
8. Each of the following is a characteristic of the state of nature EXCEPT:
a. It is a war of every man against every man
b. Life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short
c. There are abundant resources available for human consumption
d. There are no property rights
9. For Hobbes, the greatest good and the greatest evil, respectively, for a human being
are:
a. Glory and disgrace
b. Comfortable self-preservation and violent death
c. Salvation of one’s soul and eternal damnation
d. Virtue and vice
10. Hobbes’ statement, “In the state of nature, profit is the measure of right” signifies that
a. Nature rewards energy and aggression
b. Upright moral character is what gets you ahead
c. Hobbes believes in karma
d. Good intentions always prevail over immoral deeds
11. St. Thomas Aquinas and Thomas Hobbes would agree on which of the following?
a. Commodious living is the highest object of human aspiration
b. Man is by nature a political animal
c. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you
d. None of the above
12. Each of the following is true about Hobbes’ social contract theory EXCEPT:
a. It is the most viable means of escaping the horrors of the state of nature
b. It stipulates that one must be willing to sacrifice one’s life on behalf of the
commonwealth
c. It forbids private men the freedom to be the judge of good and evil actions.
d. It exists for the sake of preventing men from harming one another and being harmed
by one another
13. Which of the following BEST captures the difference between Hobbes’ Law of nature
and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Natural law?
a. The former induces you to treat others as you would want to be treated, whereas the
latter induces you not to treat others as you would not want to be treated
b. The former seeks the good of the body only, whereas the latter seeks the good of both
body and soul
c. The former promotes charity and self-sacrifice, whereas the latter promotes hedonism
d. The former sees justice ultimately as the product of divine legislation, whereas the
latter sees justice strictly as a product of human legislation
