A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful Test | Mid-Book Test - Easy

View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what year was "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful" first published?
(a) 1757.
(b) 1773.
(c) 1794.
(d) 1801.

2. What does Burke term the "creative power" of the mind?
(a) Emotion.
(b) Imagination.
(c) Judgment.
(d) Will.

3. What example does Burke give for a sublime sound?
(a) Childish laughter.
(b) Running water.
(c) Lapping waves.
(d) Artillery booming.

4. What does Burke want "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful" to accomplish?
(a) The Enquiry will teach people about nature.
(b) The Enquiry will open minds.
(c) The Enquiry will disprove older theories.
(d) The Enquiry will be useful in schools.

5. According to Burke, what is more powerful than light at representing the sublime?
(a) Water.
(b) Humanity.
(c) Darkness.
(d) Fire.

6. What passion does Burke identify as most effectively robing the mind of reasoning?
(a) Disgust.
(b) Love.
(c) Anger.
(d) Fear.

7. What does Burke assert about sensory observation?
(a) That divergent sensory observations of the same object are natural.
(b) That sensory observation is of little importance to his discussion.
(c) That sensory input varies widely between individuals.
(d) That all people sense things in pretty much the same way.

8. Why, as Burke argues, are humans "more inclined to belief than to incredulity?"
(a) Because belief engages the imagination pleasantly, while incredulity is naturally negative.
(b) Because believing something is easy, whereas not believing is more difficult.
(c) Because believing makes it easier to get along with others in the social-contract model of society.
(d) Because God is born in all of us, so we have a natural inclination to believe in him.

9. When might the sublime be delightful?
(a) When it truly threatens one's safety.
(b) When it fills the entirety of one's being.
(c) When one considers it intellectually.
(d) When one experiences it from a safe distance.

10. What does Burke hope will be the result of his "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful"?
(a) Readers will apply principles of taste and passion to the otherwise severe sciences.
(b) Readers will learn to control their passions when in specific social settings.
(c) Readers will be well-versed in the scientific method.
(d) Readers will leave the sciences behind in favor of imagination and passion.

11. What kind of colors are unfit to produce what Burke terms "grand images?"
(a) Cheerful colors.
(b) Earth tones.
(c) Jewel tones.
(d) Bold colors.

12. How does Burke define "magnificence?"
(a) As the power and might of a strong warrior or noble king.
(b) As all that delights the eye by shimmering and glittering.
(c) As that which requires magnification due to its miniscule size.
(d) As a great profusion of things that are splendid or valuable in and of themselves.

13. Which of the following is one of the general privations Burke lists?
(a) Sleep.
(b) Darkness.
(c) Insanity.
(d) Hunger.

14. What smells or tastes are, according to Burke, the only smells or tastes capable of producing grand sensations?
(a) Bitterness and terrible stenches.
(b) Sourness and tangy smells.
(c) Saltiness and flowery odors.
(d) Sweetness and spicy odors.

15. How does Burke define sympathy?
(a) As a painful realization, and reasoned acceptance, of one's humanity .
(b) As a desirable state of mind reached by looking inward towards one's own soul.
(c) As an unnecessary show of weakness that will cause pain.
(d) As a sort of emotional substitution between people or through art.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Burke define pain and pleasure?

2. What two aspects comprise Burke's "artificial infinity?"

3. What does Burke say is the primary passion ignited by the sublime?

4. Which idea is more effective over the other in affecting the imagination, according to Burke?

5. What problem does Burke find with merely defining a term like "taste?"

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 700 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample