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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What two aspects comprise Burke's "artificial infinity?"
(a) Succession and uniformity.
(b) Curiosity and desire.
(c) Terror and greatness.
(d) Strength and power.

3. What examples does Burke use to prove that people agree upon sensory observations?
(a) Feelings of sharp or soft.
(b) The pleasantness or unpleasantness of certain thoughts.
(c) Sudden, loud sounds as opposed to quiet, soft sounds.
(d) The tastes of sweet, bitter, and sour.

4. What does Burke assert is present in every religion, to some degree?
(a) A single deity.
(b) A mode of forgiveness.
(c) A salutary fear.
(d) A prophet.

5. Which example does Burke use in his discussion in Section VIII about infinity?
(a) The military.
(b) Cropland.
(c) Madmen.
(d) The ocean.

6. Why, according to Burke, do we delight in the tragedies of others?
(a) This is a function of sympathy instilled in us by our Creator.
(b) There is little else in the world in which to delight.
(c) All humans have a sadistic streak.
(d) We are happy we are not the victims.

7. Into which two classes does Burke group the passions of society?
(a) The societies of the educated and of the ignorant.
(b) General society and the society of the sexes.
(c) High- and low-society, based upon the class into which one is born.
(d) The liberal society and the conservative society.

8. What is this creative power of the mind incapable of producing?
(a) Anything captivating.
(b) Anything truly new.
(c) Anything passionate.
(d) Anything of great consequence.

9. What example does Burke use to demonstrate that differing tastes stem from the same basic root?
(a) The comparison of two historical moments.
(b) The description of pretty ladies in a drawing room.
(c) Two different types of poetry.
(d) A comparison of two breeds of a horse.

10. Burke's general definition for "obscurity" is:
(a) That which is most humble.
(b) That which is not famous.
(c) That which is hidden from view.
(d) That which we cannot fully know.

11. In which instance are feelings productive of the sublime?
(a) When the feelings are of love and desire.
(b) When the feelings are of confusion and depression.
(c) When the feelings are of delight and joy.
(d) When the feelings are of pain or anguish.

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

13. How do all emotions and passions affect the human mind?
(a) With unpredictable, greatly varying effects.
(b) With scarring, searing effects.
(c) By forcing the mind to yield to the heart.
(d) By natural, uniform, predictable principles.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What natural powers in man does Burke say relate to external objects?

2. Why is imitation important, according to Burke?

3. How does Burke define sympathy?

4. What does Burke assert about sensory observation?

5. What does Burke assert is necessary for the success of "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful"?

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