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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which kinds of colors does Burke argue are essential to beauty?
(a) Bold, vibrant colors.
(b) Dusky, opaque colors.
(c) Soft, clean, fair colors.
(d) Strong, glaring colors.

2. How does Burke define the beautiful in feeling?
(a) That which highly arouses the emotions.
(b) That which can be simultaneously seen and smelled.
(c) That which is pleasant to the touch.
(d) That which is roughly textured.

3. What caveat does Burke offer to his readers about "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful"?
(a) He chooses to omit most of what he truly thinks and feels regarding the sublime and beautiful.
(b) He can only study the immediately sensible qualities of the sublime and the beautiful.
(c) He is writing for political reasons geared to sway minds.
(d) He bears no resemblance to any kind of contemporary scientific method.

4. Upon what does the power of poetry NOT depend, according to Burke?
(a) Tone.
(b) Metaphor.
(c) Allusion.
(d) Imagery.

5. How does this body part produce the sense of the sublime, according to Burke?
(a) By contracting and relaxing due to electrical stimuli.
(b) By becoming full and corpulent with the immensity of the sublime.
(c) By vibrating more or less depending on the sublimity of the object.
(d) By stretching to its fullest extent in response to fear.

6. How does Burke define "proportion?"
(a) It is the measure of relative quantity.
(b) It refers to the amount of food a healthy person eats.
(c) It illustrates the properties of geometries.
(d) It is an average of height, breadth, and width.

7. To what does Burke oppose delicacy and fragility?
(a) Courage and honor.
(b) Whining and crying.
(c) Dignity and fortitude.
(d) Robustness and strength.

8. What, according to Burke, must be utilized regularly lest it/they fall into disrepair?
(a) The passions and the understanding.
(b) Dancing, fencing, and painting.
(c) The art of social conversation.
(d) The skill of speaking another language.

9. What example does Burke use to show that pain can be a source of pleasure?
(a) Hunger and fulfillment.
(b) Drunkenness and being hungover.
(c) Indolence and exercise.
(d) The thrill of fighting.

10. What is Burke's argument about the relation of danger to the sublime?
(a) Danger is never a part of any sublime object.
(b) Danger is absolutely necessary to the sublime and must be present.
(c) Danger and terror are the same thing and are equal portions of the sublime.
(d) Danger does not physically need to be present or real for an object to be sublime.

11. How should the eye move, in order to qualify as beautiful, according to Burke?
(a) Rapidly and avidly.
(b) Slowly and languidly.
(c) Upward and to the right.
(d) Suddenly and jerkily.

12. Why does Burke include a section on the effect of words in "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful"?
(a) He desires to refute all the claims of visual artists in order to place written art on a pedestal.
(b) He includes this section as a way to generate interest in his own poetical publications.
(c) He believes that words affect us differently than images or objects, and wants to discuss them.
(d) He indicates that not enough literary criticism is worthwhile, and wishes to demonstrate quality writing.

13. What example does Burke use in his argument that perfection is not the cause of beauty?
(a) A scenic mountain view that, though broken by heavy clouds, is beautiful.
(b) The industrious bustle of a market town or busy port can be called beautiful.
(c) Women whose imperfections and weaknesses make them beautiful.
(d) Flowers whose wayward stalks or blooms are expressions of beauty.

14. What type of word are man, castle, horse, etc., as defined by Burke?
(a) Aggregate words.
(b) Simple abstract words.
(c) Compounded abstract words.
(d) Imagistic words.

15. What emotion has the physical effects of a reclined head, half-closed eyelids, and sighing breath, according to Burke?
(a) Fear.
(b) Curiosity.
(c) Love.
(d) Sadness.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Burke, what is the mechanical reason darkness is terrible?

2. How does Burke define "gradual variation?"

3. Which does Burke's definition of "grace" include?

4. How does Burke describe "delightful horror?"

5. What visual example does Burke FIRST offer in his explanation of succession and the sublime?

(see the answer keys)

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