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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Burke, what will the result be of the long, close study of an object?
(a) An increased sense of anxiety.
(b) An increased sensibility of taste.
(c) A decreased interest in the object.
(d) A decreased feeling of pleasure.

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

3. How do smells and tastes become sublime most effectively?
(a) When moderated through narrative and description.
(b) When combined with eating and drinking.
(c) When they occur when one is in a dreaming state.
(d) When mediated through art.

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

5. Why is suddenness sublime, according to Burke?
(a) Because the body's reaction is unpredictable.
(b) Because easy transitions are pleasant.
(c) Because the mind is suddenly put on its guard.
(d) Because that which is sudden is very interesting.

Short Answer Questions

1. What, according to Burke, is the first and most simple emotion of the human mind?

2. What does Burke assert is present in every religion, to some degree?

3. What does Burke want "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful" to accomplish?

4. Burke asserts that vastness of dimension is as sublime as:

5. How does Burke define "magnificence?"

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the main problem with creating prescribed definitions, especially of taste, according to Burke?

2. Describe the main difference between light and dark relative to the sublime.

3. What is the significance of the imagination, to Burke?

4. What is astonishment, according to Burke, and why is it important?

5. What significance do obscurity and clarity have to the sublime?

6. What causes Burke to offer a second edition of "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful"?

7. What is Burke's idea of "artificial infinity?"

8. What is "magnificence," according to Burke?

9. What motivated Burke to write "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful"?

10. Describe Burke's definition of the sublime.

(see the answer keys)

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