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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. Why is imitation important, according to Burke?
(a) It forms our manners and opinions.
(b) It is how we try to get closer to God.
(c) It allows us to learn in school.
(d) It facilitates comedy in the theater.

2. How, according to Burke, can light and dark be equal?
(a) When the overpowering nature of one creates the effect of the other.
(b) If one experiences light and dark for equal periods of time.
(c) Because according to science, there is no difference between light and dark.
(d) Only when quantities balance each other.

3. What is Burke's argument that infinity exists in pleasing objects?
(a) Infinity itself is a pleasant concept, so an infinite object must be pleasant.
(b) Humans are pleased by the unlimited potential of these objects.
(c) Pleasantness is a feeling that goes on forever within our minds.
(d) The only truly pleasing object is the night sky, which is truly infinite.

4. 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 learn to control their passions when in specific social settings.
(b) Readers will apply principles of taste and passion to the otherwise severe sciences.
(c) Readers will be well-versed in the scientific method.
(d) Readers will leave the sciences behind in favor of imagination and passion.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How do sublime buildings look, according to Burke?

2. What examples does Burke use to argue that some sights are pleasurable to all people?

3. What passion does Burke identify as most effectively robing the mind of reasoning?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What types of colors are productive of the sublime, and which colors are not, according to Burke?

2. Why, according to Burke, are the principles of reason and taste the same in all humans?

3. Briefly describe the significance of human judgment to the faculty of taste.

4. Describe Burke's idea of beauty.

5. Summarize Burke's section about the role of smells and tastes relating to the sublime.

6. What is the cause of a wrong taste, and what are examples of it?

7. Summarize Burke's definition of pain and pleasure.

8. According to Burke, why can grief be considered pleasurable?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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