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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Seneca, what is man's only pride?
(a) His face.
(b) His mind.
(c) His body.
(d) His soul.

2. Who, according to Seneca, retired out of fear of being persecuted by the Emperor?
(a) Himself.
(b) Lucilius.
(c) Nero.
(d) Vatia.

3. What holiday is celebrated at the time Letter XVII is written?
(a) Cinco de Mayo.
(b) Saturnalia.
(c) Ides of March.
(d) Festival of Bacchus.

4. What does Seneca say about slaves?
(a) They are people too.
(b) Not to pity them.
(c) Use them for the hardest work.
(d) Don't get too close to them emotionally.

5. Who is chastised in Letter III for not discussing his personal matters?
(a) Vatia.
(b) Lucilius.
(c) Seneca.
(d) Plato.

6. Who does Seneca thank for sending him a book?
(a) Euripides.
(b) Petronius.
(c) Lucilius.
(d) His mother.

7. What topic does Seneca discuss in Letter XL?
(a) Death.
(b) Money.
(c) Love.
(d) Speech.

8. What does Seneca say happens to life when one focuses too much on trivial and fleeting activities?
(a) It causes much sickness.
(b) It becomes meaningless and not worth living.
(c) It ends earlier.
(d) It is fulfilled with recreation.

9. Who finances the celebration that is held at the time Letter XVII is written?
(a) A traveling carnival.
(b) Seneca.
(c) Local businesses.
(d) The state.

10. According to Seneca, who will spend his time either alone or in the company of those he knows are capable of improving him?
(a) A man with asthma or illness.
(b) Someone who is disgusted by blood and gore.
(c) A religious person.
(d) A truly virtue-minded person.

11. What purpose does fasting serve, according to Seneca?
(a) To prove a point to the public.
(b) To be able to drink more.
(c) To shed some excess pounds.
(d) To ward off gluttony.

12. In Letter XII, what does Seneca notice about one of his properties?
(a) It is delapidated.
(b) The tenants changed it without permission.
(c) It is not rented.
(d) It has burned down.

13. What has earned Seneca fame and respect among the citizens of Rome?
(a) The sexually explicit plays he wrote.
(b) His inherited wealth.
(c) His role as emperor.
(d) Years of public service.

14. Who suggests the correspondence between Seneca and his student should increase?
(a) Seneca.
(b) Marcus Aurelius.
(c) Lucilius.
(d) Zeno.

15. According to Seneca, if one begins taking lessons other than philosophy, what happens?
(a) He becomes a well-rounded man.
(b) He diversifies his talents.
(c) He becomes known as a Renaissance Man.
(d) His life will be governed by that subject rather than philosophy.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who advises that one ought to imagine being watched by some great, virtuous figure at all times in order to check one's own behavior?

2. Why do people become slaves, according to Seneca?

3. Who says that excessive anger is a threat to one's sanity?

4. What specific things might a philosopher lack that could tarnish philosophy's reputation among outsiders?

5. What does Seneca recommend avoiding in Letter VII?

(see the answer keys)

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