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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. What becomes of people who live a quiet, private life which incites neither anger nor envy?
(a) They are bored.
(b) They remain safe.
(c) They accomplish nothing.
(d) They are stoned.

2. What teaches men how to live well, according to Seneca?
(a) Religion.
(b) Philosophy.
(c) Study of liberal arts.
(d) Science.

3. According to his criticism in Letter CVIII, what does Seneca say literary scholars should do with philosophical theories?
(a) Apply them to their own lives.
(b) Write fiction about them that will appeal to the masses.
(c) Compare them to other theories.
(d) Interpret them correctly.

4. According to Posidinus, who ruled in the past time?
(a) Gods.
(b) Philosophers.
(c) Historians.
(d) Mathmeticians.

5. What creates certain habits of study and thought which are actually useful?
(a) Fine arts.
(b) Liberal arts.
(c) Sciences.
(d) Business studies.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who wrote the Aeneid?

2. Who says there are five causes?

3. According to Seneca, who has a misguided interest in philosophy?

4. What does Seneca say prepares the mind for philosophy?

5. What does Scipio volunteer to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Seneca believe only a philosopher can appreciate wisdom?

2. What advice does Seneca give Lucilius about coping with illness and the sometimes severe symptoms that accompany it?

3. Why does Seneca move to the country and what effects result from the move?

4. What is the value of a liberal arts education, according to Seneca?

5. What is the Stoic concept of causation?

6. How, according to Seneca, are life and philosophy both the gifts of the gods?

7. Which city burned and how did it affect Seneca?

8. List and explain three types of people who, according to Seneca, find philosophy attractive for the wrong reasons.

9. What is the concept of causation according to Aristotle?

10. What is Seneca's criticism of the typical liberal arts scholar?

(see the answer keys)

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