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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 Seneca, what is the fruit of man's own efforts?
(a) Love.
(b) Peace between nations.
(c) Life.
(d) Philosophy.

2. What do the friends Seneca talks about in Letter LXV compare to concepts by Aristotle and Plato?
(a) Zeno's concept of relationships.
(b) The Stoic concept of causation.
(c) Arelius' thoughts about life.
(d) Seneca's thoughts about death.

3. What does Seneca consider to be the gift of gods?
(a) Both life and philosophy.
(b) Nothing.
(c) Only life.
(d) Only philosophy.

4. What does Seneca say prepares the mind for philosophy?
(a) Meditations.
(b) Liberal arts.
(c) Religion.
(d) Fine arts.

5. Why does Seneca praise suicide?
(a) He is tired of being sick.
(b) To cut back on medical needs of the community.
(c) He likes to challenge the legal system.
(d) It is active, not passive.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Letter LXV, how do friends get Seneca to stop reading and writing while he is sick?

2. Who wrote the "Aeneid?"

3. How does Seneca spend most of his day?

4. When does Seneca say that men that began to claim pieces of land as their property?

5. According to Seneca in Letter LXXXVIII, what should man strive to become?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Seneca object to Posidinus' claims that philosopher's ruled during the Golden Age and were responsible for many new technological innovations?

3. How, according to Letter LXXXIII, does Seneca spend his day?

4. What does Seneca say about people who have an excessive concern with pain?

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

6. According to Seneca, what destroyed man's harmonic relationship with nature and what was the result?

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

8. How does Seneca feel about moving to improve studies?

9. Why does Seneca say the Stoic account of causation is better than both Aristotle's and Plato's?

10. What is Zeno's logic that a drunk man is not a good man?

(see the answer keys)

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