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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What vice is, according to Aristotle, in excess of the virtue of courage?

2. In how many ways does Aristotle speak of good things in I.6?

3. Aristotle states that as a child needs an instructor, so too do the desiring parts of the soul need what?

4. Living in accordance with virtue can be said to be what, according to Aristotle?

5. In how many ways are things called courage according to Aristotle in Book Three?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Aristotle, in what way is justice reciprocal, and why?

2. What does it mean to say, as Aristotle explains it, that nothing can be habituated to be other than it is by nature?

3. Explain what is meant by Aristotle in saying that youth should not be involved in the study or practice of politics.

4. What is the distinction Aristotle makes between magnificence and generosity?

5. What is the tripartite distinction in the soul that Aristotle makes in Chapter 13 of the first book?

6. Why is doing injustice worse than suffering injustice, from Aristotle's perspective?

7. To which of the vicious extremes is the truthful man closer in disposition and why, according to Aristotle?

8. With what virtuous dispositions are Book IV, Chapters 6-9 concerned?

9. What is the relationship that Aristotle claims exists between the virtues of courage and temperance?

10. What is the content of the suggestion of Aristotle regarding overcompensation and the acquisition of personal virtue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compose an analytical essay which insightfully compares and contrasts the states of moral character of those whose souls are in conditions of self-restraint and a lack of restraint. How are they related to the other states of character? How are they related to one another? With what sort of things do they struggle? How do they improve or worsen their conditions? What do they demonstrate about the nature of virtuous action and human desires?

Essay Topic 2

As that which rightly governs man's being, it can be reasonably stated that practical judgment is the most important of all virtues. Compose an essay which analyzes the virtue of practical judgment. In what does it consist? Why is it a virtue? What other virtues are entailed in its being possessed? How is it superior to other virtues? What is its end?

Essay Topic 3

Amidst virtues that seem more magnificent, oftentimes Aristotle's considerations of the virtue of good humor--sometimes called ready wit--are glossed over. Analyze this virtue in a thoughtful essay, examining the importance of humor to an individual and to society. What constitutes the virtue of good humor? What are the vices in opposition to it? Why are these vices detrimental to individuals and society as a whole? Why is good humor important to society? How does humor aid man in seeking his ethically-proper end?

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