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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 did Aristotle think a high value of life in older people led to?
(a) Appreciation.
(b) Selfishness.
(c) Thoughtfulness.
(d) Skepticism.

2. In Aristotle's opinion, why should political rhetoric focus the most on sound argumentation?
(a) It was the most important.
(b) It was the most flexible.
(c) It was the most exciting.
(d) It was the most austere.

3. Following the example given in Book II, Chapter 24, what false assumption could be made by describing a large crowd?
(a) The people in the crowd must be small.
(b) The people in the crowd must be standing in a line.
(c) The people in the crowd must be standing in a circle.
(d) The people in the crowd must be large.

4. As pointed out by Aristotle, what advantage did a speech that included a surprise have for a listener?
(a) The listener would be more likely to understand it.
(b) The listener would be more likely to agree with it.
(c) The listener would be more likely to repeat it.
(d) The listener would be more likely to remember it.

5. Why did Aristotle prefer the periodic prose to the free-running prose?
(a) Periodic prose was more familiar.
(b) Free-running prose had fallen out of fashion.
(c) Periodic prose was easier to use.
(d) Free-running prose had just been introduced.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Book II, Chapter 26, how many common errors did Aristotle discuss?

2. Which one of the following would be an example of amplification?

3. Which of the following examples best demonstrates Aristotle's theory of possibility in Book II, Chapter 19?

4. Which one of the following was not included in Aristotle's recommendations for orators on how to write and speak their arguments?

5. In Aristotle's opinion, what should a good birth lead to?

Short Essay Questions

1. Which example did Aristotle use to display the fallacious ways an enthymeme could be formed?

2. Which rules for poetry and prose did Aristotle outline in Book III, Chapter 2?

3. Which styles of political, forensic, and epideictic rhetoric were discussed at the end of Book III, Chapter 12?

4. What were some of the characteristics of a refutative enthymeme?

5. How might the antithesis sayings emphasize a particular point?

6. In Aristotle's opinion, why were non-logical ways necessary to convince certain audiences of a sound argument?

7. How did Aristotle compare a simile and a metaphor in Book III, Chapter 4?

8. Based on the information in Book III, Chapter 10, which ideas could a metaphor help to deliver and why?

9. What was Aristotle's opinion of the paean rhythm in prose?

10. In what way did Aristotle describe the differences between written prose and spoken prose in Book III, Chapter 12?

(see the answer keys)

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