1. What would Aristotle say about the following action: a man is about to kill his brother, thinking him to be his enemy, but discovers his identity and therefore spares his life?
(a) An interesting turn of events.
(b) Poor execution.
(c) The most successful kind of action.
(d) Poor plot development.

2. According to Aristotle, why do the greatest tragedy poets always choose characters that belong to such groups?
(a) An educated character is more believable.
(b) A moral character is more believable.
(c) A fall from such a great height will impress the spectator.
(d) A character with few friends is more interesting.

3. In how many ways does Aristotle say the method of imitation can differ?
(a) Two.
(b) Ten.
(c) Four.
(d) Countless.

4. What does Aristotle believe to be the goal of tragedy?
(a) To inspire fear and pity.
(b) To inspire fear.
(c) To inspire pity.
(d) To inspire anger.

5. In poetry, what is the term that Aristotle gives for an action that aims to accomplish a certain goal, but actually accomplishes the opposite?
(a) Irony.
(b) Reversal of Situation.
(c) Failure.
(d) Tragedy.

Short Answer Questions

1. If the story is performed, why, according to Aristotle, should actors act with appropriate gestures to demonstrate their emotions and thoughts as the story progresses?

2. In a good tragedy, Aristotle explains that the misfortune the main character experiences is usually caused by what?

3. Like any art, poetry is defined by Aristotle as what?

4. As for writing style, what risk does Aristotle believe the poet runs when he uses an excessive amount of metaphors?

5. Based on Aristotle's teachings, in what way does a poet use words?

(see the answer key)

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