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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. Aristotle asserts that men who find poetry very attractive find great pleasure in what?

2. Per Aristotle, in which of the following ways does poetry NOT differ from history?

3. What type of action does Aristotle say occurs without "Recognition" or "Reversal of Situation"?

4. When a poet simply straightforwardly describes the events as they happen, what method does Aristotle say the poet is using?

5. When one character realizes that another character has fewer morals than he once thought, what does Aristotle say is happening?

Short Essay Questions

1. Is the unity of plot the same as the unity of a character's actions? Explain.

2. What does Aristotle say about the actions described in a tragic plot?

3. Aristotle points out that good poets may also write episodic stories. What reason does he give?

4. Why does Aristotle consider poetic work to be a philosophical undertaking, and, therefore, a higher pursuit than history, which is concerned simply with facts?

5. How does Aristotle differentiate the arts from one another?

6. What does Aristotle say about plot in tragedy?

7. How does Aristotle classify or divide actions? Explain.

8. Based on Section I of Aristotle's "Poetics", how is the medium specific to poetry similar to and different from prose?

9. What does Aristotle say the goal of tragedy is and how does he say good poetry accomplish this goal?

10. Whom does Aristotle say favors episodic, as opposed to epic, storytelling and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Aristotle teaches through "Poetics" that poets may use words metaphorically, and he explains that this is done in many ways.

1) Explain various ways in which a character uses words metaphorically.

2) Differentiate between various forms of metaphors.

3) Provide examples of how Aristotle says Homer's "Iliad" uses metaphors.

Essay Topic 2

According to Aristotle, plot is the most essential element of tragedy; it is the sole element without which a tragedy could not exist. The development of character, though important, is secondary to the development of plot.

Part 1) Explain why the development of character is secondary to the development of plot.

Part 2) Through Aristotle's perspective, how should the plot of a well-written tragedy be structured?

Essay Topic 3

Based on Aristotle's "Poetics", how does poetry differ from history according to Aristotle? Why is poetry considered a higher pursuit than history to Aristotle? How does Aristotle define the "laws of probability and necessity"?

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