POSC 201 FINAL EXAM UPDATED ACTUAL QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Question:
1. what are the two question plato brings up in the republic?
Answer:
1. what is justice?
2. what is more advantageous; justice or injustice?
Question:
2. socrates-politics is not essentially about _____
Answer:
socrates-politics is not essentially about power
Question:
3. how does socrates define justice?
Answer:
there are three parts of the soul (appetitive, spirited, reason) and justice is the harmony of all three working
for the rational element of the soul justice is best for the whole community, not just the stronger
Question:
4. what causes the city to be feverish? and what is the cure for the fever?
Answer:
injustice and luxurious needs are the fever and politicians are the cure
Question:
5. why is socrates definition of justice different from the rest of the men?
Answer:
because it seems to be that he believes justice is good for everybody, the rest of the men seem to think it is
the good for individuals
Question:
6. What is the myth of Gyges
Answer:
Plato's story which considers the question, "Why be moral?"
a just man is given a ring to be invisible. he can now act unjustly with no fear of reprisal. glaucon claims
that everyone would act unjustly in this situation. this shows that justice is not desirable in itself but people
act justly because they are afraid of punishment
Question:
7. What is the Myth of the Metals?
,Answer:
three metals (bronze, silver, and gold) represent low to high classes respectively.
bronze: producers and distributers, appetitive/desire part of soul, temperance and self-mastery
silver:warriors, spirited part of soul, courage and bravery
gold: philosopher rulers, reason part of soul, wisdom
Question:
8. what is the parable of the true captain?
Answer:
the people are the shipowners the city is the ship the crew are the sophists and the politicians the captains
are the philosophers the sophists and politicians try to gain control of the ship
Question:
9. what is the dye and wool analogy?
Answer:
when dyeing wool, it first must be perfectly groomed in order for the dye to look best. soldiers must be
trained the same way so they are perfectly prepared
Question:
10. what is the simile of the large and powerful animal?
Answer:
sophists teach opinion and call it wisdom the keeper believes that he is in control of the beast, however he
is enslaved to the beast's desires like the sophists to the people the sophists do whatever to please the
people and be liked
Question:
11. in the republic, what is the divided line?
Answer:
the visible world versus the intelligible world the visible includes: belief, perception, and image making
the intelligible includes: understanding, reason, and thinking
Question:
12. what is the simile of the sun?
Answer:
the sun is the good it provides visibility of objects and also nurtures them
Question:
13. What is the allegory of the cave?
Answer:
Story of a man chained to rock with light and shadows on the rock wall in front of him. All he knew were
the shadows. Then one day he is freed and when he walks into the light it is a whole new world. The
chained man seeing shadows is society. The new world is heaven or how we should interpret the world.
what we think is real is only a small part of reality thrasymachus and sophists are still in the cave only
philosophers leave the cave.
Question:
14. What are the cardinal virtues?
,Answer:
Wisdom, courage, temperance, justice
Question:
15. What is Plato's Theory of Forms?
Answer:
Plato's Theory of Forms maintains that there are two distinct levels of reality - the visible world and the
intelligible world. The Theory of Forms differentiates the abstract world of thought from the world of the
senses.
perfect form exists only in the mind, imperfect forms exist in reality
Question:
16. Who are the guardians?
Answer:
they are the philosopher-rulers of the city
Question:
17. what are the proposed reforms by socrates for the polis
Answer:
1. guardians do not possess private property
2. women and men share power
3. no private families
4. philosophers rule
Question:
18. What is the form of the polis?
Answer:
ideal city is based on needs and not unnecessary desires. people do what they are best at and their social
place corresponds with their soul.
Question:
19. what are platos lessons regarding politics (based off of socrates' proposed reform
Answer:
1. political power and private wealth are separate
2. superficial differences are irrelevant
3. public good and private interest are separate
4. reason must guide power
Question:
20. what are the three imperfect cities and their characteristics? rulers/reason/wisdom/pursuit of justice
Answer:
timocracy/timocratic persons/spirited/honor and victory
oligarchy/oligarchs/appetitive/wealth
democracy/democratic persons/appetitive/love of unnecessary needs
Question:
21. what are the perfect and second best cities?
, Answer:
Perfect/Intelligible: City in Theory, philosopher-rulers, rational rules, wisdom, pursuit of justice for the
sake of the good
Second best city: city that substitutes the form of the polis: wealth and power must be separated, wealth
and politics have no influence on one another. mixed regime of monarchy and liberty/democracy.
Question:
22. what is the worst form of government according to aristotle
Answer:
tyranny
Question:
23. what is aristotle's opinion of the 2 types of goods
Answer:
1. qualified good - secondary good, pleasure
2. unqualified good - primary, intrinsic good in itself, happiness
Question:
24. what objection does socrates raise regarding gorgias concept of teaching rhetoric?
Answer:
rhetoric is simply persuasion
Question:
25. who thinks that man by nature is a political animal?
Answer:
aristotle
Question:
26. what does socrates say about right and wrong in gorgias?
Answer:
rhetoric can not be used for instruction of right and wrong
Question:
27. Who is Callicles in gorgias and what is his purpose in the debate ?
and what is the leaky jar analogy
Answer:
callicles argues that man have large appetites and that justice is the advantage of the stronger (LEAKY
JAR ANALOGY) leaky jar is the insatiable appetite and the sealed jar represents temperance
Question:
28. What is eudaimonia?
Answer:
happiness, flourishing
Question:
29. what is arete
AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Question:
1. what are the two question plato brings up in the republic?
Answer:
1. what is justice?
2. what is more advantageous; justice or injustice?
Question:
2. socrates-politics is not essentially about _____
Answer:
socrates-politics is not essentially about power
Question:
3. how does socrates define justice?
Answer:
there are three parts of the soul (appetitive, spirited, reason) and justice is the harmony of all three working
for the rational element of the soul justice is best for the whole community, not just the stronger
Question:
4. what causes the city to be feverish? and what is the cure for the fever?
Answer:
injustice and luxurious needs are the fever and politicians are the cure
Question:
5. why is socrates definition of justice different from the rest of the men?
Answer:
because it seems to be that he believes justice is good for everybody, the rest of the men seem to think it is
the good for individuals
Question:
6. What is the myth of Gyges
Answer:
Plato's story which considers the question, "Why be moral?"
a just man is given a ring to be invisible. he can now act unjustly with no fear of reprisal. glaucon claims
that everyone would act unjustly in this situation. this shows that justice is not desirable in itself but people
act justly because they are afraid of punishment
Question:
7. What is the Myth of the Metals?
,Answer:
three metals (bronze, silver, and gold) represent low to high classes respectively.
bronze: producers and distributers, appetitive/desire part of soul, temperance and self-mastery
silver:warriors, spirited part of soul, courage and bravery
gold: philosopher rulers, reason part of soul, wisdom
Question:
8. what is the parable of the true captain?
Answer:
the people are the shipowners the city is the ship the crew are the sophists and the politicians the captains
are the philosophers the sophists and politicians try to gain control of the ship
Question:
9. what is the dye and wool analogy?
Answer:
when dyeing wool, it first must be perfectly groomed in order for the dye to look best. soldiers must be
trained the same way so they are perfectly prepared
Question:
10. what is the simile of the large and powerful animal?
Answer:
sophists teach opinion and call it wisdom the keeper believes that he is in control of the beast, however he
is enslaved to the beast's desires like the sophists to the people the sophists do whatever to please the
people and be liked
Question:
11. in the republic, what is the divided line?
Answer:
the visible world versus the intelligible world the visible includes: belief, perception, and image making
the intelligible includes: understanding, reason, and thinking
Question:
12. what is the simile of the sun?
Answer:
the sun is the good it provides visibility of objects and also nurtures them
Question:
13. What is the allegory of the cave?
Answer:
Story of a man chained to rock with light and shadows on the rock wall in front of him. All he knew were
the shadows. Then one day he is freed and when he walks into the light it is a whole new world. The
chained man seeing shadows is society. The new world is heaven or how we should interpret the world.
what we think is real is only a small part of reality thrasymachus and sophists are still in the cave only
philosophers leave the cave.
Question:
14. What are the cardinal virtues?
,Answer:
Wisdom, courage, temperance, justice
Question:
15. What is Plato's Theory of Forms?
Answer:
Plato's Theory of Forms maintains that there are two distinct levels of reality - the visible world and the
intelligible world. The Theory of Forms differentiates the abstract world of thought from the world of the
senses.
perfect form exists only in the mind, imperfect forms exist in reality
Question:
16. Who are the guardians?
Answer:
they are the philosopher-rulers of the city
Question:
17. what are the proposed reforms by socrates for the polis
Answer:
1. guardians do not possess private property
2. women and men share power
3. no private families
4. philosophers rule
Question:
18. What is the form of the polis?
Answer:
ideal city is based on needs and not unnecessary desires. people do what they are best at and their social
place corresponds with their soul.
Question:
19. what are platos lessons regarding politics (based off of socrates' proposed reform
Answer:
1. political power and private wealth are separate
2. superficial differences are irrelevant
3. public good and private interest are separate
4. reason must guide power
Question:
20. what are the three imperfect cities and their characteristics? rulers/reason/wisdom/pursuit of justice
Answer:
timocracy/timocratic persons/spirited/honor and victory
oligarchy/oligarchs/appetitive/wealth
democracy/democratic persons/appetitive/love of unnecessary needs
Question:
21. what are the perfect and second best cities?
, Answer:
Perfect/Intelligible: City in Theory, philosopher-rulers, rational rules, wisdom, pursuit of justice for the
sake of the good
Second best city: city that substitutes the form of the polis: wealth and power must be separated, wealth
and politics have no influence on one another. mixed regime of monarchy and liberty/democracy.
Question:
22. what is the worst form of government according to aristotle
Answer:
tyranny
Question:
23. what is aristotle's opinion of the 2 types of goods
Answer:
1. qualified good - secondary good, pleasure
2. unqualified good - primary, intrinsic good in itself, happiness
Question:
24. what objection does socrates raise regarding gorgias concept of teaching rhetoric?
Answer:
rhetoric is simply persuasion
Question:
25. who thinks that man by nature is a political animal?
Answer:
aristotle
Question:
26. what does socrates say about right and wrong in gorgias?
Answer:
rhetoric can not be used for instruction of right and wrong
Question:
27. Who is Callicles in gorgias and what is his purpose in the debate ?
and what is the leaky jar analogy
Answer:
callicles argues that man have large appetites and that justice is the advantage of the stronger (LEAKY
JAR ANALOGY) leaky jar is the insatiable appetite and the sealed jar represents temperance
Question:
28. What is eudaimonia?
Answer:
happiness, flourishing
Question:
29. what is arete
