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WorksheetsPhilosophy Fall Exam Review
Total questions: 30
Worksheet time: 15mins
What is the primary purpose of Descartes’ methodical doubt?
To permanently reject sensory knowledge
To clear away uncertainties to find something absolutely certain
To deny the existence of the physical world
To prove that skepticism is the only valid position
What was Descartes ultimately trying to achieve through his philosophical project?
Prove that all human knowledge is impossible
Establish a solid foundation for reliable knowledge
Argue that the senses are always reliable
Reject the use of logic in philosophy
What does “Cogito ergo sum” seek to prove?
The mind and body are identical
Thinking proves the existence of a thinking self
Only sense experience is reliable
Knowledge depends entirely on culture
What is the main claim of rationalism?
All knowledge comes from sense experience
Knowledge is primarily gained through reason
Humans create meaning through choices
Meaning is unstable
What is the main claim of empiricism?
All knowledge begins with the senses and experience
Reason alone determines truth
Reality is determined by language
Knowledge is impossible
According to Plato, what is the highest kind of knowledge?
Opinion
Beliefs based on senses
Knowledge of eternal, unchanging truths
Knowledge gained through authority
What does Plato’s Allegory of the Cave illustrate?
The importance of following tradition
The difference between appearance and reality
The reliability of the senses
That truth is purely subjective
What did Socrates believe about wisdom?
It comes from collecting facts
It begins with recognizing one's own ignorance
It is given only by teachers
It depends on wealth
What is the Socratic Method?
Memorizing philosophical texts
Questioning assumptions to reveal deeper truth
Performing scientific experiments
Rejecting all authority
According to Aristotle, virtue is:
Absolute and the same for everyone
Found between extremes of excess and deficiency
Determined solely by emotions
Irrelevant to good character
What is Kant’s Categorical Imperative?
Act only in ways you want to become universal laws
Seek pleasure and avoid pain
Determine morality through emotions
Always follow cultural customs
Which idea is most associated with Nietzsche?
The unexamined life
The mind–body problem
God is dead
Virtue as the mean
Which philosopher argued that traditional moral foundations have collapsed?
Kant
Kierkegaard
Nietzsche
Plato
What is the core idea of existentialism?
Knowledge comes from rational deduction
Humans create meaning through their choices
The universe has a predetermined purpose
Language determines reality
What is “bad faith” according to existentialism?
Blind belief in tradition
Lying to oneself to avoid responsibility
Rejecting emotional experiences
Doubting all knowledge
What is Heidegger’s concept of “Dasein”?
The world of perfect Forms
Human existence understood as authenticity from within
Rational thought as the path to truth
Happiness from fitting into your society and community
What does Boethius argue about true happiness?
It comes from fortune and status
It is rooted in external circumstances
It comes from within and cannot be taken by fortune
It depends on physical pleasure
What does Hegel’s dialectic describe?
Skepticism about all metaphysics
Progress occurring through conflict and resolution
Knowledge based only on the senses
A return to ancient traditions
What is the main idea of postmodernism?
Objective truth is absolute and discoverable
Meaning is unstable and grand narratives are questioned
History follows a single rational pattern
Morality is entirely determined by nature
What is Derrida’s concept of deconstruction?
Texts have one fixed interpretation
Meaning is stable across contexts
Meaning depends on differences and is unstable
Language is identical across cultures
When is an argument valid?
When its premises are true
When its conclusion follows logically from its premises
When its conclusion feels correct
When most people agree with it
What makes an argument sound?
True premises and a valid structure
A convincing emotional appeal
Strong cultural support
A conclusion everyone agrees with
Which fallacy attacks a person rather than the argument?
Straw man
Ad hominem
Slippery slope
Circular reasoning
Which fallacy misrepresents an argument to make it easier to attack?
Straw man
Red herring
Bandwagon
Appeal to ignorance
Which fallacy presents only two options when more exist?
False dilemma
Appeal to tradition
Circular reasoning
Post hoc
Which fallacy distracts from the argument by bringing up unrelated information?
Straw man
Slippery slope
Red herring
Appeal to emotion
Which fallacy assumes that one small event will lead to extreme consequences?
False dilemma
Slippery slope
Circular reasoning
Appeal to emotion
Which statement best represents idealism?
Reality is exactly what the senses report
Reality depends partly on how the mind structures experience
Reality is created by language alone
Only physical matter exists
What does Camus mean by “the absurd”?
Life has no meaning because people stopped relying on religion
Human desire for meaning clashes with an indifferent, meaningless world
The universe is irrational and chaotic and we must just tolerate it
People should ignore abstract philosophical questions and focus on real-world situations
What big question connects Plato, Kant, and Baudrillard?
How emotions shape morality
Whether reality is always what it appears to be
Whether animals can reason
Why societies develop laws
