Truth, Reality, and "the Couch"
Who has true knowledge of the couch?
A. The painter
B. The craftsman
C. The user
D. The poet
C. The user
The imitator is how many removes from the truth?
A. One remove
B. Two removes
C. Three removes
D. Four removes
C. Three removes
What challenge does Socrates issue to defenders of Homer?
A. Prove Homer created laws
B. Prove Homer improved cities
C. Prove Homer ruled a city
D. Prove Homer taught philosophy
B. Prove Homer improved cities
According the Socrates, which part of the soul does poetry strengthen?
A. Rational part
B. Spirited part
C. Emotional/irrational part
D. Logical part
C. Emotional/irrational part
What determines a soul’s next life?
A. Fate
B. The gods
C. It is random
D. A soul's choice
D. A soul's choice
Why can the imitator create images of things he does not understand?
A. He studies philosophy
B. He copies appearances
C. He learns from craftsmen
D. He has divine knowledge
B. He copies appearances
What does the imitator actually produce?
A. A functional object
B. A useful object
C. An appearance of an object
D. A form
C. An appearance of an object
Why does Socrates doubt Homer understood virtue?
A. Homer never wrote about virtue
B. Homer never governed or taught successful rulers
C. Homer never studied philosophy
D. Homer never lived in Athens
B. Homer never governed or taught successful rulers
Why is indulging grief in poetry dangerous?
A. It weakens the body
B. It strengthens irrational emotions
C. It reduces intelligence
D. It harms the city
B. It strengthens irrational emotions
Why do some souls choose bad lives?
A. They are forced
B. They lack philosophical understanding
C. They are punished
D. They are weak
B. They lack philosophical understanding
Why does Socrates say there is only one Form of couch?
A. Because craftsmen agree on one design
B. Because god made only one in nature
C. Because painters copy the same couch
D. Because users demand consistency
B. Because god made only one in nature
Why does Socrates say imitators have no knowledge?
A. They do not study philosophy
B. They imitate without understanding
C. They refuse to learn
D. They lack intelligence
B. They imitate without understanding
What does Socrates say Homer imitates?
A. Forms
B. True knowledge
C. Appearances of virtue
D. Divine truth
C. Appearances of virtue
What does reason normally do with grief?
A. Controls it
B.Encourages it
C. Eliminates it
D. Ignores it
A. Controls it
Why is Ardiaeus punished severely?
A. He disobeyed the gods
B. He was a tyrant who committed injustice
C. He rejected philosophy
D. He lied
B. He was a tyrant who committed injustice
Why does the craftsman lack full knowledge?
A. He copies appearances
B. He only imitates
C. He makes based on belief, not knowledge of use
D. He cannot see the couch
C. He makes based on belief, not knowledge of use
What allows imitators to deceive people?
A. People lack intelligence
B. People lack education
C. People judge by appearances
D. People ignore philosophy
C. People judge by appearances
Why are poets inspired but not knowledgeable?
A. They are irrational
B. They imitate without understanding
C. They refuse knowledge
D. They reject truth
B. They imitate without understanding
Why is poetry harmful even to good people?
A. It makes them forget knowledge
B. It trains them to enjoy irrational emotions
C. It prevents learning
D. It makes them weak physically
B. It trains them to enjoy irrational emotions
What protects souls from choosing unjust lives?
A. Wealth
B. Power
C. Philosophy
D. Strength
C. Philosophy
Why is the painter’s couch inferior to the craftsman’s couch?
A. It cannot be sold
B. It lacks beauty
C. It lacks physical substance
D. It lacks usefulness
D. It lacks usefulness
Why are imitators dangerous teachers?
A. They teach false beliefs without knowledge
B. They refuse to teach
C. They challenge rulers
D. They oppose justice
A. They teach false beliefs without knowledge
What must poetry prove to be accepted into the city?
A. That it entertains citizens
B. That it produces knowledge
C. That it improves the soul
D. That it obeys rulers
C. That it improves the soul
Why does Socrates argue that poets cannot educate citizens about virtue?
A. They lack technical training
B. They contradict each other
C. They do not truly understand justice or goodness
D. They write in fictional form
C. They do not truly understand justice or goodness
What is the main lesson of the Myth of Er?
A. Justice determines the soul’s eternal fate
B. Gods control everything
C. Fate determines everything
D. Death ends existence
A. Justice determines the soul’s eternal fate