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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Burke's general definition for "obscurity" is:
(a) That which is hidden from view.
(b) That which is most humble.
(c) That which is not famous.
(d) That which we cannot fully know.

2. What is the same in all humans, according to Burke?
(a) The capacity for feeling.
(b) The general intelligence quotient.
(c) The curiosity and wonder for nature.
(d) The standards of reason and taste.

3. What general quality does Burke assert about "taste?"
(a) It is the sole means of valuing an individual.
(b) It is natural and common to all people.
(c) It is the province of the refined upper-class.
(d) It is unnecessary for discussion about beauty.

4. How does Burke define "strength?"
(a) As "careful concentration."
(b) As "wild freedom."
(c) As "earned glory."
(d) As "natural power."

5. How do smells and tastes become sublime most effectively?
(a) When moderated through narrative and description.
(b) When they occur when one is in a dreaming state.
(c) When mediated through art.
(d) When combined with eating and drinking.

Short Answer Questions

1. To what effect does Burke use the example of the Turkish emperor?

2. What example does Burke use to demonstrate that differing tastes stem from the same basic root?

3. Which of the following is one of the general privations Burke lists?

4. What, according to Burke, is responsible for common deviations in natural taste?

5. What smells or tastes are, according to Burke, the only smells or tastes capable of producing grand sensations?

Short Essay Questions

1. Summarize Burke's definition of pain and pleasure.

2. What kind of infinity exists in "pleasing objects," according to Burke, and what is an example he uses to support his claim?

3. Describe the main difference between light and dark relative to the sublime.

4. What is the significance of power in Burke's Enquiry, and what is one example he gives of power?

5. What qualities of sound produce the sublime, according to Burke?

6. Briefly describe the significance of human judgment to the faculty of taste.

7. What is the significance of the senses to the faculty of taste, according to Burke?

8. What is astonishment, according to Burke, and why is it important?

9. What is the significance of the imagination, to Burke?

10. What are some of the cautions or caveats Burke offers to his readers in the Second Preface?

(see the answer keys)

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