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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. What kind of colors are unfit to produce what Burke terms "grand images?"

2. In what year was "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful" first published?

3. How does Burke define pain and pleasure?

4. What does Burke use as a common, but bad, example of infinity?

5. According to Burke, what is more powerful than light at representing the sublime?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Burke identify as the central tension between the imagination and the judgment?

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

3. Why, according to Burke, are the principles of reason and taste the same in all humans?

4. Describe the types of dimensional greatness Burke notes are part of the sublime.

5. Describe Burke's idea of beauty.

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

7. What motivated Burke to write "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful"?

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

9. Describe Burke's definition of the sublime.

10. What is the main problem with creating prescribed definitions, especially of taste, according to Burke?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the Introduction on Taste, Burke qualifies his purpose of defining the origins of the sublime and the beautiful. What, according to Burke, is the main problem with creating prescribed definitions, especially taste? What do definitions essentially do, and in what ways can they limit rather than enlighten? Considering Burke's mission regarding and methods used in the "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful," do you find anything ambiguous or undermining about Burke's reservations on definitions? Do you find inconsistencies here that make you think differently about reading "A Philosophical Enquiry Into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful"?

Essay Topic 2

Consider the role of the senses in producing the effect of the sublime. How does Burke describe the differences between light and dark, relative to the sublime? What types of colors are productive of the sublime, and which colors are not, according to Burke? What qualities of sound produce the sublime? How can certain smells and tastes be sublime? Use examples to reinforce your points, and explain how each example is relevant.

Essay Topic 3

Summarize Locke's idea of the nature of darkness and Burke's idea of the nature of darkness. Where do they differ? Why does Burke think differently than Locke, and what examples does he use to support his opinion? How does darkness affect the body and the mind, according to Burke? Do you think the cultural associations we have with darkness (the general theme of it and the common things it symbolizes) can be relevant to our view of darkness, in addition to or instead of Burke's opinion of darkness' nature?

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