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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. According to Aristotle, what should vivid descriptions always depict?
(a) Something that is in activity.
(b) Something that is easily identified.
(c) Something that is not easily identified.
(d) Something that is stationary.

2. In addition to context, what type of application of rhetoric did Aristotle think should determine the style?
(a) General.
(b) Simple.
(c) Complex.
(d) Specific.

3. In Aristotle's opinion, what should a good birth lead to?
(a) Balance.
(b) Optimism.
(c) Wealth.
(d) Ambition.

4. Based on Aristotle's explanation of the wealthy, how did wealthy people view the opinions of others about money?
(a) They thought that most people were incapable of understanding their view of money.
(b) They thought that most people understood their view of money, but did not understand the reasons for it.
(c) They thought that everyone disagreed with their view of money.
(d) They thought that everyone shared their view of money.

5. Why did Aristotle say that metaphors were useful in a speech?
(a) They were not used frequently in common speech.
(b) They sounded natural to mostly everyone.
(c) They were used frequently in common speech.
(d) They sounded natural to everyone.

Short Answer Questions

1. To object to an argument, whose authority did Aristotle think could be appealed to?

2. As explained by Aristotle in Book III, Chapter 2, which type of words should a speech writer use?

3. Although a refutative enthymeme might be more effective in a certain sense, how did Aristotle describe all enthymemes?

4. How many periods of a lifetime did Aristotle discuss in Book II, Chapter 12?

5. What did Aristotle indicate was the result of using complex, foreign words?

Short Essay Questions

1. What value could surprises have in a speech, and what were some of the forms they could take?

2. How did Aristotle define the application of vivid descriptions in rhetoric?

3. What were some of the ways Aristotle described what was and was not possible in rhetoric and oratory?

4. How did Aristotle define a maxim?

5. Which rules for poetry and prose did Aristotle outline in Book III, Chapter 2?

6. What clarification did Aristotle make about amplification, enthymemes, and the soundness of enthymemes at the end of the section?

7. Which example did Aristotle use to display the fallacious ways an enthymeme could be formed?

8. What were some of the characteristics of a refutative enthymeme?

9. What would the a fortiori argument refer to in rhetoric?

10. In what way did Aristotle describe the differences between written prose and spoken prose in Book III, Chapter 12?

(see the answer keys)

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