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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. Why do humans walk upright, according to Aristophanes?
(a) They taught themselves to walk upright as a survival instinct.
(b) They were split in half.
(c) They were originally created to walk upright.
(d) They were not as coordinated walking on all fours.

2. According to Glaucon, what is the road to Athens made for?
(a) Conversation.
(b) Amazement.
(c) Adventure.
(d) Trouble.

3. How does Socrates feel about drinking?
(a) He does not drink at all.
(b) He can only drink a little or not at all.
(c) He can only drink a lot or not at all.
(d) He can either drink a lot, a little, or not at all.

4. As explained by Phaedrus, how does Orpheus die as a result of his cowardice?
(a) At the hands of women.
(b) He is beaten with clubs.
(c) He is thrown off of a cliff.
(d) He is dragged through the streets.

5. Whose thoughts inspire the guests to speak about love at the party?
(a) Phaedrus.
(b) Aristodemus.
(c) Pausanias.
(d) Agathon.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Agathon, how does love deal with old age?

2. Who is Apollodorus talking with at the beginning of Symposium?

3. What does Eryximachus believe to be the source of pestilence and destruction in nature?

4. According to Eryximachus, what elements create rhythm?

5. How many types of "creatures" does Aristophanes think there were in the beginning of man?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the intention of Aristophanes' speech, and what clarification does he add to the end of it?

2. Why do Socrates and Agathon argue after Aristophanes' speech?

3. What is the setting of the Symposium and the circumstances around it?

4. How is the subject of the speeches at the Symposium decided?

5. How is music used by Eryximachus as a metaphor for love?

6. Why is Aristophanes unable to speak after Pausanias as scheduled?

7. How well does Apollodorus know Socrates in order to verify the information of what took place at the Symposium?

8. What effect does love have on nature and the seasons, as mentioned in the end of Eryximachus' speech?

9. How does Phaedrum describe love at the beginning of his speech?

10. What approach does Eryximachus take when speaking about love and how does it differ from the previous speeches?

(see the answer keys)

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