Deck 3: Utopias: Model States

Question 1

What three groups make up the society described in Plato's Republic ?

A)Farmers and artisans, teachers, and philosopher-guardians
B)Lawyers, warriors, and philosopher-guardians
C)Teachers, warriors, and philosopher-guardians
D)Farmers and artisans, doctors, and philosopher-guardians
E)Farmers and artisans, warriors, and philosopher-guardians

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Why are the philosopher-kings the only group able to govern Plato's ideal city?

A)They are the only group with the right family connections.
B)They are the only group with the necessary physical strength.
C)They are the only group with the needed political connections.
D)They are the only group with sufficient economic resources.
E)They are the only group with sufficient education and wisdom.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

What is the dictatorship of the proletariat?

A)The final stage of Marx's revolution to overthrow capitalism
B)Another way of describing Plato's ideal society
C)The principal goal of Bensalem's elites
D)The first stage of Marx's revolution to overthrow capitalism
E)An alternative way to describe Bensalem societies

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which influential English humanist first used the term utopia ?

A)Sir Thomas More
B)King Henry VIII
C)Robert Owen
D)Plato
E)Richard Neustadt

Question 5

How is knowledge treated differently in Plato's republic than in Bacon's Bensalem?

A)In Plato's republic, knowledge is pursued by all the people, whereas in Bacon's Bensalem, knowledge is pursued only by select individuals.
B)In Plato's republic, knowledge is considered the highest good, whereas in Bacon's Bensalem, knowledge is considered an unnecessary luxury.
C)In Plato's republic, knowledge is considered valuable only when it leads to wealth, whereas in Bacon's Bensalem, knowledge is always considered valuable.
D)In Plato's republic, knowledge is sought for its own sake, whereas in Bacon's Bensalem, knowledge is also sought to control the environment.
E)In Plato's republic, knowledge is secondary to public morality, whereas in Bacon's Bensalem, public morality is considered secondary to knowledge.

Question 6

Why is the noble lie essential to Plato's concept of the just city?

A)The noble lie unifies the public by providing political equality.
B)The noble lie unifies the public by providing economic equality.
C)The noble lie unifies the public by banning all opposition to the regime.
D)The noble lie unifies the public by splintering the opposition.
E)The noble lie unifies the public by making them feel part of a nation.

Question 7

How does Skinner believe that behavioral engineering is effective at changing behavior?

A)Bad behavior is prevented by strong external pressures.
B)Altering the stimuli changes the underlying desire to behave in certain ways.
C)Punishments are so extreme that people fear them.
D)Genetics are altered before the person is born and negative qualities are removed.
E)Excessive work requirements do not allow people the time to behave negatively.

Question 8

How do the managers in Walden Two get the people to behave as desired?

A)Social shaming
B)Imprisonment
C)Financial penalties
D)Positive reinforcement
E)Physical punishments

Question 9

In what way is Marx's theoretical approach similar to other utopian thinkers' approach?

A)His proposed society is based on the ethical idea of cooperation and mutual benefit.
B)He held the expectation that revolution is inevitable.
C)He was specifically critical of the status quo.
D)He described the problems of the world as stemming from many varied sources.
E)His proposed society is based upon the end of capitalism and class divisions.

Question 10

Which of the following best describes a utopian society?

A)Any society where all taxes are abolished
B)A visionary society where the workers control the means of production
C)A visionary society representing perfect political and social order
D)A visionary society without any public discord
E)Any society where people's basic material needs are met

Question 11

To Marx, what was the inevitable result of history?

A)A society without money
B)A rigid class-based system
C)A classless society
D)A society structured by nationality
E)A strict religious society

Question 12

How did Marx differ from Bacon and Plato in describing his utopian ideals?

A)Marx was more explicit in his criticism of the status quo and less clear in his description of his utopian society.
B)Marx was less explicit in his criticism of the status quo but clearer in his description of his utopian society.
C)Marx was much more focused on describing the precise way that his utopia would arise.
D)Unlike Bacon and Plato, Marx was unsure if his utopia would ever come to be.
E)Marx was much more focused on abstract reasoning than on specific observations.

Question 13

According to Marx, what happens to the state after the revolution?

A)It expands quickly.
B)It expands slowly.
C)It disappears slowly.
D)It is unchanged.
E)It disappears quickly.

Question 14

Which industrialist attempted to form a utopian society in New Harmony, Indiana?

A)Sir Thomas More
B)Robert Owen
C)Andrew Carnegie
D)Karl Marx
E)John D. Rockefeller

Question 15

Why is justice a difficult concept to identify and describe?

A)Justice is only a concern for the highly religious.
B)Justice has not been a major interest for people until recently.
C)Justice relates only to the criminal justice system.
D)Justice is a concern for only political and economic elites.
E)Justice means a variety of things, depending on culture and context.

Question 16

Followers of Socratic philosophy are noted for their dedication to what overriding purpose(s)?

A)Truth
B)Honor and courage
C)Morality and faithfulness
D)Physical perfection
E)Internal peace

Question 17

What is behavioral engineering?

A)The careful use of rewards and punishments to create the desired behavior
B)A program of enforced isolation in which individuals develop without external stimuli
C)Changing the genetics of individuals to remove unwanted behaviors
D)A program of seemingly random punishments used to instill fear
E)A rigid class-based system forcing standardized roles with no possibility of change

Question 18

Francis Bacon wrote which important book describing the possibility of a utopian society?

A)The New Atlantis
B)Wonder Woman
C)The Republic
D)A Modest Proposal
E)Common Sense

Question 19

In Francis Bacon's work, how does a utopian society come about?

A)Morality and ethics
B)Pursuit of knowledge for its own sake
C)Scientific innovation
D)Dominance of the neighboring countries
E)Strict religious rule

Question 20

Which academic discipline motivated the utopian work of B. F. Skinner?

A)Political science
B)Economics
C)Anthropology
D)History
E)Behavioral psychology

Question 21

Could it be argued that modern political leaders still use the noble lie to maintain the support of the public? Why or why not? Include examples to support your argument(s).

Question 22

Why is eugenics often a component of utopian ideas?

A)It removes negatively perceived characteristics from the population.
B)It changes the behavior of individuals through rewards and punishments.
C)It prevents any one group from gaining too much power.
D)It forces the public to behave in cooperative ways.
E)It prevents misbehavior in the population through rigid class structure.

Question 23

Which group dominates life in Walden Two ?

A)The guardians
B)The proletariat
C)The managers
D)The consultants
E)The watchers

Question 24

Which of the following is a key characteristic of dystopian novels?

A)Dystopian novels generally do not include opponents to the status quo.
B)Dystopian novels generally lack compelling protagonists.
C)Dystopian novels generally present failed attempts at model societies.
D)Dystopian novels generally focus only on the positive aspects of society.
E)Dystopian novels generally refer only to societies in the past.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a dystopian novel?

A)The Handmaid's Tale
B)Nineteen Eighty-Four
C)New Atlantis
D)Brave New World
E)The Road

Question 26

Compare the managers in Skinner's Walden Two with the guardians in Plato's Republic . In your response, consider the methods used by the two groups to control the population and their conceptions of the society's goals .

Question 27

Consider the work of utopian thinkers Plato, Bacon, Marx, and Skinner. Which of these, if any, created work that was revolutionary? Why or why not?

Question 28

Compare the fictional nation of Bensalem to what you know about the Constitution of the United States.

Question 29

Given the failures of utopian experiments, is attempting to create a utopia worthwhile? In your response, consider the opinions and works of Marx and Plato.

Question 30

What are some of the common weaknesses of utopian ideas?

Question 31

What political and economic changes does Marx describe occurring during the dictatorship of the proletariat?