Ch.7 Vaughn Aesthetics Exam Prep

Test Bank

Philosophy Here and Now, Fourth Edition

Lewis Vaughn

Chapter 7: Aesthetics

Please Note: All questions that appear with an asterisk are also featured on the Student Oxford Learning Link site.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Aesthetic values are examined in the field of philosophy known as

A) epistemology.

B) graphic design.

C) logic.

D) aesthetics.

1. *Aesthetics deals with objects that are

A) not essential to our existence.

B) essential to our existence.

C) unimportant to most people.

D) rarely viewed.

1. Traditionally art has been defined as

A) wealth.

B) utility.

C) representation.

D) well-being.

1. *Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is

A) abstract.

B) nonrepresentational.

C) obscure.

D) representational.

1. Disagreements about the aesthetic value or social relevance of a piece of art are

A) uncommon.

B) never serious.

C) vacuous.

D) common.

1. *Leo Tolstoy says that art is

A) expression.

B) representation.

C) form.

D) abstract.

1. *The view that art is defined by its form is known as

A) informalism.

B) formalism.

C) expressionism.

D) structuralism.

1. A prominent view is that an object has aesthetic value if it

A) has no meaning.

B) has no utility.

C) cannot be defined.

D) serves some important function.

1. *An important formal characteristic of art is

A) social meaning.

B) coherence.

C) its power to evoke strong emotions.

D) faithful representation.

1. The view that works of art have objective properties by which we can judge their aesthetic goodness or badness is known as

A) nihilism.

B) subjectivism.

C) materialism.

D) objectivism.

1. The view that the aesthetic properties of an art object are solely in the eye of the beholder is known as

A) objectivism.

B) subjectivism.

C) formalism.

D) expressionism.

1. *Gardner argues that

A) there are objective standards in art.

B) no genuine disagreements can exist in discussions of aesthetic value.

C) aesthetic tastes do not vary.

D) there are no objective standards in art.

1. *Plato's view is that true beauty is

A) found in everyday objects.

B) not of this world.

C) everywhere in the natural world.

D) nonexistent.

1. Danto is probably best known for his

A) institutional theory of art.

B) idealist notion of art.

C) rejection of Andy Warhol's work.

D) embrace objectivism.

1. *Aristotle is a(n)

A) Platonist.

B) subjectivist.

C) formalist.

D) objectivist.

1. The purging of the emotions of pity and fear by experiencing them vicariously in a theatrical context is known as

A) mimesis.

B) catharsis.

C) representation.

D) dissonance.

1. *For Aristotle, the poet's job is saying not what did happen but what

A) is not probable.

B) is sure to happen.

C) could never happen.

D) would happen.

1. Aristotle says that the good plot must

A) have a double line of development.

B) not end in tragedy.

C) be complex.

D) have a single line of development.

1. *Hume argues that the criteria for judging aesthetic value are

A) unchangeable.

B) entirely subjective.

C) entirely objective.

D) unknown.

1. Hume says that beauty is

A) a quality in things themselves.

B) a matter of a priori knowledge.

C) no quality in things themselves.

D) judged by logical standards.

1. *Hume thinks that each mind perceives _______ beauty.

A) the same

B) objective

C) warped sense of

D) a different

1. Hume says anyone paying attention would see that the works of Ogilby and Milton are

A) equal in aesthetic value.

B) without value.

C) different in their level of genius and elegance.

D) the same in their level of genius and elegance.

1. *According to Hume the foundation of the “rules” of literary composition is

A) experience.

B) a priori reasoning.

C) unknown.

D) logic.

1. Hume insists that on every occasion the aesthetic feelings of men will not necessarily be conformable to

A) elite literary experience.

B) rules of etiquette.

C) rules of aesthetic judgments.

D) any critic's judgments.

1. Aesthetics addresses questions that interest

A) only philosophers.

B) philosophers and nonphilosophers.

C) only critics.

D) no one.

1. *Arthur Danto was a(n)

A) influential artist.

B) severe critic of Warhol's “Brillo Box.”

C) advocate of objectivism.

D) influential art critic.

1. Aristotle believes that

A) the arts need not fulfill a function to be valuable.

B) the arts must fulfill a function to be valuable.

C) to have aesthetic value, an objective need not be beautiful.

D) no tragedies are beautiful.

1. *Hume says that the attributes of a piece of art are not in the object itself but in

A) the a priori judgments of the consumers of art.

B) a person's sense of awe.

C) the mind.

D) the heart.

1. Aesthetic values have to do with

A) the moral value of works of art and other objects that could be judged beautiful.

B) the moral values of artists and critics.

C) pragmatic decisions regarding the display of art.

D) good and bad works of art and other objects that could be judged beautiful.

1. *For Plato, beauty is

A) defined by experts.

B) an Idea or Form.

C) a feeling.

D) a subjective reality.

1. *Subjectivists would argue that

A) the Mona Lisa is objectively more beautiful than stick figure drawings.

B) there is an ideal form of Beauty in a non-physical realm.

C) two people disagreeing about whether the Mona Lisa is beautiful can both be correct.

D) there are no objective truths whatsoever.

1. Plato and Aristotle primarily disagree about whether

A) there are objective standards for judging whether something is beautiful.

B) poetry is properly classified as art.

C) real beauty resides in everyday objects.

D) a beautiful story requires an ending.

1. Aristotle and Hume primarily disagree about whether

A) the standard of aesthetic value is to be found in the object itself.

B) simple drawings, such as cave paintings, count as art.

C) art can be defined.

D) there is a Platonic Form of Beauty.

True or False Questions

1. The study of the feelings and judgments involved in experiencing the arts or other objects deemed beautiful is known as metaphysics.

A) True

B) False

1. *Ovid declares that the arts are useless.

A) True

B) False

1. Some philosophers argue that nothing can be objectively beautiful.

A) True

B) False

1. A definition of art cannot help us tell art from nonart.

A) True

B) False

1. *In the theory of art as representation, to create art objects is to depict or imitate objects in the world—in paint, clay, stone, poetry, or other media.

A) True

B) False

1. *Modern theorists point out that representation in art means making an exact copy.

A) True

B) False

1. Tolstoy defined art as expression.

A) True

B) False

1. *Subjectivists insist that works of art have objective properties by which we can judge their aesthetic goodness or badness.

A) True

B) False

1. *Subjectivists argue that criteria for judging aesthetic value are derived from a priori principles.

A) True

B) False

1. Gardner argues that we can never have objective standards for judging aesthetic value.

A) True

B) False

1. The notion that beauty is a Platonic Form comes from Aristotle.

A) True

B) False

1. *For Aristotle, beauty is a property of objects in the everyday world.

A) True

B) False

1. The purging of the emotions of pity and fear by experiencing them vicariously in a theatrical context is known as mimesis.

A) True

B) False

1. *Hume says that the essential difference between the historian and the poet is that the one tells us what happened and the other the sort of thing that would happen.

A) True

B) False

1. Hume says that a good tragedy evokes fear and pity.

A) True

B) False

1. *According to Hume, there are no objective standards by which we can tell whether one work of art is superior to another.

A) True

B) False

1. Hume believes that there is a difference in aesthetic quality between the works of Ogilby and Milton.

A) True

B) False

1. Aesthetic values have to do with right and wrong acts and good and bad persons.

A) True

B) False

1. *The expression theory defines art as the communication of the artist's feelings and the prompting of others to experience those same feelings.

A) True

B) False

1. Arthur Danto thought that Warhol's “Brillo Box” was not art.

A) True

B) False

1. *Danto was an objectivist.

A) True

B) False

1. Suzanne Lacy declared that the goal of feminist art was to influence cultural attitudes and transform stereotypes.

A) True

B) False

1. *Feminist artists sought to create a dialogue between the viewer and the artwork through the inclusion of women's perspective.

A) True

B) False

1. Formalism is the view that art has no form and cannot be defined.

A) True

B) False

1. *Plato and Aristotle were both objectivists.

A) True

B) False

Essay Questions

1. What gives an object aesthetic value? Is an object still art if it features excellent design and composition yet serves no significant social function?
2. What characteristic(s) makes something art? Does representation make it art? Expression? Form?
3. *Do you believe that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”? Do you think judgments about art are matters of personal taste, or are there objective standards for gauging aesthetic worth? Explain.
4. *Can an object be considered beautiful (have aesthetic value) even though it portrays or supports repugnant attitudes? Can a sculpture have aesthetic value while containing an antireligious message?
5. *How does Plato's view of aesthetics differ from Aristotle’s? Which is more plausible?
6. What is the feminist art movement? How has it changed the contemporary the art world and art itself?
7. *What is Martin Gardner's argument for the objectivist view of art? Do you agree? Why or why not?
8. Critique Curt John Ducasse's subjectivist view of art.
9. *Critique David Hume's subjectivist view of art.
10. Is the Mona Lisa art? Why or why not?
11. *Are there objects that do not or can never qualify as art? If so, why? If not, then what does that imply about the nature of art?
12. Is it ever appropriate to ban works of art? If so, when and why? If not, why?