SparkNotes: Philosophical Investigations: Review Quiz

Whose words are used to open the Investigations?

(A) Wittgenstein's

(B) Wittgenstein's interlocutor's

(C) St. Augustine's

(D) Plato's

Which of the following is NOT a word in the language-game of section 2?

(A) "Block"

(B) "There"

(C) "Slab"

(D) "Beam"

In section 43, what does Wittgenstein identify as the meaning of a word?

(A) The mental state of the speaker

(B) The logical structure of the word

(C) The thing it names

(D) Its use in the language

Which of the following is NOT an objection Wittgenstein raises against logical atomism?

(A) It misuses the distinction between "simple" and "composite."

(B) It fails to recognize the sharp difference between naming and describing.

(C) The process of analysis can be interminable and is thus impractical.

(D) Analyzed propositions and words are not necessarily more helpful or clearer than their unanalyzed counterparts.

Which of the following is true of all games?

(A) They are amusing.

(B) They have a fixed set of rules.

(C) They are played with a ball.

(D) None of the above.

What does Wittgenstein mean by "family resemblance"?

(A) All words with the same root share a similar meaning.

(B) The different uses of a word share certain similarities, but have no defining characteristics.

(C) There is a certain "genetic code" that gives words their meaning.

(D) Words from the same linguistic families share many traits.

Which of the following is NOT true of Wittgenstein's approach to philosophy?

(A) It is purely descriptive.

(B) It emphasizes the use of words in ordinary contexts.

(C) It explains the logical structure underlying propositions and thought.

(D) It employs a wide variety of different methods.

Which of the following claims does Wittgenstein hold in both his earlier philosophy (i.e. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus) and his later philosopher (i.e. Philosophical Investigations)?

(A) Philosophy eliminates metaphysical confusions that arise from a misunderstanding of language.

(B) Language and the world share a common logical form.

(C) The meaning of a word depends entirely on the context in which it is used.

(D) The world is made up of a number of absolutely simple and unrelated facts.

Which other word does Wittgenstein investigate in order to clarify his investigation of "understanding"?

(A) "Thinking"

(B) "Reading"

(C) "Comparing"

(D) "Explaining"

Which field of study does Wittgenstein do the most to undercut?

(A) Physics

(B) Art history

(C) Psychology

(D) Biology

Which of the following interpreters takes Wittgenstein's discussion of rule following to be evidence of radical conventionalism?

(A) Michael Dummett

(B) Cora Diamond

(C) Warren Goldfarb

(D) Stanley Cavell

What is a "private language"?

(A) A code according to which only certain people can communicate.

(B) The inner monologue in my head.

(C) A language I invent that refers to my own inner sensations.

(D) A language used by low-ranking soldiers.

What is the "beetle" in the "beetle in the box" analogy of Part I, section 293 supposed to represent?

(A) An insect collection

(B) Pain behavior

(C) A person's knowledge of other people's sensations

(D) A person's own inner sensations

What does Wittgenstein say on the question of whether a machine might ever be able to think?

(A) It is logically impossible.

(B) We don't yet know how to apply the word "think" to a machine.

(C) A machine that can calculate already knows how to think on some level.

(D) Possibly, but it would take a great advance in our technology.

Which of these questions has no clear application?

(A) "Are these books my books?"

(B) "Is this foot my foot?"

(C) "Is this body my body?"

(D) "Is this sensation my sensation?"

What does Wittgenstein say about the statement, "I believe that fire will burn me"?

(A) It is nonsense.

(B) It does not state the kind of belief that can be called into question.

(C) It is false.

(D) It is a state of the mind that is implanted at an early age and remains with us continuously throughout our lives.

Which of the following does Wittgenstein say is like understanding a sentence?

(A) Understanding a musical theme

(B) Understanding a foreign language

(C) A feeling of expectation

(D) A feeling of joy

Which of the following verbs is used differently from the other three?

(A) "Believe" in "I believe that fire will burn me."

(B) "Meant" in "I meant you should write '1002' after '1000.'"

(C) "Expecting" in "I've been expecting you all day."

(D) "Thinking" in "I am thinking of a number between one and ten."

What determines that I am genuinely guessing the time and not just reciting empty words when I say, "I wonder what time it is"?

(A) I have a mental picture of a clock.

(B) There is a feeling of assurance or certainty with which I utter the words.

(C) There is no difference between the two cases.

(D) The surrounding circumstances provide the context for determining the difference.

Which is an expression of Moore's paradox?

(A) "This statement is false."

(B) "I believe it's raining, but it isn't."

(C) "If, to cover any distance, I must cover half that distance first, I can never begin moving, because no matter how small the distance, there is always a smaller distance that I must cover first."

(D) "The concept of a horse is not a concept."

Which of the following can a dog not feel?

(A) Surprise

(B) Joy

(C) Hope

(D) Anger

What sorts of things are we talking about when we talk about "seeing"?

(A) Sense data

(B) Objects and people

(C) Aspects and interpretations

(D) A whole range of experiences that cannot be easily classified

Why does Wittgenstein introduce the "duck-rabbit"?

(A) To examine the difference between human and animal speech

(B) To illustrate what he means by "seeing an aspect"

(C) To show us that interpretation is a mental act

(D) To examine the relationship between how the eye moves and how we interpret a picture

Where does Wittgenstein suggest we look for a rose's teeth?

(A) On the thorns

(B) On the petals

(C) In the soil

(D) In a cow's mouth

Where was Wittgenstein born?

(A) England

(B) Austria

(C) Kurdistan

(D) Germany