BGS, BSGS Bachelor of General Studies BSGS Humanities 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the study of world religions, 'theodicy' is a branch of theology that attempts to address:
- The nature of divine revelation and scripture
- The existence of evil and suffering in a world created by a good God (Correct answer)
- The relationship between faith and reason
- Ritual practices and their symbolic meanings
Correct answer: The existence of evil and suffering in a world created by a good God
Theodicy seeks to reconcile belief in an omnipotent, benevolent God with the observable presence of evil and suffering in the world.
Question 2: Which post-structuralist theorist developed the concept of 'deconstruction' as a method of textual analysis?
- Roland Barthes
- Michel Foucault
- Jacques Derrida (Correct answer)
- Julia Kristeva
Correct answer: Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida developed deconstruction to reveal how texts contain internal contradictions and unstable hierarchies of meaning.
Question 3: The Homeric epithet is a literary device used in ancient epic poetry that functions primarily to:
- Signal a change in narrative point of view
- Provide a formulaic descriptive phrase repeated throughout a poem (Correct answer)
- Create irony by contrasting description with action
- Mark the transition between oral and written traditions
Correct answer: Provide a formulaic descriptive phrase repeated throughout a poem
Homeric epithets like 'swift-footed Achilles' or 'rosy-fingered Dawn' are formulaic phrases that aided oral composition and memory.
Question 4: In music, the term 'polyphony' describes a texture in which:
- A single melodic line is performed by all voices or instruments
- Two or more independent melodic lines are performed simultaneously (Correct answer)
- A melody is performed over a rhythmic drone
- Harmony is created by a single instrument playing broken chords
Correct answer: Two or more independent melodic lines are performed simultaneously
Polyphony features multiple simultaneous independent melodic lines, each with its own rhythmic and melodic identity.
Question 5: The 'intentional fallacy,' a concept from New Criticism, warns against:
- Reading anachronistic modern values into historical texts
- Judging a work's success by the emotional response it produces in the reader
- Using an author's stated intentions as the definitive guide to a text's meaning (Correct answer)
- Misattributing a text to the wrong historical period or author
Correct answer: Using an author's stated intentions as the definitive guide to a text's meaning
W.K. Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley argued that the author's intention is neither available nor relevant to the literary work's meaning.
Question 6: Which philosopher is associated with the claim that 'God is dead' and the concept of the 'Übermensch' as a cultural ideal?
- Arthur Schopenhauer
- Friedrich Nietzsche (Correct answer)
- Martin Heidegger
- Ludwig Feuerbach
Correct answer: Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche used 'God is dead' to diagnose the collapse of traditional values and proposed the Übermensch as a new life-affirming ideal.
Question 7: A 'Bildungsroman' is a novel genre defined by its focus on:
- A protagonist's psychological deterioration and moral failure
- The moral and psychological growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood (Correct answer)
- An episodic picaresque journey through society's criminal underworld
- A satirical portrait of bourgeois manners and social rituals
Correct answer: The moral and psychological growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood
The Bildungsroman traces a young protagonist's formation of identity through experiences, education, and moral trials.
BGS, BSGS Bachelor of General Studies BSGS Humanities 4
In the study of world religions, 'theodicy' is a branch of theology that attempts to address: