MA Master of Liberal Arts 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In art history, which period is characterized by elaborate ornamentation, grandeur, and emotional intensity, roughly 1600–1750?
- Romanticism
- Baroque (Correct answer)
- Neoclassicism
- Gothic
Correct answer: Baroque
The Baroque period featured dramatic use of light, rich detail, and emotional expressiveness in both visual art and music.
Question 2: Which logical fallacy involves attacking the person making an argument rather than the argument itself?
- Straw man
- Ad hominem (Correct answer)
- False dichotomy
- Slippery slope
Correct answer: Ad hominem
Ad hominem is the fallacy of discrediting an argument by attacking the character or motives of the person making it.
Question 3: Which Enlightenment philosopher argued that 'man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains'?
- Voltaire
- Montesquieu
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Correct answer)
- John Locke
Correct answer: Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau opened 'The Social Contract' (1762) with this famous observation about the corrupting effect of civilization on natural human freedom.
Question 4: In statistics, what does a 'p-value' measure in hypothesis testing?
- The size of the sample studied
- The probability of observing results at least as extreme as those found, given the null hypothesis is true (Correct answer)
- The correlation between two variables
- The mean of the data set
Correct answer: The probability of observing results at least as extreme as those found, given the null hypothesis is true
A p-value indicates how likely the observed data would be if the null hypothesis were true; a low p-value suggests evidence against the null hypothesis.
Question 5: Which narrative technique presents a story entirely through a character's internal thought stream?
- Dramatic monologue
- Stream of consciousness (Correct answer)
- Unreliable narration
- Free indirect discourse
Correct answer: Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness mimics the continuous flow of a character's thoughts, associations, and perceptions without conventional narrative structure.
Question 6: What does the term 'interdisciplinary' mean in the context of a Master of Liberal Arts program?
- Specializing in a single academic discipline
- Drawing methods and insights from multiple academic fields to address complex questions (Correct answer)
- Studying only the natural sciences
- Completing courses exclusively in the humanities
Correct answer: Drawing methods and insights from multiple academic fields to address complex questions
Interdisciplinary study integrates concepts, methods, and perspectives from several disciplines to produce a richer, more comprehensive understanding.
Question 7: Which ethical theory holds that the morality of an action is determined solely by its consequences for overall well-being?
- Deontology
- Virtue ethics
- Consequentialism (Correct answer)
- Natural law
Correct answer: Consequentialism
Consequentialism, including utilitarianism, judges actions as right or wrong based solely on their outcomes and effects on happiness or welfare.
MA Master of Liberal Arts 4
In art history, which period is characterized by elaborate ornamentation, grandeur, and emotional intensity, roughly 1600–1750?