Which one of the following statements is true about Aristotle’s poetics?

1. He asserted the value of poetry by integrating rhetoric and imitation (mimesis).
2. He asserted the value of poetry by focusing on both rhetoric and imitation (mimesis).
3. He asserted the value of poetry by giving preference to rhetoric over imitation (mimesis).
4. He asserted the value of poetry by focusing on imitation (mimesis) rather than rhetoric.

Answer: 4

Which of the following is true of Aristotle’s Critical Position?

1. Writers are likely to be mere entertainers who appeal to the emotions and passions of the audience. 2. Texts created by poets are almost inevitably inaccurate and defective as limitations
3. The best artitistic texts will be both complex and unified: every part of the work will be essential to it and will be linked to every other part.
4. Texts should be judged on the basis of how accurately they imitate philosophical truth.

Answer: 3

Shakespeare famously neglects to observe Aristotle’s rules concerning the three dramatic unities, and Samuel Johnson undertakes to defend Shakespeare from these criticisms in his Preface to Shakespeare. Which of the Aristotelian dramatic unities does Johnson believe Shakespeare to observe most successfully?

(1) Time
(2) Place
(3) Action
(4) Johnson does not feel that the Aristotelian dramatic unities are important

Answer: 3

In which chapter of Poetics does Aristotle use the word ‘catharsis’ in his definition of tragedy?

(1) Chapter IV
(2) Chapter VI
(3) Chapter ITT
(4) Chapter V

Answer: 2

Anagnorisis’ is a term used by Aristotle for describing :

(A) The moment of discovery by the protagonist
(B) The reversal of fortune for the protagonist
(C) The happy resolution of the plot
(D) The convergence of the main plot and the sub plot

Answer: A

The soul of tragedy, according to Aristotle is :

(A) Thought
(B) Character
(C) Plot
(D) Spectacle

Answer: C