Philosophy Owl 2013

World Philosophy Competition for High School Students

I. TASKS
1. Diamonds are a scarce resource, and cutting techniques help to use this resource
efficiently. Since the prices of raw diamonds are the same for all the factories, it
follows that a requirement for a diamond factory to become highly successful is the
superior mastery of cutting techniques. Which of the following most accurately
expresses the conclusion of the argument?
A. Only highly successful diamond factories have a superior mastery of cutting
techniques.
B. Better access to the market of raw diamonds is a requirement for a diamond factory to
become successful.
C. No diamond factory can become highly successful without a superior mastery of
cutting techniques.
D. Cutting techniques help factories use limited resources efficiently.
2. Can you help Alice to know if cats eat bats? This is what she knows: 1. All cats eat
mice. 2. No mouse eats bats. What follows?
A. All cats eat bats.
B. No bat eats cats.
C. All bats eat cats.
D. Some cats eat bats.
E. Some bats eat cats.
3. If Plato goes to the store, well have cake for dessert. If Aristotle goes to the store,
well have cake for dessert. Either Plato or Aristotle goes to the store. So
(Answer: _______________________)

4. Either Alice loves her cat or the duchess does not want to play croquet. Either
Alice does not love her cat or the hatter drinks tea. So
A. Either the duchess does not want to play croquet or the hatter drinks tea.
B. The hatter does not drink tea.
C. Alice loves her cat and the hatter drinks tea.
D. The duchess wants to play croquet.
5. Suppose you show that Vaclavs conclusion doesnt follow from his premises.
Have you thereby shown that his conclusion is false?
A. Yes
B. No
6. If you ate too much for supper, youll have stomach pain during sleep. You didnt
eat too much for supper, so
A. Youll not have stomach pain during the night.
B. You must be careful with how much you eat.
C. You probably wont have stomach pain during the night.
D. None of these validly follows.
7. Suppose that Rachel gives you a valid argument. Must her conclusion then be
true?
A. Yes
B. No
8. If I have a driver license in Guatemala it means that I am, at least, 16. This does
not imply that,
A. If I am not 16, I do not have a driver license. B. I am 16, if I have a driver license.
C. If I am 16, then I have a driver license. D. I have a driver license, so I am surely at
least 16.

9. Moral reasoning: you find a telephone box which does not work properly, and
everyone can re use it free. What would you do, applying Kants categorical
imperative?
a) Make as much free calls as you need, without telling anyone about the problem in the
telephone box.
b) Tell your friends about the telephone box, so that everybody can call free.
c) Advise the company, expecting that they will give you some money as reward.
d) Advise the company, because you would also want to be advised if sometihing in
your business was wrong.

10. Sartre and Camus used to go on holydays together, but last winter they had a
great discussion about the concept of existence, and they do not talk each other
anymore. They are planning their holydays now. Sartre thinks as follow: If Camus
goes to the mountain, I will go to the beach.. For his part, Camus has the same
idea: he does not want to coincide with Sartre. The daughters of both thinkers are
good friends, and would like to meet each other in holydays. Both fathers want to on
holydays, and of course with their daughters. How can we manage to organize their
holydays, observing all the conditions?
a) Camus goes to the beach and Sartre to the mountain. The daughters can be in contact
with Internet.
b) Camus and Sartre go to the beach, but they rent houses in order not to see each
others.
c) It is impossible to accomplish all the intentions, they are contradictory. So is the
existence also
d) Sartre goes to the beach and Camus to the mountain, and they agree that Camuss
daughter goes to the beach with Sartre.

II. QUESTIONS
11. In the following list there is one of the most important concepts in Platos
philosophy.
a)

Materialism b)

Genealogy c)

Form of the Good

d)

Life

12. Which of the following was NOT a member of the Vienna Circle?
a)

Otto Neurath b)Moritz Schlick c)

Rudolph Carnap d)

Bertrand Russell

15.-Complete the sentence, written by Wittgenstein in Tractatus Logico

Philosophicus: The limits of my language mean the limits of my..
a)

Life

b)

Mind c) World d)

Knowledge

13.- Which of the following is NOT one of the five proofs of Gods existences written
by Thomas Aquinas.
a)

Gradation b)

Motion c)

Existence of necessary and the unnecessary

d) The essence of God.

14. Make connection between philosopher and philosophical ideas:
Tertullian

philosophy as a servant of theology

John Damaskin

rejection of philosophy

Averroes

philosophy as an art of interpreting

Nicholas of Cusa

philosophy as limited knowledge

15. Occams razor is

a. specific way of discussion b. a principle of economy in thinking
c. arrogance in debating

d. strong argument

16. Problem of universals is connected with

a. metaphysical concept of the body b. universal meanings of philosophical spirit
c. problem of properties and their nature d. general knowledge and empirical
consequences
17. Pantheism is:
a. concept that God exists only in the religious institution b. God is just the first impulse
in creation c. Nature and God are the same d. God created all
18.Are these statements true or false? Put T or F
A. induction is conclusion from general to particular_______________
B. Locke was supporting the existence of innate ideas______________
C. According to Descartes, idea of God has not the origin in a subject_________
D. Important aspect of renaissance is interest for middle age culture___________
19. Agnosticism is a philosophical concept in which:
A. Intellect has no limits B. knowledge is limited
C. self-knowledge is key instrument for progress D. knowledge is more important
then emotions
20. Which book was written by Socrates
A. State
B. Nicomahs ethics
C. Politics
D. Non of them
21. Empirism is a philosophical concept in which:
A.
B.
C.
D.

ratio is the key instrument of knowledge

all knowledge is innate
only reason is reliable source of knowledge
nothing

22. According to Berkeley

A.
B.
C.
D.

perception is independent of what is perceived

perception is not the same of what is perceived
perception and perceived are not related
to be means to be perceived

23. Knowledge is a guide for action, not a search for abstract truth:
A. Existentialism

B. Pragmatism C. Phenomenology D. Marxism

24. Who demonstrated that all logical systems necessarily contain statements that
cannot be proved within the system itself?
A. Gottlob Frege

B. Bertrand Russell C. Alfred Tarski D. Kurt Gdel

25. Argues that all existence emanates for the One down through intellectual
forms and finally into material beings; adds religious dimension to the Platonic
search for truth.
A. St. Augustine B. Plotinus C. Porphyry D. Philo of Alexandria
26. The Emperor Marcus Aurelius followed the school of thought known as
A. Epicureanism B. Stoicism C. Skepticism D. Platonism
27. Who the teacher is and who the student is?
A. Plato was a student of Socrates, Aristotle was a student of Socrates.
B. Socrates was a teacher of Plato, Plato was a teacher of Aristotle.
C. Socrates was a teacher of Plato, Aristotle was a teacher of Plato.
D. Aristotle was a student of Socrates, Plato was a student of Aristotle.
28. In his Philosophy of law Hegel wrote:
A. All that is real is rational, and all that is rational is given by science.
B. All that is real is rational, and all that is rational is reel.
C. All that is real is rational, and all that is rational is natural.
D. All that is real is rational, and all that is rational is given by human reason.
29. Stoicism is a philosophical view in which
A. philosophers are stand up philosophers
B. one should bravely take all things that destiny brings
C. wise man enjoys life
D. Virtue is achievable by action
30. Main problems of pre-Socratic philosophy are:
A. the place of man in the society
B. relation between art, philosophy and science
C. Arche and genesis
D. knowing the very essence of existence