Socrates (470–399 BCE)

Question 1

What was Socrates’ primary method of teaching called?

Answer 1

The Socratic Method

Question 2

What was the Socratic Method designed to do?

Answer 2

Stimulate critical thinking and illuminate ideas through questioning.

Question 3

Socrates was born in which city?

Answer 3

Athens

Question 4

What were Socrates’ parents’ professions?

Answer 4

His father was a stonemason and his mother was a midwife.

Question 5

Who were the two main students that documented Socrates’ life and philosophy?

Answer 5

Plato and Xenophon

Question 6

Socrates served as a soldier in which war?

Answer 6

The Peloponnesian War

Question 7

Socrates is most known for laying the foundation of which areas of philosophy?

Answer 7

Western ethics and epistemology

Question 8

Why did Socrates not write down any of his teachings?

Answer 8

He believed in dialogue as a means of exploring ideas and relied on oral teaching.

Question 9

In what year did Socrates die?

Answer 9

399 BCE

Question 10

How did Socrates die?

Answer 10

He was sentenced to death and drank hemlock poison.

Question 11

Socrates was accused of corrupting the ____ of Athens.

Answer 11

youth

Question 12

What were the two charges brought against Socrates?

Answer 12

Corrupting the youth and impiety (not believing in the gods of Athens).

Question 13

Who were two famous philosophers taught by Socrates’ student Plato?

Answer 13

Aristotle and Xenophon

Question 14

What is the historical significance of the Socratic Method today?

Answer 14

It is still used in law, education, and philosophy to foster critical thinking.

Question 15

Socrates believed in questioning _____.

Answer 15

Everything, including established norms.

Question 16

What was the political environment like during Socrates’ time?

Answer 16

There was political instability in Athens, partly due to the Peloponnesian War.

Question 17

Which city-state was Athens at war with during Socrates’ lifetime?

Answer 17

Sparta

Question 18

Did Socrates choose to escape his death sentence?

Answer 18

No, he chose to accept the law and his sentence.

Question 19

Fill in the blank: Socrates is often remembered as one of the greatest _______ of all time.

Answer 19

philosophers

Question 20

Socrates focused his philosophical inquiry on human concerns like ______, ______, and ______.

Answer 20

justice, virtue, and the best way to live

Question 21

What did Socrates famously say after his wife threw water over his head?

Answer 21

‘After thunder comes the rain!’

Question 22

Who was Socrates married to?

Answer 22

Xanthippe

Question 23

How are Socrates’ ideas primarily remembered and transmitted today?

Answer 23

Through the writings of his students, especially Plato.

Question 24

Why is Socrates considered a controversial figure in ancient Athens?

Answer 24

He openly criticized authority and exposed the ignorance of those in power.

Question 25

What lasting impact did Socrates’ work have on Western thought?

Answer 25

His ideas on ethics, knowledge, and dialogue became foundational in Western philosophy.

Question 26

Fill in the blank: Socrates did not write anything himself; everything we know about him comes from _______.

Answer 26

his students, like Plato and Xenophon