UPSC » UPSC MCQs » MCQs on Philosophy

MCQs on Philosophy

MCQs on Philosophy: Explore Philosophy through multiple choice questions covering key concepts, thinkers, and theories.

The term “philosophy” literally means “love of wisdom.” Philosophy, in its broadest definition, is an activity in which individuals strive to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to one another. The philosophy of each academic area is very similar. Philosophy students are always asking, replying, and arguing for their answers to life’s most fundamental issues. Academic philosophy is generally separated into different areas of study to make such a pursuit more systematic. The four main branches of philosophy are metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and logic.to know more about philosophy and its type read the article.

In today’s world, there is a popular use of the word philosophy. Philosophy is a term applied to almost any area of life. Some questions may express this general attitude: what is your philosophy of business? banking? driving a car? or your philosophy of the use of money? If this popular misuse of the word were to prevail, one may admit that anyone who thinks seriously about any subject is a philosopher. If we do this, we are ignoring the academic disciplines or study of philosophy. If this very general definition is accepted, everyone becomes a philosopher. 

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The word” philosophy” is derived from which language?

(a) English

(b)  Latin

(c)  Greek

(d) Italian

Answer:(c). Greek

Explanation: The word Philosophy’s origin is the Greek word ‘Philosophia’. Philosophia means ‘love of knowledge, ‘pursuit of wisdom’, and ‘systematic investigation. The English word ‘Philosophy’ comes from a combination of two Greek words, which are ‘Philo’ and ‘Sophia’. ‘Philo’ means ‘love’ and ‘Sophia’ means ‘wisdom

2. How many types of Philosophy are there?

(a).three

(b).four

(c).five

(d).six

Answer:(b). four

Explanation: The four main branches of philosophy are metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and logic.

Check out the complete UPSC Syllabus

3. The four main divisions of philosophy are metaphysics, epistemology, axiology and _____.

(a).bioethics

(b).logic

(c).aesthetics

(d).categorical logic

Answer:(B). Logic

Explanation: Logic is the branch of philosophy that seeks to organize reasoning. Students of logic learn how to think in a structurally sound manner. Logic has two types: deductive and inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning involves examining a general case, deducing a general set of rules or principles, and then applying these rules to specific cases. Inductive reasoning involves taking specific examples and considering the general principles, rules, or cases that caused them.

4. The study of reality in the broadest sense, an inquiry into the elemental nature of the universe and the things in it, is known as _____.

(a). metaphysics
(b). epistemology
(c). quantum physics
(d). axiology

Answer:(a). metaphysics

Explanation: Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that considers the physical universe and the nature of ultimate reality. It asks questions like, What is real? What is the origin of the world? What is beyond the stars? Your consideration of reality as an external creation or an internal construct can influence your metaphysical beliefs and perspectives and your teaching. Regardless of your definition of reality, the exploration and categorization of the physical universe form the foundation of several school subjects.

5. Questions like “What is knowledge?” and “What is truth?” are mainstays in the branch of philosophy known as _____.

(a).logic

(b).metaphysics

(c).epistemology

(d).aesthetics

Answer:(c) epistemology

Explanation: Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that considers how people come to learn what they know. Derived from the Greek word episteme, meaning knowledge or understanding, epistemology refers to the nature and origin of knowledge and truth. Epistemology proposes that there are four main bases of knowledge: divine revelation, experience, logic and reason, and intuition. These influence how teaching, learning, and understanding come about in the classroom.

Also see: UPSC Preparation Books

6. Who is the father of philosophy?

(a). Thales

(b). Plato 

(c). Socrates

(d). Aristotle

Answer:(c) Socrates

Explanation: Socrates of Athens (l. c. 470/469-399 BCE) is among the most famous figures in world history for his contributions to the development of ancient Greek philosophy which provided the foundation for all of Western Philosophy. He is, in fact, known as the “Father of Western Philosophy” for this reason.

7. man is the measure of all things, according to______?

(a). Thales

(b). Plato

(c). Protagoras

(d). Aristotle

Answer:(c). Protagoras

Explanation:A statement by the ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras. It is usually interpreted to mean that the individual human being, rather than a god or an unchanging moral law, is the ultimate source of value

8. Idealism is a systematic philosophy that teaches the supremacy of__?

(a). spirit over matter

(b). noumena

(c). god

(d). materialism

Answer:(a). spirit over matter

Explanation: Idealism is a systematic philosophy that teaches the supremacy of spirits over matter. It denies the reality of external objects independent of the knowing mind. Idealism asserts that there is no extra-mental reality, everything knowable being content of consciousness. The mind is the primary reality.

Visit to know more about UPSC Exam Pattern

9. Who said that “an unexamined life is not worth living”?

(a). Plato

(b). Socrates

(c). Anximander

(d). Aristotle

Answer:(b). Socrates

Explanation: Socrates was considered by many to be the wisest man in ancient Greece, his spoken words are still listened to and followed today. Meaning of – An unexamined life is not worth living. Through this statement, Socrates means that an unexamined human life is deprived of the meaning and purpose of existence.. To become fully human means to use our highly developed faculty of thought to raise our existence above that of mere beasts.

1o. The republic is the famous work of__?

(a). Plato

(b). Socrates

(c). Anximander

(d). Aristotle

Answer:(a). Plato

Explanation: the republic is the famous work of One of Plato’s most famous works, which can be attributed to the lessons he learned from Socrates, was The Republic. This is also considered to be the first book on political science or government and uses the Platonic method to reason through ideas on justice.It is Plato’s best-known work, and has proven to be one of the world’s most influential works of philosophy and political theory, both intellectually and historically.

11. The city of god is the work of__?

(a). Plato

(b). Socrates

(c). St.Augustine

(d). Aristotle

Answer:(c). St.Augustine

Explanation: The Augustine’s City of God is arguably the first magnum opus of Christian philosophy. The work covers, among other topics, theodicy, civil and natural theology, the history of creation, philosophy of history, eschatology, and martyrdom. Completed by the year 426 (CE), City of God took Augustine at least a decade to write.

12. Anaximander’s Cosmology gives rise to a __?

(a). heliocentric

(b). teleological 

(c).geocentric

(d).god

Answer: (c). geocentric

Explanation: The geocentric model entered Greek astronomy and philosophy at an early point; it can be found in pre-Socratic philosophy. In the 6th century BC, Anaximander proposed a cosmology with Earth shaped like a section of a pillar (a cylinder), held aloft at the center of everything.

Also see: UPSC Question Paper

13. Who believed in the immorality, transmigration and reincarnation of souls?

(a). Pythagoras

(b). Lionians

(c). Atomists

(d). Eleatic

Answer:(a).Pythagoras

Explanation: Pythagoras’s distinctive teachings were the immorality, transmigration and reincarnation of the souls. In other words, the soul is something that exists beyond death, and that can be reborn in other bodies. He believed that souls were reincarnated in various bodily shapes.

14. Who was concerned about public speaking, rather than thinking well?

(a). Materialists

(b). Idealists

(c). Rationalists

(d). Sophists

Answer:(d).sophists

Explanation: The Sophists were orators, public speakers, mouths for hire in an oral culture. They were gifted with speech. They were skilled in what becomes known as Rhetoric. They were respected, feared, and hated. They had a gift and used it in a manner that aroused the ire of many. The sophists focused on the rational examination of human affairs and the betterment and success of human life. They argued that gods could not be the explanation for human action. Many rhetoricians during this period were instructed under specialists in Greek rhetorical studies as part of their standard education.

15. Who said a man is the measure of all things?

(a). Protagoras

(b). Socrates

(c). St.Augustine

(d). Aristotle

Answer:(a) Protagoras

Explanation:” Man is the measure of all things”, is commonly believed to mean that humans hold the most value. We were created first, giving us the ultimate value. It was a statement made by the ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras. It is usually interpreted to mean that the individual human being, rather than a god or an unchanging moral law, is the ultimate source of value.

16. An uncaused cause according to Aristotle is called?

(a). potentiality

(b). the prime mover

(c). actuality

(d). atom

Answer:(b). the prime mover

Explanation:’that which moves without being moved or prime mover (Latin: primum movens) is a concept advanced by Aristotle as a primary cause (or first uncaused cause) or “mover” of all the motion in the universe. As is implicit in the name, the unmoved mover moves other things but is not itself moved by any prior action.