Multiple choice

Directions: For the given question, select one entry for the blank from the given choices, to best complete the text.

To those who actually knew Socrates, he was not always the beloved master philosopher that Plato writes about; to the ignorant or hostile, he could also appear as ___________, a Sophist.

  1. a mere pretender to the throne

  2. a peddler of useless intellectual tricks

  3. a man of wisdom beyond understanding

  4. a recipient of a pupil's misplaced adoration

  5. an arrogant and narcissistic scholar
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(1) Incorrect but close; the clue is that Socrates has been referred to as 'master philosopher' and as a 'sophist'. 'Pretender to the throne' only contrasts with the first part, but does not contrast with the second.  (2) Correct; the use of 'sophist' to describe Socrates is a clear clue that some thought that he was not a philosopher but someone who pretended to speak and know of erudite topics. (3) Incorrect; why would people hostile to Socrates credit him with wisdom beyond comprehension? (4) Incorrect; the clue lies in the use of the word 'sophist' to describe Socrates. A sophist is a person who pretends to be sophisticated but is not. (5) Incorrect; the choice of option has to gel with the use of 'sophist' to describe Socrates.

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