Philosophy and Literature: East and West Senior Final Exam Preparation Notes
Central Question: How has man dealt with the problem of evil?
Exam Contents:
1. All assigned and completed readings from the syllabus, and our textbook, The Norton
Anthology of World Masterpieces and the Course Description at The Burning Tree
wikispace.
a. Map/Invention of Writing and the Earliest Literatures (2-9)
b. Old Testament readings (48-56): the Creation and The Fall
c. Sophocles intro and Oedipus the King (388-433): fate and free Will
d. Plato intro and The Apology (499-520): virtue and reason
e. Map/Poetry and Thought in Early China (526-30)
f. Confucius intro and The Analects (548-55): virtue and practical Wisdom
g. Augustine intro and Confessions (722-36): recognition of individual sin
h. Map/India’s Heroic Age (566-75)
i. Ramayana Intro and text (576-612): war between metaphysical good and evil
j. Bhagavad-Gita intro and text (612-24): war between metaphysical good and evil
k. Boccaccio intro and The Decameron (1142-65): Practical Reason and Fortune
l. Map/The Renaissance in Europe (1475-81)
m. Petrarch intro and The Sonnets (1484-9)
n. Map/The Rise of Popular Arts in Premodern Japan (2102-5)
o. Basho intro and The Narrow Road to the Interior (2108-34)
2. All classroom notes from commentary and discussion.
3. Information on MLA research methods.
4. All PPTs and Prezis relevant to the readings (found on class wiki)
a. Invitation to Philosophy
b. Genesis
c. Plato’s Apology
d. Chinese Humanism
e. Augustine’s Confessions
f. The Decameron
g. Indian Philosophy
h. Basho’s Narrow Road of the Interior
5. Vocabulary relevant to our conversation:
a. Theodicy
b. Metaphysical evil (in the natural or spiritual fabric)
c. Natural Evil (in historical events)
d. Moral evil (in human action)
e. Metaphysics (Ontology; philosophy of being)
f. Epistemology (philosophy of knowledge)
g. Axiology (philosophy of value)
i. Ethics (good and evil)
ii. Aesthetics (beauty and ugliness)
Exam Form:


Multiple-choice (50%): there will be fifty questions on the readings.
o Facts
o Quotations
o Interpretation
Short-essay (50%): you will be asked to pick one of two choices.
o One analytical essay based on a quotation from the book.
o One argumentative essay based on a series of passages related to an issue from
the book.
Exam Weight

20% of Final Average, as per the rules outlined in the WSHS Student Handbook and
uniform WSHS grading standards.
Thus, concerning your Final Course Grade:

Your PowerSchool weighted average will be based upon
o First Quarter Average (40%)
o Second Quarter Average (40%)
o Final Exam (20%)