Classics in Horror Exam 1

Multiple Choice Section

Theory According to Aristotle, what does catharsis mean in the context of tragedy?

The audience experience of a purification or emotional release.

According to Aristotle, citizens should participate in watching tragic plays because it exemplifies what qualities? 

Refinement and encouragement towards better moral actions. 

Aristotle (based on the class readings) would MOST agree with the claim that horror movies are popular because...: 

They allow us to have an act of catharsis while watching

Which of the following do we fear, according to Aristotle's description of fear? 

Signs or indications of imminent evils happening to us.

How is the term "Gothic" defined in this course?

Aesthetic of excess: art, emotion, experience beyond boundaries of experience or acceptability

According to the ideas presented in the Gale and Scourfield paper, "Texts and Violence in the Roman World", what would have been considered "bad" violence in Roman society?

A Roman official killing another Roman official

Which statement about lifestyles would a person that is considered a Stoic most likely agree with?

Live life in moderation and virtue

Which of these options is most reflective of Epicurean beliefs? 

Pleasure of the soul is the highest good

Which of the following is the best definition of ataraxia? 

A sense of mental peace and clarity gained by being free from anxieties or disturbance

In Carol J. Clover’s theory of the Final Girl, what primarily distinguishes the Final Girl from other female characters in slasher films?

She embodies both vulnerability and resistance to the killer, allowing audiences to identify with her fear and endurance.

How does each woman’s awareness shape her role within her story? 

Sidney, like Cassandra, foresees danger but is powerless to change it; however, Sidney’s survival transforms that curse into resilience, while Cassandra’s foreknowledge seals her fate.

At the beginning of Scream 2, what event sets off the new wave of murders in Woodsboro’s sequel setting?

Two college students are murdered during a screening of Stab.

House of Atreus What are the possible factors that could have motivated the writing of Seneca the Younger's tragedy, Thyestes?

All of the above. 

Why does Clytemnstra murder Agamemnon without remorse?

He sacrificed their daughter

What was the motivation for Aegisthus to help Clytaemnestra kill Agamemnon in Aeschylus's play, Agamemnon?

He wanted to avenge his father Thyestes

All of the following are presented as taboos committed by Atreus in Seneca's Thyestes, except..

Incest

Both Raw and Thyestes explore social taboos through acts of cannibalism; which of the following options best captures how each work does this?

Raw explores bodily desire and repression; in Thyestes, it explores moral corruption and revenge.

When does the action of the Agamemnon take place? 

After the Trojan War

In stories like 28 Days Later and writings by Lucretius and Thucydides, disease is used to primarily explore which of the following ideas?

The breakdown of society

In 28 Days Later a large copy of the Roman statue “Laocoon and his Sons” appears. How is this statue relevant to the film?

The statue reminds viewers of hidden dangers in the film (the virus, Mailer, the soldiers, etc.)