The Uncanny Quizzes

The Uncanny Quiz

1 In which year was "The Uncanny" published?
1918

1920

1919

1917
2 What theoretical model is Freud credited with having developed?
German Idealism

Positivism

The labor theory of value

Psychoanalysis
3 At what point in Freud's career did he write The Uncanny?
At the beginning, when he was more interested in the arts

Towards the end, once most of his theoretical concepts were in place

At the very beginning, before he had developed his theories

At the very end, once he'd begun to recant his major ideas
4 In what way is the uncanny an unusual subject for Freud?
Freud rarely writes about the arts.

Freud rarely focuses on low-brow art, like horror writing.

Freud's writing on art focuses on the positive effects of art.

Freud's writing on art focuses on the visual arts.
5 In what way is the uncanny different from the merely frightening?
The uncanny can only be experienced in art, while the frightening is experienced in real life.

The frightening is a sense of unease, while the uncanny is fear for one's safety.

There is no substantive difference between the two.

The uncanny is a sense of unease, whereas the frightening is fear for one's safety.
6 Why might art be a forbidding subject for someone for Freud?
Freud does not consider art a worthy subject of scholarly inquiry

As a scientist Freud feels art is too subjective

Thinking about art often requires taking social and formal aspects into account

Freud never received an education in the arts
7 According to Freud, how extensive is the body of research on the uncanny?
There are only a few isolated studies.

Extensive

Extensive in other languages, non-existent in German

Non-existent
8 What is Freud's proposed strategy for exploring the uncanny?
A linguistic analysis, followed by a deduction of its causes from a list of examples

A linguistic analysis, a deduction, and a historical overview of the uncanny

A deduction of its causes from a list of examples, followed by a linguistic analysis

A linguistic analysis, a deduction, and an analysis of the uncanny as a purely contemporary phenomenon
9 What hypothesis does Freud offer in the first section?
That the uncanny is the familiar, now returned as something foreign

That the uncanny occurs in a state of intellectual uncertainty

That the uncanny and the frightening have nothing to do with one another

That the uncanny and the frightening are ultimately the same
10 Which of the following authors does Freud NOT draw on in The Uncanny?
Friedrich Nietzsche

Ernst Jentsch

Otto Rank

Friedrich Schelling
11 What does Freud predict the difference in results will be between a linguistic analysis and an examination of examples of the uncanny?
The linguistic analysis will yield insights a reading of literature will not.

The literary examples will yield insights that a linguistic analysis will not.

No difference--in both cases the uncanny is the familiar returning as something frightening

Whatever their difference, they'll need to be supplemented by the case study of a patient
12 Which of the follow is the German word for "uncanny"?
Geheimnis

heimlich

Geheimrat

unheimlich
13 How does Freud characterize his own sensitivity to the uncanny?

Highly sensitive.

Largely insensitive.
14 What definition do the non-German languages considered by Freud offer for the uncanny?
The familiar and frightening

The foreign and frightening

The physically imposing

The disgusting
15 Which of the following is not a definition of the German word "heimlich"
of or related to the house

hidden, concealed

domesticated

choking, convulsing
16 What level of familiarity does Freud assume with his theoretical concepts for his reader?
None

Fairly high

Very little

That of a practicing therapist
17 Why might art be an interesting subject for Freud?
Because he thinks his ideas can be useful for working artists

Because everyone is familiar with certain artworks

Because it is the realm of the fantastical and irrational

Because of the prestige attached to art
18 Why might Freud be interested in linguistic analysis?
He believe that language completely forms our consciousness

He believes that language is objective and fixed, and so ideal for scientific inquiry

He believes that the German language is especially rich in suggestive psychological content

He believes language is a repository of shared emotions and assumptions
19 Which of the following authors is not cited by Freud in his linguistic analysis?
J.W. Goethe

Johann Pestalozzi

Berthold Auerbach

Gottfried Keller
20 Why is The Uncanny unusual as a study of art?
Because aesthetics tended to be more of a social history than psychological analysis

Because the aesthetics of Freud's time tended to focus on contemporary art.

Because the aesthetics of Freud's time tended to focus on classical art.

Because it focuses on an extreme aspect of art, rather than a comprehensive theory
21 In what way is The Uncanny typical of Freud's argumentative style?
In Freud's blurring of the line between extreme cases and normality.

In Freud's complete detachment of his own feelings from the subject at hand

In that Freud rarely refers to literature or art.

In Freud's frequent use of irony and aphorism.
22 Which of the following is uncanny, according to Ernst Jentsch?
Fear of catration

Fear of losing one's eyes

A living doll

Being buried alive
23 Which of the following is uncanny, according to Friedrich Schelling?
Intellectual uncertainty

A living doll

Body parts moving on their own

The return of something meant to be forgotten.
24 Which of the following thinkers investigated the cultural history of the double?
Otto Rank

Friedrich Nietzsche

Ernst Jentsch

Friedrich Schelling
25 Which poet wrote "The Ring of Polycrates"?
Friedrich Schiller

Johann Pestalozzi

Clemens Brentano

J.W. Goethe

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