The Uncanny Quizzes

The Uncanny Quiz

1 In which year was "The Uncanny" published?
1919

1920

1917

1918
2 What theoretical model is Freud credited with having developed?
Positivism

The labor theory of value

German Idealism

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

At the very beginning, before he had developed his theories

At the very end, once he'd begun to recant his major ideas

Towards the end, once most of his theoretical concepts were in place
4 In what way is the uncanny an unusual subject for Freud?
Freud rarely writes about the arts.

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

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

Freud's writing on art focuses on the visual arts.
5 In what way is the uncanny different from the merely frightening?
There is no substantive difference between the two.

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.

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

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

Freud never received an education in the arts

As a scientist Freud feels art is too subjective
7 According to Freud, how extensive is the body of research on the uncanny?
Non-existent

There are only a few isolated studies.

Extensive

Extensive in other languages, non-existent in German
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 an analysis of the uncanny as a purely contemporary phenomenon

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

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

That the uncanny and the frightening are ultimately the same

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

That the uncanny occurs in a state of intellectual uncertainty
10 Which of the following authors does Freud NOT draw on in The Uncanny?
Friedrich Nietzsche

Ernst Jentsch

Friedrich Schelling

Otto Rank
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.

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

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

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"?
Geheimrat

heimlich

Geheimnis

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

Largely insensitive.

Highly sensitive.
14 What definition do the non-German languages considered by Freud offer for the uncanny?
The foreign and frightening

The physically imposing

The disgusting

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

domesticated

hidden, concealed

choking, convulsing
16 What level of familiarity does Freud assume with his theoretical concepts for his reader?
Very little

That of a practicing therapist

Fairly high

None
17 Why might art be an interesting subject for Freud?
Because he thinks his ideas can be useful for working artists

Because of the prestige attached to art

Because everyone is familiar with certain artworks

Because it is the realm of the fantastical and irrational
18 Why might Freud be interested in linguistic analysis?
He believes language is a repository of shared emotions and assumptions

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

He believe that language completely forms our consciousness

He believes that the German language is especially rich in suggestive psychological content
19 Which of the following authors is not cited by Freud in his linguistic analysis?
Gottfried Keller

J.W. Goethe

Johann Pestalozzi

Berthold Auerbach
20 Why is The Uncanny unusual as a study of 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

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

Because aesthetics tended to be more of a social history than psychological analysis
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 that Freud rarely refers to literature or art.

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

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

Fear of catration

Being buried alive

Fear of losing one's eyes
23 Which of the following is uncanny, according to Friedrich Schelling?
A living doll

Body parts moving on their own

The return of something meant to be forgotten.

Intellectual uncertainty
24 Which of the following thinkers investigated the cultural history of the double?
Ernst Jentsch

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Schelling

Otto Rank
25 Which poet wrote "The Ring of Polycrates"?
J.W. Goethe

Clemens Brentano

Johann Pestalozzi

Friedrich Schiller

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Study Guide for The Uncanny

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