Quiz: Mencius

When was Mencius born?
- About 372 BC, in the state of Zou, China.
- 121, Rome, Italy.
- About 50, Hierapolis, in what is now Turkey, enslaved in Rome.
- About 404 BC, Sinope, on the Black Sea coast of what is now Turkey.
Answer
About 372 BC, in the state of Zou, China. — Born: About 372 BC, in the state of Zou, China..
When did Mencius die?
- About 289 BC.
- 323 BC, Corinth, Greece, in the same year as Alexander the Great.
- About 270 BC.
- 270 BC, Athens.
Answer
About 289 BC. — Died: About 289 BC..
What is Mencius known for?
- The doctrine that human nature tends to good as water tends downhill, and that a ruler who starves his people loses the mandate to rule.
- Atoms and the void as the explanation of all change, and an ethics of cheerfulness.
- The measure doctrine: man is the measure of all things. Plato made him the target of the dialogue Theaetetus.
- The book Han Feizi: rule by published law, secret method, and the sheer position of power, with no trust in virtue.
Answer
The doctrine that human nature tends to good as water tends downhill, and that a ruler who starves his people loses the mandate to rule. — Known for: The doctrine that human nature tends to good as water tends downhill, and that a ruler who starves his people loses the mandate to rule..
Which school of thought was Mencius part of?
- Confucianism, its idealist wing.
- Eleatic school, the strict logic of being.
- Daoism, its skeptical and literary wing.
- Stoicism, freed from theory into practice.
Answer
Confucianism, its idealist wing. — School: Confucianism, its idealist wing..
True or false: Chinese Confucian thinker, the second sage of the tradition after Confucius, who taught that human nature is good and that rulers must earn the people's welfare.
- True
- False
Answer
True — From the entry's summary.

When was Mencius born?
- About 372 BC, in the state of Zou, China.
- 121, Rome, Italy.
- About 50, Hierapolis, in what is now Turkey, enslaved in Rome.
- About 404 BC, Sinope, on the Black Sea coast of what is now Turkey.
Answer
About 372 BC, in the state of Zou, China. — Born: About 372 BC, in the state of Zou, China..
When did Mencius die?
- About 289 BC.
- 323 BC, Corinth, Greece, in the same year as Alexander the Great.
- About 270 BC.
- 270 BC, Athens.
Answer
About 289 BC. — Died: About 289 BC..
What is Mencius known for?
- The doctrine that human nature tends to good as water tends downhill, and that a ruler who starves his people loses the mandate to rule.
- Atoms and the void as the explanation of all change, and an ethics of cheerfulness.
- The measure doctrine: man is the measure of all things. Plato made him the target of the dialogue Theaetetus.
- The book Han Feizi: rule by published law, secret method, and the sheer position of power, with no trust in virtue.
Answer
The doctrine that human nature tends to good as water tends downhill, and that a ruler who starves his people loses the mandate to rule. — Known for: The doctrine that human nature tends to good as water tends downhill, and that a ruler who starves his people loses the mandate to rule..
Which school of thought was Mencius part of?
- Confucianism, its idealist wing.
- Eleatic school, the strict logic of being.
- Daoism, its skeptical and literary wing.
- Stoicism, freed from theory into practice.
Answer
Confucianism, its idealist wing. — School: Confucianism, its idealist wing..
True or false: Chinese Confucian thinker, the second sage of the tradition after Confucius, who taught that human nature is good and that rulers must earn the people's welfare.
- True
- False
Answer
True — From the entry's summary.