Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Quiz
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
  • 1. Who published the first English translation of Zarathustra in 1896?
A) Thomas Common
B) Walter Kaufmann
C) R.J. Hollingdale
D) Alexander Tille
  • 2. In what year was Thomas Common's translation published?
A) 1896
B) 1954
C) 1909
D) 2005
  • 3. Whose earlier attempt was Thomas Common's 1909 translation based on?
A) Walter Kaufmann's
B) Alexander Tille's
C) Graham Parkes's
D) Adrian Del Caro's
  • 4. Who wrote a blistering critique of Common's translation in his own introduction?
A) Kaufmann
B) Hollingdale
C) Robert Pippin
D) Clancy Martin
  • 5. What unfortunate term did Common coin in his translation according to Kaufmann?
A) baddest
B) superest
C) evilest
D) worsest
  • 6. Which of Nietzsche's works features a third dedicated to the difference between 'bad' and 'evil'?
A) Thus Spoke Zarathustra
B) The Genealogy of Morals
C) Beyond Good and Evil
D) The Antichrist
  • 7. What did Kaufmann wonder about Common due to his translation errors?
A) He had little German and less English
B) He never read the original text
C) He relied entirely on French translations
D) He was fluent in multiple languages
  • 8. How was the German text available to Thomas Common described?
A) Written by Nietzsche himself
B) Flawless and complete
C) Hidden from the public
D) Considerably flawed
  • 9. According to Common's translation of Zarathustra's Prologue, what is the meaning of the earth?
A) The Human
B) The Overman
C) The Superman
D) The Spirit
  • 10. In Common's version, what should brethren not believe?
A) Superearthly hopes
B) Scientific truths
C) Natural laws
D) Earthly desires
  • 11. What term does Common use for those who speak of superearthly hopes?
A) Poisoners
B) Philosophers
C) Skeptics
D) Teachers
  • 12. When did Walter Kaufmann publish his translation titled Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
A) 1954
B) 1961
C) 1909
D) 2005
  • 13. When did R.J. Hollingdale publish his translation of Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
A) 1954
B) 1896
C) 1961
D) 2006
  • 14. Who stated that the German text from which Hollingdale and Kaufmann worked was untrue to Nietzsche's work in some ways?
A) Alexander Tille
B) Thomas Common
C) Clancy Martin
D) Graham Parkes
  • 15. What does Clancy Martin criticize Kaufmann for changing?
A) The title
B) The dedication
C) Punctuation
D) The publication date
  • 16. What did Martin suggest Kaufmann took it upon himself to become?
A) Nietzsche's co-author
B) Nietzsche's publisher
C) Nietzsche's editor
D) Nietzsche's biographer
  • 17. In Kaufmann's translation of the Prologue, what is the meaning of the earth?
A) The overman
B) The beast
C) The mortal
D) The Superman
  • 18. What term does Kaufmann use instead of 'superearthly hopes' in his translation of the Prologue?
A) Celestial dreams
B) Underworld hopes
C) Future ambitions
D) Otherworldly hopes
  • 19. What term does Kaufmann use for those who speak of otherworldly hopes?
A) Illusionists
B) Dreamers
C) Deceivers
D) Poison-mixers
  • 20. What kind of hopes does Hollingdale mention in his translation of the Prologue?
A) Subterranean hopes
B) Superterrestrial hopes
C) Otherworldly hopes
D) Superearthly hopes
  • 21. Who published a translation of Zarathustra in 2005 attempting to convey the musicality of the text?
A) Adrian Del Caro
B) Clancy Martin
C) Robert Pippin
D) Graham Parkes
  • 22. Which university press published the 2006 translation by Adrian Del Caro?
A) Harvard University Press
B) Cambridge University Press
C) Oxford University Press
D) Princeton University Press
  • 23. Who edited Adrian Del Caro's 2006 translation alongside Del Caro himself?
A) Walter Kaufmann
B) Graham Parkes
C) R.J. Hollingdale
D) Robert Pippin
  • 24. What was a primary goal of Del Caro's 2006 translation?
A) To simplify the philosophical concepts
B) to remove controversial metaphors
C) to update the language to modern slang
D) To restore the original versification of Nietzsche's text
  • 25. In which work of 1888 does Nietzsche explain the meaning of the name Zarathustra?
A) Ecce Homo
B) Beyond Good and Evil
C) Thus Spoke Zarathustra
D) The Antichrist
  • 26. What nationality is the historical figure of Zoroaster according to the text?
A) Greek
B) Persian
C) German
D) Roman
  • 27. What does Nietzsche call himself in relation to morality in the text?
A) The first immoralist
B) The silent observer
C) The ultimate moralist
D) The final prophet
  • 28. What did Zarathustra translate into the realm of metaphysics as force, cause, and end-in-itself?
A) Truth
B) Reality
C) Morality
D) Power
  • 29. What does Nietzsche describe as the experimental refutation of the theory of the moral order of things?
A) Modern science
B) Ancient mythology
C) Human biology
D) All history
  • 30. What is upheld as the highest virtue in Zarathustra's teaching?
A) Compassion
B) Truthfulness
C) Obedience
D) Faith
  • 31. What does Nietzsche say Zarathustra has more of in his body than all other thinkers put together?
A) Patience
B) Knowledge
C) Pluck
D) Doubts
  • 32. In what idiom did Nietzsche choose to use the prophet Zarathustra in his philosophy?
A) A scientific idiom
B) A mathematical idiom
C) A poetical idiom
D) A legal idiom
  • 33. What did Nietzsche want to do to Zarathustra's teachings at the same time as paying homage?
A) Reverse them
B) Expand them
C) Ignore them
D) Translate them
  • 34. What kind of immoralism does Nietzsche’s Zarathustra put forward in contrast?
A) Political immoralism
B) Ontological immoralism
C) Aesthetic immoralism
D) Practical immoralism
  • 35. What is the alternative English title for Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
A) The Thus Spoke Zarathustra
B) Thus Spake Zarathustra
C) The Book of Zarathustra
D) Zarathustra's Discourses
  • 36. Who wrote Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
A) Friedrich Nietzsche
B) Alexander von Humboldt
C) Friedrich von Hellwald
D) Diogenes Laertius
  • 37. Who is the nominal protagonist of Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
A) Alexander von Humboldt
B) Lou Andreas-Salomé
C) The historical Zarathustra
D) Friedrich Nietzsche
  • 38. What is Zarathustra more commonly called in the West?
A) Humboldt
B) Zarathustra
C) Zoroaster
D) Nietzsche
  • 39. What phrase ends most of Zarathustra's discourses in the book?
A) Thus spake Zoroaster
B) Thus spoke the Übermensch
C) Thus spoke Zarathustra
D) So ended Zarathustra
  • 40. In which earlier book by Nietzsche did the character of Zarathustra first appear?
A) Twilight of the Idols
B) The Gay Science
C) Ecce Homo
D) Beyond Good and Evil
  • 41. Which of the following is considered one of Nietzsche's core ideas elaborated in the book?
A) Cartesian dualism
B) Marxist dialectics
C) The Übermensch
D) Utilitarianism
  • 42. What kind of class was the Bildungsbürgertum into which Nietzsche was born?
A) A nomadic peasant class
B) An impoverished working class
C) An aristocratic ruling class
D) A highly cultivated middle class
  • 43. Who gave Nietzsche a biography of Alexander von Humboldt for his 15th birthday?
A) Friedrich von Hellwald
B) Diogenes Laertius
C) Lou Andreas-Salomé
D) His aunt Rosalie
  • 44. What academic field did Nietzsche accidentally become outstanding in?
A) Physics
B) Philology
C) Philosophy
D) Mathematics
  • 45. Whose work as a student acted as a yoke alongside Nietzsche's growing taste toward philosophy?
A) Friedrich von Hellwald
B) Rosalie Nietzsche
C) Diogenes Laertius
D) Alexander von Humboldt
  • 46. Whose marriage proposals did Nietzsche face rejection from?
A) Rosalie Nietzsche
B) No one
C) Lou Andreas-Salomé
D) Alexander von Humboldt
  • 47. What physical activity did Nietzsche frequently engage in while working on Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
A) Horseback riding
B) Rowing
C) Swimming
D) Walking
  • 48. According to Nietzsche, what is the central idea of Thus Spoke Zarathustra?
A) The eternal recurrence
B) The Übermensch
C) The will to power
D) The death of God
  • 49. When did the central idea of the book first occur to Nietzsche?
A) August 1883
B) March 1892
C) January 1884
D) August 1881
  • 50. Near what geographical landmark was Nietzsche walking when the central idea first occurred to him?
A) Lake Geneva
B) The Bay of Santa Margherita
C) The road to Zoagli
D) Lake Silvaplana
  • 51. Whose writing about Zarathustra did Nietzsche paraphrase in a notebook a few weeks after his Lake Silvaplana revelation?
A) Alexander von Humboldt
B) Lou Andreas-Salomé
C) Diogenes Laertius
D) Friedrich von Hellwald
  • 52. In which city was Nietzsche living when the entire first part was conceived?
A) Basel
B) Rapallo
C) Nice
D) Zurich
  • 53. Where was Nietzsche living when he 'found' the third part?
A) Berlin
B) Vienna
C) Nice
D) Rapallo
  • 54. According to Ecce Homo, roughly how long did it take to write the entire work?
A) Ten days
B) Exactly four years
C) A few weeks
D) Scarcely one year
  • 55. When did Nietzsche finish the third part and think the book was finished?
A) March 1892
B) November 1884
C) January 1884
D) August 1881
  • 56. When were the first three parts of Zarathustra first published together in a single volume?
A) 1883
B) 1892
C) 1887
D) 1885
  • 57. In what year was the fourth part written?
A) 1881
B) 1889
C) 1885
D) 1883
  • 58. How many copies of the fourth part were printed at Nietzsche's own expense?
A) Ten
B) Six thousand
C) Forty
D) One hundred
  • 59. In what year did Nietzsche become significantly incapacitated?
A) 1881
B) 1887
C) 1889
D) 1892
  • 60. When was part four published separately?
A) November 1884
B) January 1884
C) July 1892
D) March 1892
  • 61. When were all four parts finally published together in a single volume?
A) March 1892
B) July 1892
C) December 1889
D) January 1887
  • 62. How many years did Zarathustra live as a hermit on a mountain at the beginning of the book?
A) Five years
B) Ten years
C) One year
D) Twenty years
  • 63. What inspires Zarathustra to return to his human community?
A) His animal companions
B) An earthquake
C) A dream
D) The sun
  • 64. What news does Zarathustra marvel that the old holy man has not yet heard?
A) The Übermensch has arrived
B) God is dead
C) The mountain has fallen
D) The sun has set
  • 65. What event is the crowd gathered to watch when Zarathustra arrives at the nearest town?
A) A tightrope walker
B) A public execution
C) A royal coronation
D) A theatrical play
  • 66. What does Zarathustra say men must be prepared to will in order to bring the Übermensch into being?
A) The loss of their memories
B) The burning of the forest
C) The death of God
D) Their own destruction
  • 67. Who causes the tightrope walker to lose his balance and fall?
A) A member of the crowd
B) An eagle
C) Zarathustra
D) A clown
  • 68. After the tightrope incident, who does Zarathustra decide he will speak to from then on?
A) Only a few chosen disciples
B) Only the old holy man
C) The masses in the town
D) No one ever again
  • 69. What condition does Zarathustra give before he will return to his disciples after abandoning them?
A) They must disown him
B) They must find the clown
C) They must climb the mountain
D) They must build a temple
  • 70. What animal does Zarathustra hear howling in terror?
A) A wolf
B) A lion
C) A fox
D) A dog
  • 71. What has crept into the shepherd's throat in Zarathustra's vision?
A) A black serpent
B) A spirit of gravity
C) A small dwarf
D) A poisonous spider
  • 72. What does Zarathustra urge the choking shepherd to do?
A) Bite the serpent's head off
B) Swallow the serpent whole
C) Call for help
D) Pull the serpent out
  • 73. How does Zarathustra feel about humanity's pettiness while in his cave?
A) Amused
B) Disgusted
C) Inspired
D) Indifferent
  • 74. What physical form does the spirit of gravity take?
A) A winged beast
B) A shadowy phantom
C) A dwarf-like creature
D) A giant shadow
  • 75. Who visits Zarathustra to tempt him to his final sin?
A) A soothsayer
B) Arthur Schopenhauer
C) A higher man
D) A fascist
  • 76. What is Zarathustra's final sin according to the soothsayer?
A) Pride
B) Gluttony
C) Compassion
D) Sloth
  • 77. What is another translation for the German word 'mitleiden' mentioned in the text?
A) Will
B) Strength
C) Power
D) Pity
  • 78. How long does Zarathustra spend searching for the person who uttered the cry?
A) A month
B) A day
C) A week
D) An hour
  • 79. Which philosopher significantly influenced Nietzsche's thinking regarding will?
A) An unnamed fascist scholar
B) A soothsayer
C) Arthur Schopenhauer
D) Zarathustra
  • 80. What is the German term for 'will to power' used by Nietzsche?
A) Wille zur Macht
B) Mitleiden
C) Stärker-werden-wollen
D) Übermensch
  • 81. What type of philosopher was Nietzsche not?
A) A philosophical writer
B) A systematic philosopher
C) A German philosopher
D) An influential thinker
  • 82. Which group is said to have misinterpreted the will to power by overlooking a specific linguistic distinction?
A) Receptive fascists
B) Schopenhauer's followers
C) The children of Zarathustra
D) The higher men
  • 83. What German word does Nietzsche use for 'force, strength' that fascists allegedly overlooked?
A) Macht
B) Wille
C) Mitleiden
D) Kraft
  • 84. What German word does Nietzsche use for 'power, might'?
A) Zarathustra
B) Stärker
C) Kraft
D) Macht
  • 85. How is the will to power described in Nietzsche's notebooks?
A) As the worship of a donkey
B) Willing-to-become-stronger, willing growth
C) As the final sin of compassion
D) As a systematic doctrine of political might
  • 86. What is the German phrase found in Nietzsche's notebooks meaning willing-to-become-stronger?
A) Wille zur Macht
B) Stärker-werden-wollen
C) Mitleiden
D) Übermensch
  • 87. What is the English translation of the Menippean satire 'Κατάπλους ἢ Τύραννος' mentioned in the text?
A) The Death of Tragedy
B) Downward Journey or The Tyrant
C) Beyond Good and Evil
D) Thus Spoke Zarathustra
  • 88. Whom did Nietzsche celebrate as an actualisation of the Übermensch?
A) Lucian
B) Goethe
C) Schopenhauer
D) Socrates
  • 89. What happened to humanity without God?
A) Humanity became divine
B) Humanity remained unchanged
C) Humanity found ultimate purpose
D) Humanity was greatly devalued
  • 90. According to the text, what was the labyrinth in this context?
A) The will to power
B) Nihilism
C) Primitive drives
D) The supernatural
  • 91. Who remarked that Zarathustra was born completely from the spirit of music and is symphonically constructed?
A) Gustav Mahler
B) Friedrich Hölderlin
C) Richard Wagner
D) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  • 92. Which of Mahler's symphonies quotes a poem from Nietzsche's book?
A) First Symphony
B) Fifth Symphony
C) Third Symphony
D) Ninth Symphony
  • 93. What did Nietzsche aim to become while working on the text?
A) Luther's successor
B) Schopenhauer's student
C) Goethe's rival
D) Wagner's heir
  • 94. How does Nietzsche describe the tempo of Zarathustra's speeches?
A) Loud and abrupt
B) Steady and marching
C) Delicate slowness
D) Rapid and chaotic
  • 95. What tone does Nietzsche mention as necessary to hear properly from Zarathustra's mouth?
A) Skeptical tone
B) Furious tone
C) Halcyon tone
D) Tragic tone
  • 96. Which author's work is mentioned as an allusion or appropriation in Zarathustra alongside Goethe and Emerson?
A) Marx's Capital
B) Hölderlin's Hyperion
C) Kant's Critique
D) Hegel's Phenomenology
  • 97. Who is the character of the sorcerer generally agreed to be based on?
A) Luther
B) Schopenhauer
C) Goethe
D) Wagner
  • 98. What does the German word 'untergang' literally mean?
A) High-rising
B) Over-going
C) Down-going
D) Deep-diving
  • 99. With which opposite word does Nietzsche pair 'untergang'?
A) überlegen
B) unternehmung
C) übermensch
D) übergang
  • 100. What does the word 'übergang' mean?
A) Conclusion
B) Transition
C) Destruction
D) Foundation
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