Q1. The central principle of Idealism is:
a) Matter is real
b) Spirit and mind are ultimate reality
c) Knowledge is relative
d) Truth is material progress
Answer: b) Spirit and mind are ultimate reality
Explanation: Idealism holds that spiritual reality is supreme, not matter.
Q2. According to Plato, the highest form of reality is:
a) God
b) Ideas or Forms
c) Nature
d) Experience
Answer: b) Ideas or Forms
Explanation: Plato’s “Theory of Ideas” states that eternal forms are the ultimate reality.
Q3. Which Indian philosopher’s thought is most aligned with Idealism?
a) Charvaka
b) Vivekananda
c) Buddha
d) Mahavira
Answer: b) Vivekananda
Explanation: He emphasized spiritual knowledge, self-realization, and moral upliftment.
Q4. The aim of education in Idealism is:
a) Adjustment with environment
b) Self-realization and moral perfection
c) Employment preparation
d) Social equality
Answer: b) Self-realization and moral perfection
Explanation: Idealism aims at developing the inner spiritual self.
Q5. According to Idealism, curriculum should emphasize:
a) Vocational education
b) Physical sciences
c) Humanities, ethics, philosophy, religion
d) Industry and agriculture
Answer: c) Humanities, ethics, philosophy, religion
Explanation: Idealists prioritize subjects that develop moral and spiritual values.
Q6. Who among the following was NOT an Idealist?
a) Plato
b) Hegel
c) Kant
d) Dewey
Answer: d) Dewey
Explanation: Dewey was a pragmatist, not an idealist.
Q7. For Idealists, the role of the teacher is mainly:
a) A facilitator of experience
b) A transmitter of knowledge
c) A moral and spiritual guide
d) A strict disciplinarian
Answer: c) A moral and spiritual guide
Explanation: The teacher is seen as an ideal role model.
Q8. According to Idealism, true knowledge comes through:
a) Sense experience
b) Scientific method
c) Reason, intuition, and self-reflection
d) Trial and error
Answer: c) Reason, intuition, and self-reflection
Explanation: Idealists reject sense-data as ultimate; knowledge is spiritual.
Q9. Which statement best describes Idealist view of discipline?
a) It should be enforced externally.
b) It should come from within, based on values.
c) It should allow complete freedom.
d) It should follow natural instincts.
Answer: b) It should come from within, based on values.
Explanation: Discipline for Idealists is self-control based on ideals.
Q10. Plato’s concept of the philosopher-king reflects:
a) Political equality
b) Material progress
c) Rule of the wise guided by truth
d) Democracy in education
Answer: c) Rule of the wise guided by truth
Explanation: Plato believed philosophers should rule as they know true reality.
Q11. Which is a criticism of Idealism in education?
a) Too much focus on materialism
b) Lack of emphasis on practical and vocational education
c) Overdependence on empirical science
d) Neglect of moral values
Answer: b) Lack of emphasis on practical and vocational education
Explanation: Idealism is criticized for neglecting pragmatic needs.
Q12. Idealist thinkers believe values are:
a) Relative and situational
b) Eternal and absolute
c) Dependent on social context
d) Constructed by individuals
Answer: b) Eternal and absolute
Explanation: Values like truth, goodness, and beauty are eternal for Idealists.
Q13. In the Indian context, whose educational philosophy resonates with Idealism most?
a) Mahatma Gandhi
b) Tagore
c) Aurobindo
d) J. Krishnamurti
Answer: c) Aurobindo
Explanation: Aurobindo emphasized integral education for spiritual development.
Q14. Which Idealist emphasized the dialectical process in knowledge?
a) Plato
b) Hegel
c) Kant
d) Fichte
Answer: b) Hegel
Explanation: Hegel’s dialectics explained knowledge as evolving through contradictions.
Q15. According to Idealism, education is a process of:
a) Training the body
b) Perfecting material resources
c) Spiritual realization and value inculcation
d) Skill acquisition
Answer: c) Spiritual realization and value inculcation
Explanation: Idealists aim to elevate the soul, not just material progress.
Q16. Plato’s allegory of the cave symbolizes:
a) Practical learning
b) Movement from ignorance to truth
c) Industrial education
d) Social reconstruction
Answer: b) Movement from ignorance to truth
Explanation: It shows the journey from illusion to the realization of Ideas.
Q17. Idealism in education places least emphasis on:
a) Character formation
b) Moral education
c) Vocational training
d) Value-oriented curriculum
Answer: c) Vocational training
Explanation: Idealism neglects materialistic and vocational aspects.
Q18. Which of the following best suits Idealist aims of education?
a) Earning livelihood
b) Cultivation of eternal values
c) Technological progress
d) Political leadership
Answer: b) Cultivation of eternal values
Explanation: Truth, goodness, beauty are ultimate educational goals.
Q19. Who said “Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man”?
a) Tagore
b) Gandhi
c) Vivekananda
d) Radhakrishnan
Answer: c) Vivekananda
Explanation: This reflects the Idealist belief in inner perfection.
Q20. For Idealists, reality is:
a) Material
b) Spiritual
c) Socially constructed
d) Economic
Answer: b) Spiritual
Explanation: Reality is fundamentally spiritual, not material.
Q21. Idealist curriculum design emphasizes:
a) Industrial training
b) Moral and cultural subjects
c) Skill-based learning
d) Scientific experiments
Answer: b) Moral and cultural subjects
Explanation: Curriculum focuses on literature, philosophy, religion, arts.
Q22. Which philosopher is known for Transcendental Idealism?
a) Hegel
b) Kant
c) Plato
d) Fichte
Answer: b) Kant
Explanation: Kant developed transcendental idealism, combining reason and experience.
Q23. Idealists believe that education should primarily prepare a student for:
a) Economic competition
b) Scientific discovery
c) Eternal life and spiritual fulfilment
d) Industrial development
Answer: c) Eternal life and spiritual fulfilment
Explanation: Education prepares one for higher spiritual existence.
Q24. Plato classified education into stages; the highest stage deals with:
a) Gymnastics
b) Music
c) Dialectics (philosophy)
d) Crafts
Answer: c) Dialectics (philosophy)
Explanation: The highest stage is reasoning about eternal truths.
Q25. For Idealists, truth is:
a) Changeable
b) Absolute and universal
c) Subjective opinion
d) Based on experiments
Answer: b) Absolute and universal
Explanation: Truth is eternal, not relative.
Q26. Who among these was a proponent of Objective Idealism?
a) Kant
b) Hegel
c) Berkeley
d) Plato
Answer: b) Hegel
Explanation: Hegel’s Absolute Spirit was basis of Objective Idealism.
Q27. Who among the following propounded Subjective Idealism?
a) Berkeley
b) Hegel
c) Plato
d) Kant
Answer: a) Berkeley
Explanation: Berkeley’s theory was “Esse est percipi” (to be is to be perceived).
Q28. Idealists view the learner as:
a) A biological organism
b) A social being
c) A spiritual being
d) A material producer
Answer: c) A spiritual being
Explanation: Learners are essentially souls striving for realization.
Q29. Idealism considers education as a process of:
a) Social adaptation
b) Development of inner spiritual nature
c) Skill development
d) Political training
Answer: b) Development of inner spiritual nature
Explanation: The aim is spiritual growth and value inculcation.
Q30. Major criticism of Idealism is:
a) It promotes materialism
b) It neglects scientific and practical aspects of life
c) It focuses too much on vocational training
d) It ignores character formation
Answer: b) It neglects scientific and practical aspects of life
Explanation: Idealism is criticized for being abstract and impractical.
Q31. Idealism as a philosophy of education primarily emphasizes:
a) Material reality
b) Sensory experience
c) Spiritual and mental development
d) Social utility
Answer: c) Spiritual and mental development
Explanation: Idealism focuses on mind, spirit, and values, emphasizing the cultivation of the inner self and realization of higher truths through education.
Q32. Who is regarded as the father of philosophical Idealism?
a) Plato
b) Rousseau
c) Dewey
d) Aristotle
Answer: a) Plato
Explanation: Plato, with his Theory of Ideas (Forms), is considered the founder of Idealism in Western philosophy.
Q33. According to Idealism, the main aim of education is:
a) Economic productivity
b) Harmonious development of personality
c) Survival of the fittest
d) Adjustment with environment
Answer: b) Harmonious development of personality
Explanation: Idealists believe education should develop the intellectual, moral, and spiritual aspects of personality to achieve self-realization.
Q34. Which of the following best reflects the Idealist view of the teacher?
a) A guide and motivator
b) A friend and facilitator
c) A living example and moral authority
d) A manager of resources
Answer: c) A living example and moral authority
Explanation: Idealists consider the teacher as a role model who embodies values and ideals, guiding students towards truth and virtue.
Q35. In Idealist philosophy, knowledge is considered:
a) Derived from physical senses
b) Constructed socially
c) Eternal, absolute, and unchanging
d) Relative and situational
Answer: c) Eternal, absolute, and unchanging
Explanation: Idealists believe knowledge is not temporary but reflects eternal truths accessible through reason and intuition.
Q36. Which of the following subjects would Idealism emphasize most in the curriculum?
a) Vocational training
b) Science and technology
c) Literature, philosophy, and moral education
d) Physical education
Answer: c) Literature, philosophy, and moral education
Explanation: Idealism prioritizes subjects that cultivate values, wisdom, and character over purely utilitarian or technical subjects.
Q37. Plato’s concept of education in The Republic mainly aims at:
a) Preparing soldiers for war
b) Realization of justice and ideal state
c) Creating wealth and prosperity
d) Promoting democracy
Answer: b) Realization of justice and ideal state
Explanation: Plato viewed education as a means to train individuals for their role in the just society and to realize the ideal state based on truth and justice.
Q38. From the Idealist perspective, discipline in education should be:
a) External and punitive
b) Natural and permissive
c) Strict and authoritarian
d) Self-discipline based on moral values
Answer: d) Self-discipline based on moral values
Explanation: Idealists emphasize internal discipline guided by ideals, values, and conscience rather than external punishment.
Q39. Which modern educationist’s philosophy is closest to Idealism?
a) John Dewey
b) Jean Jacques Rousseau
c) Swami Vivekananda
d) Karl Marx
Answer: c) Swami Vivekananda
Explanation: Swami Vivekananda stressed spiritual and moral education, inner strength, and realization of the true self, reflecting Idealist philosophy.
Q40. Criticism of Idealism in education often includes:
a) Too much emphasis on practical training
b) Neglect of scientific and technological subjects
c) Over-reliance on sensory knowledge
d) Excessive materialism
Answer: b) Neglect of scientific and technological subjects
Explanation: Idealism is often criticized for ignoring vocational, scientific, and practical aspects of education, focusing mainly on moral and spiritual ideals.