Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. Her garden (Chapter 1)

2. Natural philosophy (Chapter 4)

3. Lego blocks (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. People’s inner drive to ask questions and explain the world around them is what leads to advancements in all realms of society, physically and morally. When people ask important questions like How? and Why?, they seek fundamental explanations for the very nature of existence. (Chapter 2)

2. Studying past ideas is essential to understanding how humanity developed into what it is today. It also exercises and opens the mind, forcing one to ponder ideas that often still hold truth today. Many of these ideas are the foundation for scientific inquiry, art, and more. Finally, examining the way that past philosophers arrived at their ideas (i.e., their thought processes) can help develop a philosophical frame of mind from which to ask new questions. (Chapter 4)

Chapters 6-10

Reading Check

1. Hermes, a Golden Labrador (Chapter 7)

2. A video tape of himself traveling back to Athens and meeting Plato, who poses questions to Sophie (Chapter 8)

3. The Major’s cabin (