Passage (Philosophy)

Socrates is said to have claimed that the unexamined life is not worth living. By this he did not mean that those who never study philosophy are worthless, but that a person who never questions their own beliefs lives by habit rather than by understanding.

Question

As used in the passage, the word “unexamined” most nearly means

Options

• (A) never questioned
• (B) unnoticed
• (C) unfinished
• (D) uncertain

Answer

(A) never questioned

Solution

1. Use the second sentence to find the meaning: it explains the claim as a person who never questions their own beliefs.
2. So an unexamined life is one in which beliefs and actions are never questioned.
3. Unnoticed, unfinished, and uncertain do not match this explanation.