CSS Philosophy chapter 2: Medieval and Muslim philosophy MCQs with answers
By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026
32 exam-style questions on Medieval and Muslim philosophy, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.
Ten Medieval and Muslim philosophy questions with answers
Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.
1. Ibn Khaldun's 'Muqaddimah' is
A
a collection of poems written in praise of his patrons, the rulers of the Maghrib
B
the introduction to his universal history, setting out a theory of society
C
a commentary on the Ethics of Aristotle in the Arabic language
D
an account of his travels in Asia and the Far East, written for a sultan
Show answer
Answer: B. The Muqaddimah (Prolegomena) prefaces his Kitab al-Ibar. It analyses the causes of the rise and fall of states and societies.
2. Augustine held that time
A
has always existed beside God as a second eternal thing
B
is an illusion that does not exist in any real sense
C
was created together with the world, and God is outside time
D
is purely a quantity that is measured by the clocks of men
Show answer
Answer: C. In the Confessions, Augustine says God made time along with creation and is eternal, not within time. He also analysed time as experienced in the mind.
3. The central aim of scholasticism was to
A
replace theology by science
B
prove that reason is useless
C
reconcile faith with reason
D
study the natural world by experiment
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Answer: C. Scholastic thinkers used philosophical reasoning to understand and defend Christian doctrine. Anselm's phrase 'faith seeking understanding' sums up the aim.
4. The central term in Ibn Khaldun's theory of the rise and fall of dynasties is 'asabiyyah', which means
A
religious law
B
group solidarity
C
personal wealth
D
royal descent
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Answer: B. A dynasty rises when its group has strong solidarity and declines when luxury and ease weaken that feeling. Wealth and descent alone do not explain it.
5. Who is called 'the philosopher of the Arabs' and helped to bring Greek philosophy into Arabic thought in ninth-century Baghdad?
A
Al-Farabi
B
Al-Kindi
C
Ibn Sina
D
Ibn Rushd
Show answer
Answer: B. Al-Kindi (d. about 870) is regarded as the first major philosopher in the Islamic world and supported the translation of Greek works. The others came later.
6. Al-Farabi's 'Al-Madina al-Fadila' (The Virtuous City) was influenced above all by
A
Plato's Republic and its ideal ruler
B
Aquinas' account of natural law
C
Machiavelli's advice to rulers
D
the Stoic idea of fate
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Answer: A. In it he described a state ruled by a philosopher-prophet, much as Plato had described philosopher-rulers. Aquinas and Machiavelli lived long after him.
7. Ibn Rushd (Averroes) was known in medieval Europe as 'the Commentator' because he
A
wrote a commentary on every book of the Quran
B
wrote commentaries on the Roman law
C
wrote full commentaries on the works of Aristotle
D
provided running commentary on the Crusades
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Answer: C. His commentaries on Aristotle made him so authoritative that Aquinas and others simply called him the Commentator.
8. Aquinas' moderate realism holds that universals
A
exist only as words that have no real objects corresponding to them
B
exist in individual things and are abstracted by the mind
C
exist only in a separate world of eternal Forms, apart from all things
D
do not exist, either in things or in the mind
Show answer
Answer: B. For Aquinas the common nature really exists in individual things, and the intellect abstracts it as a concept. He therefore avoids both Platonic realism and nominalism.
9. Ibn Rushd's 'Tahafut al-Tahafut' (The Incoherence of the Incoherence) was written as a reply to
A
Al-Farabi's Al-Madina al-Fadila
B
Ibn Sina's Kitab al-Shifa (Healing)
C
Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah
D
Al-Ghazali's Tahafut al-Falasifa
Show answer
Answer: D. Ibn Rushd defended the philosophers against the criticisms in Al-Ghazali's Incoherence of the Philosophers. Ibn Khaldun lived about two centuries later.
10. In a typical article of Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, the objections to the author's own view
A
are never stated at all, so that the reader is not confused by rival views
B
are stated first and then answered after the author gives his own solution
C
are accepted by the author as the final answer to the question
D
appear only in a separate book written by his critics and opponents after his death
Show answer
Answer: B. The standard article states the question, the objections, a 'on the contrary' authority, the author's answer and replies to each objection.
Medieval and Muslim philosophy: questions students ask
How many Medieval and Muslim philosophy MCQs are there?
32, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 2 topics: Medieval Christian philosophy, Muslim philosophers. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.
Is the CSS Philosophy chapter 2 test free?
Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.
How is the chapter test marked?
The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.
