Study Questions
1. What do the prisoners of the cave watch?

2. What is the first thing that the man who escapes from the cave can look at outside?

3. What is the response of the prisoners to the news of the man who has escaped about the world outside?

4. Why would a philosopher rule a state if he enjoys practicing philosophy so much?

5. What practical application does Socrates expect the Guardians to give their studies?

6. What activity will the best-educated Guardians spend most of their time doing?

7. What is the final object perceived by the man who escapes from the cave?

8. What are the two causes of a confused mind?

9. What will the prisoners believe to be the nature of the shadows that they watch?

10. How old would Guardians be before they were allowed to contemplate the Good?

Answers
1. The prisoners of the cave watch the shadows that objects cast upon a screen.

2. The first thing the escapee can look at is shadows and reflections of objects.

3. The prisoners believe the escapee is crazy.

4. The philosopher will rule a state out of a sense of obligation.

5. The Guardians can use the subjects they learn in war.

6. The best-educated Guardians will spend most of their time in the pursuit of philosophy.

7. The last object the escapee can see is the sun.

8. The two causes of a confused mind are a transition to a darker world or to a brighter world.

9. The prisoners will believe the shadows are reality.

10. Guardians would have to be 50 years old before they were allowed to pursue dialectic.