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Key Facts: Extremadura PAU History of Philosophy Exam

90 Min

Official exam duration organized by UEx and Junta de Extremadura

Comisión Organizadora de la PAU de Extremadura

4.0 / 10

Minimum Access Phase mark required to combine with Bachillerato GPA

Spanish University Access Regulations (Real Decreto 534/2024)

14 Authors

Key authors in Extremadura curriculum across 4 historical periods

Junta de Extremadura 2º Bachillerato Curriculum

60% / 40%

Weighting of Bachillerato GPA vs PAU Access Phase mark

Consejería de Educación de Extremadura

EUR 78.26

Ordinary registration fee for Extremadura PAU

UEx Official Fee Schedule 2026

100

Practice questions in this OpenExamPrep subject bank

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Extremadura PAU History of Philosophy (UEx 2026) is a 90-minute university entrance exam assessing philosophical text comprehension, conceptual clarity, and essay writing across Ancient, Medieval, Modern, 19th-Century, and Contemporary Spanish and International philosophy.

Sample Extremadura PAU History of Philosophy Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Extremadura PAU History of Philosophy exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which Presocratic philosopher identified water (*hydor*) as the fundamental first principle (*arkhé*) of all nature, initiating the shift from mythological explanations (*mythos*) to rational inquiry (*logos*)?
A.Anaximander of Miletus
B.Heraclitus of Ephesus
C.Parmenides of Elea
D.Thales of Miletus
Explanation: Thales of Miletus is regarded as the first philosopher in Western tradition. He proposed that water is the primary substance (arkhé) from which everything arises, offering a naturalistic rather than mythological account of reality.
2Heraclitus of Ephesus argued that reality is governed by perpetual change and conflict (*panta rhei*). What unifying principle ensures that this universal flux remains harmonious and intelligible?
A.The Nous (Divine Intellect)
B.The Logos (Universal Rational Principle)
C.The Apeiron (Unlimited Void)
D.The Demiurge (Cosmic Craftsman)
Explanation: For Heraclitus, while all things are in constant motion and struggle between opposites, the Logos is the underlying rational principle and cosmic order that governs change and maintains unity.
3In his philosophical poem, Parmenides of Elea asserts that 'Being is, and Non-Being is not.' What epistemological consequence follows from this strict Eleatic ontology?
A.Sensory perception provides the only reliable path to absolute truth.
B.Change, multiplicity, and movement are rational truths demonstrated by logic.
C.Sensory perception yields mere illusion (doxa), whereas pure reason reveals unchangeable Being (aletheia).
D.Nothing can be known with certainty because reality is constantly coming into existence.
Explanation: Parmenides instituted a radical dualism between sensory appearance (doxa)—which falsely reports change and multiplicity—and rational truth (aletheia), which reveals that Being is eternal, immutable, indivisible, and unique.
4What is the primary objective of Socrates' maieutic method (*techne maieutike*) as depicted in Platonic dialogues?
A.To persuade audiences through sophisticated rhetorical techniques and emotional speeches.
B.To transmit fixed dogmatic doctrines from master to disciple via lectures.
C.To teach students how to win political debates at any cost regardless of truth.
D.To act as an intellectual midwife, guiding individuals through dialogue to discover truth within their own souls.
Explanation: Socrates compared his method to midwifery (*maieutics*). Rather than instilling pre-packaged knowledge, he used targeted questioning and irony to help interlocutors deliver truth and examine their own beliefs.
5Which ethical doctrine is encapsulated in Socrates' principle of Socratic Intellectualism (*moral intellectualism*)?
A.Moral values are subjective conventions constructed by political rulers to maintain power.
B.Ethical goodness is achieved purely through ritualistic observance and obedience to traditional laws.
C.Right action depends exclusively on calculating the pleasurable consequences of an act.
D.Virtue is knowledge; no one does wrong willingly, but only out of ignorance of the Good.
Explanation: Socratic Intellectualism posits that moral virtue (*arete*) is directly tied to knowledge (*episteme*). Whoever truly knows what is good will inevitably act virtuously; evil actions stem from cognitive ignorance of true value.
6According to Plato's Theory of Forms (*Eide*), what is the relationship between physical objects in the sensible world and eternal Forms in the intelligible world?
A.Forms are mental concepts abstracted from physical objects through empirical observation.
B.Sensible objects are imperfect copies or participants (*methexis*) in eternal, immutable Forms.
C.Sensible objects are completely identical in reality and perfection to their corresponding Forms.
D.Forms exist only as linguistic names created by human convention to categorize matter.
Explanation: Plato's metaphysical dualism holds that sensible objects are changing, imperfect material copies that participate (*methexis*) in or imitate (*mimesis*) transcendent, perfect, unchanging Forms residing in the intelligible realm (*topos noetos*).
7In Plato's *Republic* (Book VII), what does the sun outside the cave represent in the Allegory of the Cave?
A.The physical star that illuminates sensible material objects.
B.The deceptive illusions produced by political sophists and poets.
C.The Form of the Good, supreme cause of truth, existence, and intelligibility.
D.The rational soul imprisoned within the human body.
Explanation: In the Allegory of the Cave, the sun outside the cave represents the Form of the Good (*Idea del Bien*), which illuminates the intelligible realm, makes Forms knowable to the intellect, and provides truth and order to reality.
8How does Plato explain learning and genuine knowledge acquisition in the *Meno* and *Phaedo* through the doctrine of *Anamnesis*?
A.Learning is the mechanical accumulation of sense data collected by bodily organs.
B.Learning is the passive reception of divine revelations granted by the gods.
C.Learning is an arbitrary linguistic agreement constructed by civic assemblies.
D.Learning is recollection; the immortal soul remembers intelligible Forms known before incarnation.
Explanation: Plato's doctrine of *Anamnesis* (reminiscence) posits that the soul is immortal and contemplated the Forms before being reincarnated in a body. Sensible experiences trigger the soul to recall this latent intelligible knowledge.
9In Plato's tripartite division of the soul (*Republic*), which virtue corresponds to the harmonious governance of the rational part (*logistikon*) over the irascible (*thymoeides*) and appetitive (*epithymetikon*) parts?
A.Courage / Fortitude (*Andreia*)
B.Temperance / Moderation (*Sophrosyne*)
C.Justice (*Dikaiosyne*)
D.Wisdom / Prudence (*Sophia* / *Phronesis*)
Explanation: Wisdom (*Sophia* or *Phronesis*) is the virtue of the rational soul. Justice (*Dikaiosyne*) is the overarching virtue that arises when each of the three parts performs its proper function, but Wisdom specifically belongs to the ruling rational part.
10Why does Plato advocate for Philosopher-Kings to govern the ideal state (*Kallipolis*) in the *Republic*?
A.Because philosophers possess military strength superior to guardian warriors.
B.Because only philosophers have contemplated the Form of the Good and possess true knowledge (*episteme*) required for just governance.
C.Because philosophers are elected by democratic majority vote of citizens.
D.Because philosophers wealth makes them immune to financial corruption.
Explanation: Plato argues that state governance must be directed by reason. Only philosophers who have ascended dialectically to comprehend the Form of the Good possess the genuine knowledge (*episteme*) needed to rule justly without self-interest.

About the Extremadura PAU History of Philosophy Exam

The Extremadura PAU History of Philosophy examination evaluates 2º de Bachillerato students on core philosophical developments from Classical Antiquity to 20th-century thought. Coordinated by the Universidad de Extremadura (UEx) and Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Extremadura, the curriculum assesses text interpretation, analytical definition of philosophical concepts, author comparisons, and historical synthesis across key authors: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, Ortega y Gasset, Hannah Arendt, Habermas, and María Zambrano.

Exam sponsor: Comisión Organizadora de la PAU de Extremadura (Universidad de Extremadura - UEx / Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Extremadura). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Official 90-minute examination consisting of philosophical text analysis, concept definition, author comparison, and contextual essay development.

Time Limit

90 minutes (1.5 hours)

Passing Score

Marked on a 0–10 scale. Minimum 4.0 required in Access Phase to combine with Bachillerato GPA (60% Bachillerato + 40% PAU >= 5.0 to pass).

Exam / Certification Fees

EUR 78.26 ordinary registration fee for PAU (50% discount EUR 39.13 for general large family; full exemption for special large family, disability, or terrorism victims).

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

25%

Ancient Philosophy

Presocratic foundations, Socratic intellectualism, Platonic Dualism and Theory of Forms, Aristotelian Hylomorphism, Ethics, and Politics.

25%

Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy

Augustinian Faith and Reason, Thomistic Natural Law and Five Ways, Cartesian Rationalism and Methodical Doubt, Empiricism of Locke and Hume.

25%

Enlightenment and 19th Century Philosophy

Kantian Epistemology and Categorical Imperative, Marxist Historical Materialism and Alienation, Nietzschean Critique of Western Metaphysics and Nihilism.

25%

20th Century and Spanish Philosophy

Ortega y Gasset's Raciovitalism and Perspectivism, Hannah Arendt's Vita Activa and Banality of Evil, Habermas's Communicative Action, and María Zambrano's Poetic Reason.

Preparing for the Extremadura PAU History of Philosophy Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Marked on a 0–10 scale. Minimum 4.0 required in Access Phase to combine with Bachillerato GPA (60% Bachillerato + 40% PAU >= 5.0 to pass).
  • Assessment: Official 90-minute examination consisting of philosophical text analysis, concept definition, author comparison, and contextual essay development.
  • Time limit: 90 minutes (1.5 hours)
  • Exam / certification fees: EUR 78.26 ordinary registration fee for PAU (50% discount EUR 39.13 for general large family; full exemption for special large family, disability, or terrorism victims). Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Extremadura PAU History of Philosophy: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master key technical terms for each author (e.g., Platonic Anamnesis, Aristotelian Teleology, Cartesian Cogito, Kantian Transcendental Idealism, Marxist Surplus Value, Nietzschean Will to Power, Ortega's Vital Reason, Zambrano's Poetic Reason).
2Practice comparing authors on fundamental themes: Epistemology (Plato vs Aristotle, Rationalism vs Empiricism, Kant), Ethics (Aristotelean Virtues vs Kantian Duty vs Utilitarianism/Nietzsche), and Politics (Plato vs Locke vs Marx vs Arendt vs Habermas).
3Read selected text fragments from the mandatory core authors specified in the UEx guidelines to recognize arguments in primary source excerpts.
4Work on writing concise, rigorous definitions of key terms without vague summaries.
5Simulate the 90-minute exam timing to build endurance and effective time management across all sections.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format and duration of the PAU History of Philosophy exam in Extremadura?

The official exam is a 90-minute written test administered by the UEx Commission. It typically presents philosophical excerpts followed by textual comprehension questions, precise concept definitions, author comparison, and contextual essay analysis.

Which specific authors are covered in the Extremadura 2º Bachillerato syllabus?

The syllabus spans four blocks: Ancient (Plato, Aristotle), Medieval/Early Modern (Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, Hume), Enlightenment & 19th C (Kant, Marx, Nietzsche), and 20th C / Spanish Philosophy (Ortega y Gasset, Hannah Arendt, Jürgen Habermas, María Zambrano).

How is the PAU score evaluated for university admission in Extremadura?

The university access mark (NWA) is calculated as 60% Bachillerato GPA + 40% PAU Access Phase grade, provided the Access Phase grade is at least 4.0 out of 10. Specific phase exams can add up to 4 additional points.

What registration fees apply for the 2026 PAU in Extremadura?

The ordinary PAU registration fee is EUR 78.26. Reductions include a 50% discount (EUR 39.13) for general large families, and 100% exemption for special large families, recognized disability (>=33%), or victims of terrorism.

In what language is the official Extremadura PAU exam held?

The official examination is conducted in Spanish. The practice question bank provided here is an English-language study adaptation designed for self-assessment and conceptual mastery.

Are these 100 practice questions identical to past UEx exam papers?

No. These 100 questions are created independently by OpenExamPrep to cover the complete Extremadura Bachillerato curriculum with targeted multiple-choice questions for exam practice.