Philosophy · Unit 2

Big Questions

The deep questions people have always asked

A tour of the questions philosophy keeps returning to, before any of the machinery for answering them is introduced.

The unit covers what is real, what can be known, what is right, who I am, and whether life has meaning - the five areas that later become metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, personal identity and existentialism.

This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 23
Questions: 120
Difficulty: 1-5

What this unit covers

What is Real?
What is Right?
What Can We Know?
Who Am I?
What is the Meaning of Life?

Where this fits

Follows What is Philosophy? Each question gets its own unit later.

Where people slip

These questions have not been answered in two and a half thousand years, and that does not make them pointless. The arguments have got considerably sharper even where the conclusions have not settled.

How the unit is structured

Big Questions runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 23 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.

What Can We Know?

Multiple choiceLevel 1
1. Which branch of philosophy studies knowledge and how we come to know things?
- Epistemologycorrect
- Chemistry
- Ethics
- Art
Epistemology is the branch about knowledge, belief, and how we know.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
2. Which of these are ways people try to gain knowledge? Select all that apply.
- Using our sensescorrect
- Reasoning and thinking carefullycorrect
- Asking questionscorrect
- Closing our eyes and guessing
We gain knowledge by using our senses, thinking carefully, and asking questions.
Fill the blankLevel 2
3. The branch of philosophy about knowledge and how we know is called ____.
- epistemologycorrect
- ethics
- biology
- poetry
Epistemology is the branch that studies knowledge and how we come to know things.
Match the pairsLevel 2
4. Match each big question to the branch of philosophy that studies it.
Answer: What is real? = Metaphysics; What is right? = Ethics; What can we know? = Epistemology
What is real is metaphysics, what is right is ethics, and what we can know is epistemology.
Odd one outLevel 3
5. Three of these are sources of knowledge philosophers name. Which one is the odd one out?
- A coin flipcorrect
- Reason
- The senses
- Testimony
A coin flip is chance, not a real source of knowledge like reason, the senses, or testimony.
Guess the numberLevel 4
6. How many parts does the classic 'justified true belief' definition of knowledge have?
Answer: 3 parts
It has three parts: the belief must be justified, true, and actually believed.

What is Real?

Multiple choiceLevel 1
7. Which branch of philosophy studies what is real and what exists?
- Metaphysicscorrect
- Ethics
- Poetry
- Geography
Metaphysics is the branch that asks what is real and what exists.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
8. Which of these are questions about what is real? Select all that apply.
- Does the world exist while I am asleep?correct
- Are numbers real things?correct
- Is time real?correct
- What is my favorite color?
Whether the world exists while we sleep, whether numbers are real, and whether time is real are all metaphysics questions.
Fill the blankLevel 2
9. The branch of philosophy about what exists and what is real is called ____.
- metaphysicscorrect
- history
- cooking
- sports
Metaphysics is the branch that studies reality and what exists.
Odd one outLevel 2
10. Three of these are questions about what is real. Which one is the odd one out?
- What is your phone number?correct
- Does the soul exist?
- Is the universe real?
- Do numbers exist?
Your phone number is a simple fact, not a deep question about what is real.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
11. Sort each question into the branch of philosophy that asks it.
Answer: Is time real? = Metaphysics; Do numbers exist? = Metaphysics; Is lying wrong? = Ethics; Should we help others? = Ethics; Can we be sure we know? = Knowledge
Questions about reality are metaphysics, about right and wrong are ethics, and about knowing are knowledge.
Match the pairsLevel 3
12. Match each idea to what it is about.
Answer: Metaphysics = What is real; Ontology = What exists; Appearance versus reality = How things look versus how they are
Metaphysics asks what is real, ontology asks what exists, and appearance versus reality is about how things look versus how they are.

What is Right?

Multiple choiceLevel 1
13. Which branch of philosophy studies what is right and wrong?
- Ethicscorrect
- Metaphysics
- Grammar
- Biology
Ethics is the branch that studies right and wrong, good and bad.
True or falseLevel 1
14. Ethics is the study of right and wrong.
Answer: True
True, ethics looks at what is right and wrong and how we should act.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
15. Which of these are questions about what is right? Select all that apply.
- Is stealing wrong?correct
- Should I help a friend in need?correct
- Is it fair to cut in line?correct
- What is the capital of France?
Questions about stealing, helping, and fairness are all about right and wrong.
Odd one outLevel 2
16. Three of these are questions about right and wrong. Which one is the odd one out?
- What is 10 divided by 2?correct
- Is lying wrong?
- Should we be kind?
- Is cheating unfair?
Asking 10 divided by 2 is a math question, not a right-and-wrong question.
Fill the blankLevel 3
17. The idea that the right action brings 'the greatest good for the greatest number' is called ____.
- utilitarianismcorrect
- geometry
- gravity
- grammar
Utilitarianism says the right action is the one that produces the most good overall.
Sort into groupsLevel 3
18. Sort each question into the branch of philosophy that studies it.
Answer: Is stealing wrong? = Ethics; Should we keep promises? = Ethics; Is the soul real? = Metaphysics; Does time exist? = Metaphysics; Can we be certain? = Knowledge
Right and wrong is ethics, what is real is metaphysics, and being sure is knowledge.

What is the Meaning of Life?

Multiple choiceLevel 1
19. The big question 'What is the meaning of life?' asks what makes life...
- worth livingcorrect
- longer
- faster
- colder
This question asks what makes life worth living or meaningful.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
20. Which of these do people often say give life meaning? Select all that apply.
- Love and friendshipcorrect
- Helping otherscorrect
- Learning and growingcorrect
- The number seven
Many people find meaning in love, helping others, and learning and growing.
Fill the blankLevel 2
21. A view that says people must create their own meaning in life is called ____.
- existentialismcorrect
- addition
- gravity
- spelling
Existentialism holds that we create our own meaning through our choices.
Odd one outLevel 2
22. Three of these are big questions about the meaning of life. Which one is the odd one out?
- What time is it?correct
- Why are we here?
- What is life for?
- What makes life matter?
Asking the time is an everyday question, not a big question about life's meaning.
True or falseLevel 2
23. People have asked about the meaning of life for thousands of years.
Answer: True
True, the question of life's meaning is one of the oldest human questions.
Put in orderLevel 3
24. Put these great thinkers who explored life's big questions in order, earliest to latest.
Answer: Socrates -> Plato -> Aristotle
Socrates taught Plato, and Plato taught Aristotle, so that is their order in time.

Who Am I?

Multiple choiceLevel 1
25. The big question 'Who am I?' asks about your personal...
- identitycorrect
- height
- address
- hobby
The question 'Who am I?' is about personal identity, what makes you you.
True or falseLevel 1
26. The question 'Who am I?' is a big philosophical question about the self.
Answer: True
True, 'Who am I?' asks about the self and personal identity.
Fill the blankLevel 2
27. The study of what makes you the same person over time is called personal ____.
- identitycorrect
- weather
- money
- music
Personal identity is about what makes you the same person as you grow and change.
Match the pairsLevel 2
28. Match each word to what it means.
Answer: Self = The thinking, feeling you; Identity = What makes you you over time; Mind = Where your thoughts happen
The self is the thinking, feeling you, identity is what makes you you over time, and the mind is where your thoughts happen.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
29. Which of these do philosophers connect to personal identity? Select all that apply.
- Your memoriescorrect
- Continuity of your bodycorrect
- Your ongoing charactercorrect
- Your shoe size
Memories, having the same body over time, and your ongoing character are all linked to who you are.
Odd one outLevel 3
30. Three of these are things philosophers link to personal identity. Which one is the odd one out?
- Your bank balancecorrect
- Your memories
- Your body over time
- Your personality
Your bank balance can change any day and is not what makes you the same person over time.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Choose all that apply
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Big Questions

120 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Big Questions

Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.

What Is Absurdism? Meaning, Freedom, and an Unanswered QuestionLearn what absurdism is, why it focuses on the clash between our search for meaning and an indifferent world, and how thinkers respond to that tension.August 17, 2026 · 5 min read

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