Can You Learn Anything Through Quizzes?

I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think – Socrates.

Frugal, shabby, and sometimes drunk, Socrates roamed the streets of Athens in search of wisdom. When the Oracle of Delphi (high priestess in ancient Greece) declared him the wisest man in Athens, he said: “Since the gods proclaim me the wisest, I must believe it. But if it is true, it must be because I alone, of all the Greeks, realize that I know nothing.” 

And from that ostensible position of ignorance, he persevered to gain knowledge through what came to be known as the Socratic dialog or the Socratic method. The Socratic dialog despite sounding complicated was as simple as asking penetrating questions to get to the root of the matter and more importantly, discover what we know and what we don’t know. At its core, the Socratic method is a way of engaging in dialogue and exploration that can lead to deeper understanding and insight.

For example, the “Euthyphro” is a famous Socratic dialogue written by Plato (his pupil and a famous philosopher in his own right). In this dialogue, Socrates engages in a conversation with Euthyphro, a religious expert, about the nature of piety and holiness.

During the conversation, Socrates questions Euthyphro about what he believes makes something good or holy. Euthyphro initially suggests that something is good because it is loved by the gods, but Socrates challenges this idea and suggests that it might be the other way around: that the gods love something because it is good.

The “Euthyphro” is often studied and discussed by philosophers and scholars as an example of the Socratic method of questioning and critical inquiry, and as an exploration of ethical concepts such as piety, holiness, and moral relativism.

Point is you can learn through Q&A. Quizzes are entertaining too. Research shows that if the concepts are non-mathematical, quizzes are a very effective learning method. Duolingo is a prime example of how you can learn foreign languages through interactive quizzes.

But why are they so effective?

To start with, humans love dialog. In fact, anthropologists claim that we invented language to gossip! Quizzes by the very nature of call-and-response take the form of dialog. There’s a social aspect to its effectiveness. They make learning pleasurable and engaging.

Second, quizzes pique our curiosity. Another fundamental characteristic of us humans – what separates us other animals – is how curious we are about the world at large. By posing a question, we are immediately engaged. Plus, we are competitive, again more than most creature. Quizzes trigger that aspect about us. 

Finally, there’s nothing more effective than a quiz to establish what we know and what we don’t. Hence, what we need to find out. They offer an ability to evaluate ourselves and therefore set us on a path to learn what we don’t know.

We believe you can learn almost anything through quizzes. Even how to evaluate, buy, and get solar installed on your roof.

Not convinced? Why don’t you give it a try? Click here to take one of our many quizzes and we promise, it will be worth your time.