The standard of the tripos examination may be gauged by the following examination schedules for (A) Classics (B) Moral Sciences. (A) Pt. I. 15 papers—4 composition papers; 5 translation; (10) History of words and forms, and syntax, in both classical languages. (11) Short Greek and Latin passages relating to history and antiquities of Greece and Rome for translation and comment. (12) A paper on history and antiquities. (13) Same as 11, with reference to Greek and Roman philosophy, literature, sculpture and architecture. (14) Same as 12 (the questions on Greek philosophy being on portion of a set book). (15) Essay.
Pt. II. Examination in 1 or 2 of the 5 following sections: (1) Literature and criticism (2) ancient philosophy. (3) history. (4) archaeology. (5) language. The following are examples of Sections (1) and (5): I. (a) Questions on the history of Greek literature and passages illustrating Greek literary history or criticism for translation and comment. (b) The same, Latin. (c) Passages from Greek and Latin authors for interpretation, grammatical comment, or emendation; on the paleography and history of Greek and Latin MSS., and the principles of textual criticism; questions on textual criticism of a Greek or Latin author (set book). (d) A special author (set book) or a special department of Greek or Latin literature. (e) paper of essays. V. (a) Greek etymology and history of Greek dialects. Greek syntax. (b) Latin, collated with cognate Italic dialects, and syntax. (c) Easy passages from Sanskrit authors (set books) for translation and comment, and simple Sanskrit grammar. (d) and last, general questions on the comparative grammar and syntax of the Indo-European languages. Early Indo-European civilisation. Indo-European accent. Greek and Italic alphabets. The Italic dialects. The whole of these two examinations, with the exception of one portion of paper 14 in Pt. I. and one portion of papers c and d in Pt. II. Section I., deal with unseen Greek and Latin authors.
(B) Moral Sciences:—Pt. I. Psychology (2 papers). Standpoint, data, and methods of psychology. Its fundamental conceptions and hypotheses. Relations of psychology to physics, physiology, and metaphysics. (a) analysis of consciousness. (b) sensation and physiology of the senses—perception. (c) Images and ideas. (d) Thought and formation of concepts. Judgment. (e) Emotions, and theories of emotional expression. (f) Volition—pleasure and pain—conflict of emotions. [In the 2nd part, advanced knowledge on these subjects is required, plus a knowledge of the physiology of the senses and nervous system, etc., and of mental pathology in its relation to psychology.]
Logic (2 papers). Province of logic, formal and material. Relation of logic to psychology, and to the theory of knowledge. (a) names and concepts, definition and division, predicables. (b) classification of judgments and propositions. Theory of the import of propositions. (c) laws of thought, syllogisms, symbolic logic. (d) induction and deduction. (e) observation and experiment, hypotheses, classification, theory of probabilities. (f) inference and proof. Fallacies. [In the 2nd part, advanced knowledge of these subjects and of the controversies connected with them is required.]
Ethics (1 paper), (a) moral judgment, intuition, and reasoning, motives, pleasure and pain, free will and determinism, (b) ends of moral action—right and wrong—moral sanctions—obligation—duty—pleasures and pains. (c) types of moral character. Principles of social and political justice. (d) The moral faculty, its origin and development. (e) relation of ethics to psychology, sociology, and politics.
Two papers on political economy and an essay paper exhaust Pt. I.
For those who proceed to Pt. II., two papers on metaphysical and moral philosophy (as below) must be answered, one on the general history of modern philosophy, and one or two of the 3 following papers (A) Psychology II.; (B) Logic II.; (Special) history of modern philosophy (subject announced each year); or (C) papers in politics and in advanced political economy:
Metaphysical and moral philosophy:—(a) analysis of knowledge, material and formal elements of knowledge, self-consciousness, uniformity and continuity of experience. (b) identity and difference, relation, space and time, unity and number, substance, cause. (c) certainty, and necessities of thought. (d) fundamental assumptions of physical science—causality, continuity etc. (e) sources and limits of knowledge, relativity of knowledge, phenomena, and things in themselves. (f) fundamental assumptions of ethics, absolute and relative ethics, intuitionism, utilitarianism, evolutionism, transcendentalism. (g) mechanical and dynamical theories of matter, relations of mind and matter, problem of the external world, idealism, dualism, freedom of intelligence, and of will, good and evil in the universe, teleology.
[305] Even if the candidate answer most of the tripos papers the conditions of the aegrotat degree preclude his being placed in any one of the classes. Edmund Spenser the poet and Lancelot Andrewes the scholar-bishop were both on the aegrotat list of Pembroke College—in 1571—before, however, this necessarily implied absence from any of the university “acts.”
[306] Since going to press, this change has been effected.