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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Millman become more dejected as time passes on his travels?

2. Upon what island does Dan land?

3. Everyone the author looks, what does he see?

4. What does Socrates predict in a letter?

5. What is one thing the Advaita Vendanta teach?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Dan's experience in his dreamlike state in chapter 7 and his reaction to the dream.

2. Why do you think Mama Chia resumes her work as midwife and kahuna after receiving a letter from Socrates about Dan?

3. Dan falls asleep, which could be what is called in literary terms, a "narrative contrivance." What do you think that means in context of this story and Dan falling asleep?

4. What does Dan realize he must do at this time in his life?

5. What is the island of Molokai and why is it appropriate that Dan wash up on its shore?

6. How does Dan feel about his personal connection to India?

7. How does Dan decide to commence his search for the woman of whom Socrates had once told Dan, and do you think that is a logical solution?

8. Did you think it is smart of Dan to just mount a surfboard and go out from shore having no experience with this kind of activity?

9. How has Mama Chia been healing Dan and what do you think of her method?

10. Chapter four opens with what quote and what do you think it means?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Dan has a stopover in Hawaii, he decides to search for a woman about whom Socrates told him. Discuss the following:

How likely is it that Dan will find the woman for whom he is searching in a city of several hundred thousand (at that time)people? Do you think the fact that he finds her is miraculous or coincidental?

Dan might say his finding Ruth Johnson is not coincidental but rather serendipitous or perhaps meant to be. Discuss this idea.

What does it say about Dan or Dan's situation that he even attempts such a daunting task as finding a woman whose name, age, place of work or home is unknown in a city the size of Honolulu?

Essay Topic 2

While Millman is in India, he does many of the things Westerners seems to do when they are searching in the Near East for "enlightenment." Discuss the following:

What are some of the activities in which Dan participates in his travels in India?

Why do you think the things Dan does in India do not seem to bring him the results for which he is hoping?

Why do you think many Westerners see India/Nepal/Tibet as places where they can find a spiritual path/enlightenment?

Essay Topic 3

Mama Chia's purpose in mentoring Dan seems to be to teach him about the three selves. Discuss one of the following:

What are the three selves. Discuss fully.

Discuss the symbolic representations of the three selves both in the book and in your own experience.

Discuss whether or not you think the idea of three selves has validity as truth.

(see the answer keys)

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