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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. Pleasure may arise from a _____________, while enjoyment comes from a windfall at a casino.

2. A large portion of enjoyable acts are those which often involve __________ as well.

3. People's perceptions are influenced by their ___________ and forces beyond their control in life.

4. One must also change one's ___________ to external conditions in order to change the course of one's life.

5. Most fakirs and practitioners of other mental disciplines do not hold up to ______________.

Short Essay Questions

1. When does psychic entropy occur, according to the author when speaking of the presence of self?

2. What are some crucial elements in achieving enjoyment in one's life, according to this book?

3. What are the two main strategies, according to the author, for improving one's life?

4. What is a person able to do as a result of having a consciousness, according to the author?

5. What does the author want people to realize about the idea of challenges?

6. Since it is not necessarily the events in one's life that cause happiness, what does the author propose causes the happiness around events?

7. What is consciousness, according to the author, causing it to seem less like a mystical thing?

8. What is the question that the book says psychologists and philosophers are no closer to finding the answer to?

9. How does the author say that happiness can be achieved, as he does not believe it is an unattainable goal?

10. What does Csikszentmihalyi mean when he talks about the idea of an autotelic person?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author says that many enjoyable acts involve challenges too, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Part 1: Do you agree with the author's statement about enjoyment being intertwined with challenges?

Part 2: How do you think life would be different if there weren't any challenges? Or wouldn't it be different?

Part 3: Why do you think that challenges are a part of enjoyment?

Essay Topic 2

It seems that people can cope with stress in one of two ways - crumbling or finding their focus.

Part 1: Why do some people crumble when they are faced with a lot of stress?

Part 2: Why do some people become more focused when they are under pressure?

Part 3: How do you react when you are faced with a lot of stress?

Essay Topic 3

The author asserts that children can be taught from a young age to learn how to create flow in their lives.

Part 1: Do you think the children are naturally better at finding flow in their lives? Why?

Part 2: How do you think a parent could help a child find flow in their lives?

Part 3: Why do you think it's important to help children learn to find flow in their lives?

(see the answer keys)

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