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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. _________ allows one quiet time and time in which he can learn about himself, according to the book.

2. _________ finds one can worship more devoutly when he/she is poor and without material possessions, according to the book.

3. The _________ has cultivated a culture that has begun to confuse comfort with luxury, according to this section of the book.

4. The prayer in Mannes' piece of writing gives thanks to the god of plenty, the god of profit, and the goddess of __________.

5. Living the ______ life, free of the burdens of wealth and of possessions is considered to be ideal, according to the book.

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Saint Bernard have to say about the idea of having many possessions?

2. What does Seneca point out that man does not limit when it comes to the use of nature?

3. What does John Locke say that parents should not do with their children?

4. What should education teach children, according to the ideas in the book?

5. What do artists and the creative community seem to understand that others do not?

6. What does Young say would happen if America gave away possessions they did not need to the rest of the world?

7. What are the three elements that Robert Henri says the most beautiful life contains?

8. How does Whitman describe the ideal life, according to his section of the book?

9. What does this section define the idea of the simple life, according to the book?

10. How do the bees build their own homes, which is clearly different from the way that humans build their homes?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of the family subsisting on the actions and the resources of each other is also addressed in this book.

Part 1: Do you think your family is able to subsist on its own?

Part 2: Is it possibly too rigid to say that families should support only themselves? Why or why not?

Part 3: How do you think society might be impacted if families just watch out for themselves and not others?

Essay Topic 2

Man is destroying himself when he focuses all of his attention on money, according to the book.

Part 1: In what ways does man suffer when he is focused completely on money?

Part 2: Do you think that man needs to destroy himself when he has money?

Part 3: How do you think money can be used to create instead of to destroy?

Essay Topic 3

In the book, ego is defined as a non-productive luxury that stands in the way of one's true worth.

Part 1: Do you think that ego gets in your way? Why or why not?

Part 2: In what way is ego a luxury in life, as stated in the book?

Part 3: How do you think your life would look if you didn't have ego to worry about?

(see the answer keys)

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