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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. What term does Van der Kolk apply to the "primitive" (88) part of the brain where PTSD sufferers experienced all activity when subjected to the gaze of others?

2. When trauma survivors experience flashbacks, which part of their brains are the only areas to light up?

3. What did Tom do for a living after he returned from Vietnam?

4. Van der Kolk states that he grew up in which country during the postwar years?

5. How many patients did Van der Kolk get to describe their trauma while having their brains scanned when the technology first became available?

Short Essay Questions

1. What type of assessment did Van der Kolk provide to Noam to figure out whether he was likely to experience lasting trauma?

2. What does Van der Kolk mean when he says he hopes that the book serves as not only a guide, but as an invitation?

3. What major transition in the world of psychiatry did Van der Kolk get to witness, as described in Chapter 2, "Revolutions in Understanding Mind and Brain"?

4. What aspect of the assessment Van der Kolk gave to Noam intrigued Van der Kolk the most and why?

5. What are the limitations of Prozac, according to Van der Kolk, and why are they significant?

6. What conclusion did Van der Kolk come to after the experiment involving the human gaze?

7. What is the meaning of the term "neuroception"?

8. What conclusion did Van der Kolk reach about the treatment of trauma after reading Charles Darwin's book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals?

9. What is Van der Kolk's purpose for including a story about Tom's refusal to take his prescribed medication?

10. Discuss Bessel Van der Kolk's use of a metaphor within the dedication of The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the ways in which the themes of adaptability and resignation appear within Van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. What message is Van der Kolk sending about these two themes over the course of the text?

Essay Topic 2

What messages does Van der Kolk send to the audience about the themes of isolation and outreach?

Essay Topic 3

How does Van der Kolk’s use of the first and second person point of view serve the purposes of the text? Discuss how Van der Kolk’s choice of point of view helps to advance the treatment of at least three particular themes within the text.

(see the answer keys)

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