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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In most people, the left hemisphere of the brain controls what?
(a) Language.
(b) Emotions.
(c) Decision-making.
(d) Affection.

2. When ancient Buddhist writings mention the term sati, what does the word mean in English?
(a) Peace.
(b) Mindfulness.
(c) Tranquility.
(d) Stillness.

3. The first time the author attended a week-long meditation retreat, he was allowed to speak how many times?
(a) Once.
(b) Twice.
(c) Three times.
(d) Never.

4. The author states that what feeling is linked to our modern environmental mismatch?
(a) Painful self-consciousness.
(b) Shame.
(c) Pride.
(d) Rage.

5. Which group of people does the author say especially identified with the film he references within the chapter title "Take the Red Pill"?
(a) Cartesians.
(b) Western Buddhists.
(c) Taoists.
(d) Tibetan Buddhists.

6. What is the title of Chapter 2 of Buddhism is True?
(a) When Are Feelings Illusions?.
(b) Paradoxes of Meditation.
(c) Taking the Red Pill.
(d) The Alleged Nonexistence of Your Self.

7. Which character in the movie referred to in the chapter entitled "Take the Red Pill" realizes that his life has actually been an extended hallucination?
(a) Morpheus.
(b) Altoo.
(c) Hagar.
(d) Neo.

8. On what body process should first-timers focus when meditating?
(a) Bile.
(b) Blood.
(c) Phlegm.
(d) Breath.

9. On what object does the author say people should place themselves during meditation?
(a) A bare floor.
(b) A pillow.
(c) A mat.
(d) A cushion.

10. Whom does the author name as being on the lowest end of the spectrum in relation to how easy it will be for a person to pick up meditation?
(a) Bobby Knight.
(b) Russell Westbrook.
(c) Nate Diaz.
(d) John McEnroe.

11. What Rolling Stones song does the author say perfectly encapsulates the human condition from the Buddhist point of view?
(a) Salt of the Earth.
(b) You Can't Always Get What You Want.
(c) Gimme Shelter.
(d) I Can't Get No Satisfaction.

12. In what decade were the famous series of experiments conducted by Benjamin Libet?
(a) The 1970s.
(b) The 1990s.
(c) The 1980s.
(d) The 1960s.

13. What types of insects were making noise outside of the author's window on the fifth night of his first meditation retreat?
(a) Locusts.
(b) Katydids.
(c) Crickets.
(d) Cicadas.

14. In what state did the author attend his very first silent meditation retreat?
(a) Washington.
(b) Virginia.
(c) California.
(d) Massachusetts.

15. What adjective does the author apply to the phenomenon of road rage?
(a) Crazy.
(b) False.
(c) Silly.
(d) Logical.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the eminent twentieth-century scholar of Buddhism?

2. What is NOT a concern the author attributes to the process of natural selection?

3. With what Buddhist tradition is Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche associated?

4. What does the acronym in the chapter title of Chapter 6 mean?

5. The Buddha stated that what emotion has a "poisoned root and honeyed tip" (30)?

(see the answer keys)

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