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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the author NOT list among the most popular reasons for people to try meditation?
(a) To quell self-loathing.
(b) To cool anger.
(c) To relieve stress.
(d) To make better decisions.

2. What two points of view does the author use within the narrative of Buddhism is True?
(a) Second and third.
(b) First and third.
(c) Only third.
(d) First and second.

3. To what movie does the first chapter, entitled "Taking the Red Pill," refer?
(a) Magnolia.
(b) The Matrix.
(c) Taxi Driver.
(d) Drugstore Cowboy.

4. With what Buddhist tradition is Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche associated?
(a) The Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
(b) The school of tranquility and serenity.
(c) The Vippassana Buddhist tradition.
(d) The Zen Buddhist tradition.

5. What is the name of the eminent twentieth-century scholar of Buddhism?
(a) Edward Conze.
(b) Jerome Barkow.
(c) Bhikkhu Bodhi.
(d) Aaron Beck.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Buddhist scripture, what is the name of the braggart who challenged The Buddha's notions of not-self?

2. What is the English translation of the word dukkha?

3. 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?

4. The idea within vipassana meditation is to see the true nature of what?

5. The author states that natural selection does not want people to be happy, but instead wants them to be what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the author's use of the anecdote regarding his tense jaw.

2. What is witness consciousness, according to the author?

3. Discuss the tendency of humans to engage in self-inflation.

4. How does the author go about trying to depict the bliss he feels as a result of meditation?

5. What is the author's analysis of the human fear of public speaking?

6. How does the author shine a spotlight on his own flaws and for what purpose does he do so?

7. Discuss the author's purpose in using the example of Thich Quang Duc’s public self-immolation.

8. Discuss the author's decision to begin the book with an allusion to the film The Matrix.

9. What does the author say about ways in which people should NOT "conceive of modules" (86)?

10. How does the author use the example of bodily fluids in order to demonstrate the differences between Western Buddhism and Traditional Buddhism?

(see the answer keys)

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