View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the three schools of meditation supports the idea that a critical distance of separation between the self and individual thoughts will give the conscious self more control?
(a) Western.
(b) Vipassana.
(c) Tibetan.
(d) Zen.

2. What activity does the author most often engage in when he is avoiding work?
(a) Online shopping.
(b) Baking.
(c) Riding his bike.
(d) Doing yard work.

3. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is described as the seat of what?
(a) Abstract reasoning.
(b) Paranoia.
(c) Emotions.
(d) The ego.

4. The author states that repeated studies have shown that the brain reacts similarly to physical pain and what other element?
(a) Humiliation.
(b) Social rejection.
(c) Anger.
(d) Regret.

5. Which philosopher compared the relationship between feelings and the rational self to the relationship between horses and a charioteer?
(a) Maslow.
(b) Plato.
(c) Descartes.
(d) Hume.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the Samadhiraja Sutra?

2. The author states that what element only acts as a proxy between various feelings?

3. What object does the author NOT list when explaining what he means by "forms" (142)?

4. What does the acronym RAIN stand for?

5. The author states that seeing the world as what is an essential step on the path to enlightenment?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the emptiness doctrine presented by the author within the chapter entitled Encounters with the Formless.

2. How does the author use self-deprecation and discussion of his own flaws to further his purpose?

3. What is the purpose of mindfulness meditation and how is it performed?

4. How does the author characterize the emotion of jealousy?

5. What is the purpose for observing one's own thoughts within a meditation session?

6. What emotion is one of the most studied in relation to the phenomenon of modules governing behavior and why?

7. Discuss an instance of the author's use of humor to highlight a particular point being made in the text.

8. What is the significance of the author's anecdote about the sound of a buzz saw?

9. How does the author characterize the difference between tribal psychology and general psychology?

10. What is the author's message about the intertemporal utility function and its relationship to the permanence of the self?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,279 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample