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

2. The author states that he suspects that what word is dependent upon "a melange of feelings that you've come to associate with" this object?
(a) Butterfly.
(b) Biscuit.
(c) Cloud.
(d) Ocean.

3. With what system is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex associated?
(a) The adrenal system.
(b) The prefrontal cortex system.
(c) The dopamine system.
(d) The endocrine system.

4. What type of bird was rated the most highly in the study introduced by the author under the heading "Infiltration of Perception by Feeling" (159)?
(a) Sparrows.
(b) Eagles.
(c) Swans.
(d) Robins.

5. What kind of teacher is Rodney, the man described by the author within one particular anecdote?
(a) A music teacher.
(b) A yoga teacher.
(c) A pottery teacher.
(d) A meditation teacher.

Short Answer Questions

1. The author states that he understands if the reader sees the words "formlessness" and "emptiness" and thinks of which two other words?

2. The author argues that for the average human, what type of perception is an impossible task to achieve?

3. The author states that rather than seeing the world as hopeless and empty, enlightened and otherwise accomplished meditators see each individual object, person, and experience as empty in the sense that it does not have a preset what?

4. What piece of text asserts that "Form is emptiness" (143)?

5. The author states, “It’s kind of amazing, when you think about it, that the world would be set up this way: that the path you embark on to relieve yourself of suffering would, if pursued assiduously, lead you to become not just a happier person but a person with a clearer view of" (263) what two types of reality?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way is Robert Wright's writing style self-referential?

2. What does the author mean when he claims that humans are essentialists?

3. What is the RAIN technique discussed by the author and how can it help quell a harmful urge?

4. What four themes does the author state are generally focused upon within the passing thoughts observed during meditation?

5. How does the author use the example of weeds and flowers to make a point about emptiness?

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

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

8. What is the significance of the author's discussion of the Capgras delusion?

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

10. Describe Plato's use of the horse and charioteer analogy to comment on the relationship between feelings and the rational self.

(see the answer keys)

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