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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 two points of view does the author use within the narrative of Buddhism is True?

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

3. What types of insects were making noise outside of the author's window on the fifth night of his first meditation retreat?

4. What is the English translation of the title of the Buddhist text called the Satipatthana Sutta?

5. What is NOT one of the five aggregates named by The Buddha when he first split the self into five aggregates?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. To whom does the author recommend a meditation practice?

4. What effect is the author's choice of the word "delusions" intended to have on the reader?

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

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

7. How does the author get across his point about the need for the brain to provide rationale in the form of modules, even in illogical situations?

8. For what purpose does the author begin the entire narrative with a question?

9. How does the author use the discussion of pain to illustrate his points about not-self?

10. What is the author's view of the phenomenon of human feelings?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's decision to include humor within the text of the book Buddhism is True. What purpose the author have in mind when including these instances of humor and how does the inclusion of these instances support the overarching themes and messages of the text?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the author's messages regarding the influence natural selection has on human behavior in Robert Wright's book Buddhism is True.

Essay Topic 3

How does Robert Wright utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within the book and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the narrative.

(see the answer keys)

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