View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. What is NOT an element the author lists as being said by Jesus Christ?

3. How many parts belong to the Path that "deeply committed Buddhists are supposed to tread" (48)?

4. What kind of benefits does the author describe self-delusion as harboring?

5. What does the author say is the only thought people have when eyeing a sugar doughnut?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the nature of the author's characterization of a meditation retreat?

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

3. How does the author use the example of the scar experiment?

4. 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?

5. Discuss the significance of the chapter title "Your CEO is MIA."

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

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

8. What does the author say about his own level of enlightenment and why?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine how Robert Wright's book Buddhism is True invites the readers to learn particular lessons from Buddhist traditions and to apply those lessons to their own lives. How does he accomplish this goal and how does this goal relate to the overarching themes of the text?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of sound within Robert Wright's book Buddhism is True.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's treatment of truth, lies, and hypocrisy within the book Buddhism is True.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,429 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample