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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 type of bird was rated the most highly in the study introduced by the author under the heading "Infiltration of Perception by Feeling" (159)?

2. The author states that even perceptual judgments are a layer of meaning imposed onto what?

3. With what system is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex associated?

4. The author notes that generally, the thoughts that arise during meditation follow how many common themes?

5. Within what situation should one practice the RAIN technique, according to the author?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What three careers are used to characterize the three different schools of meditation and on which type does the author focus within Buddhism is True?

4. In what way does the author use the appeal of ethos within the chapter entitled "Encounters with the Formless"?

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

6. Discuss the author's perspective of how indulging one's craving once can lead to future indulgences?

7. For what purpose does the author discuss his disagreement with a prominent meditation teacher?

8. What connection does the author make between awareness and control and how is paradox used within the author's discussion of this connection?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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