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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. How does Freud say he can tell that the death instinct exists?

2. With what does Freud say guilt ultimately coincides?

3. Freud says that it is hard to see Eros and the death instinct unmixed together. Where does he say he might expect to see them?

4. How does Freud characterize our culture’s methods of preparing young people for their lives as adults?

5. What is the ego instinct antithetical to, according to Freud?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Freud say the feeling of guilt originates?

2. How does Freud describe the super-ego?

3. What does Freud say society does in order to accommodate the traits he sees in human nature?

4. What difficulty does Freud say he would expect in any analysis that sought to analyze society’s neuroses?

5. What conclusion does Freud’s discussion of the Golden Rule lead him to make about human nature?

6. How does Freud characterize the mindset of people who do not appreciate the reality he is describing, of hostility as a fundamental force of human nature?

7. How does Freud say unconscious guilt expresses itself?

8. How pervasive does Freud say the human sentiments about property are?

9. What goal does Freud say the instincts are leading man toward?

10. In what way does Freud say that primitive man was indeed happier than civilized man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Freud’s treatment of women, and their place in his theories. How would Civilization and its Discontents be different if it were written based on a woman’s perspective?

Essay Topic 2

Evaluate your own reading of Civilization and Its Discontents—did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 3

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

(see the answer keys)

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