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. Marcus Aurelius speaks of a ______ life so busy that it has no leisure, according to the book, which is not pleasant to him.

2. The method of transportation for Saint _________ is simply a means to visit the poor and to minister to them.

3. Within the country of America, according to the book, the idea of leisure is seen as an interruption of ___________.

4. ___________ points out that children who are raised in a sea of dolls and toys are not taught to love nature, according to the book.

5. ________ advocates a luxury that has nothing to do with money, rather he sees it as food for the soul, according to the book.

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Whitman describe the ideal life, according to his section of the book?

2. What does Young say would happen if America gave away possessions they did not need to the rest of the world?

3. What does the Ford Foundation report have to say about the idea of overpopulation?

4. What is the mother teaching her daughter when she tells her that she is a little princess?

5. Though life is a struggle, what is the advice that Burroughs gives to the reader in this section?

6. What do artists and the creative community seem to understand that others do not?

7. What does this section define the idea of the simple life, according to the book?

8. What are the three elements that Robert Henri says the most beautiful life contains?

9. What does Sir Francis Bacon have to say about the baggage that one carries in their life?

10. What happens when a person chooses not to buy items from those who manufacture them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tolstoy says that poverty can be a source of happiness when a person chooses it.

Part 1: Do you think that inflicted poverty brings happiness?

Part 2: How do you think a person could be happy when they don't have any money?

Part 3: Do you think you could be happy without any money or material things?

Essay Topic 2

In the book, ego is defined as a non-productive luxury that stands in the way of one's true worth.

Part 1: Do you think that ego gets in your way? Why or why not?

Part 2: In what way is ego a luxury in life, as stated in the book?

Part 3: How do you think your life would look if you didn't have ego to worry about?

Essay Topic 3

Some people choose to have a smaller salary, saying they are happier even though they are making less money.

Part 1: Do you think that you would be happy with a smaller salary?

Part 2: Why do you think that people are happier when they're not making a lot of money?

Part 3: How do you think that making less money would change your life right now?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 698 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample