SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS, NPTEL

WEEK 3 ASSIGNMENT

1.

Lack of ability to feel empathy in a human being is believed to be caused by an

__________. (Fill in the blank)
A. Overactive mirror neuron system
B. Underactive mirror neuron system
C. Underactive sensory neuron system
D. Overactive sensory neuron system
Ans b
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 11

2.

Which of the following are some of the benefits of empathy at the workplace?
A. Resolving conflicts among colleagues through understanding
B. Cognitive cost
C. Building team unity through trust and dedication
D. Creativity boost up
i. Only A and C are true
ii. Only C and D are true
iii. Only A, B and C are true
iv. Only A, C and D are true
Ans iv
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 11

3.

On Monday morning, after coming to the office, Jack discovers that his desk is vandalised
and his laptop is gone. Strikingly, all the desks of his other group members were untouched.
He panics and starts shouting. Alice, one of his team members, also panics at this scene
and starts shouting. Gradually many of their colleagues start to panic and show symptoms
of extreme anxiety. This is an example of ____________. (Fill in the blank)
A. Psychopathy
B. Sympathy
C. Narcissism
D. Emotional contagion
Ans d
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 11
 4.
According to the book by Ketchell on changing morality, which of the following
statements are true?
A. People do not change the way they think about good or bad
B. 100 years ago, people were strictly moral, but failed to consider reality
C. Compassion-based morality gained more prominence than purity-based morality
i. Only A and B are true
ii. Only A and C are true
iii. Only B and C are true
iv. All of these are true
Ans iii
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 12
5.
A hangman is asked to execute a person who is sentenced to death by the court for
murdering four members of a family. When interviewed by a psychologist, the hangman
said that he cannot let his conscience rule his judgement while following the state order
and executing this person. This thought process is an example of ____________. (Fill in
the blank)
A. Moral thinking
B. Immoral thinking
C. Psychopathic thinking
D. Moral disengagement
Ans d
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 12

6.

The locus of moral judgement in the human brain is __________. (Fill in the blank)
A. Prefrontal lobe
B. Occipital lobe
C. Parietal lobe
D. Temporal lobe
Ans a
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 12
 7.
In the book Milindapañha, there are mentions of a conversation regarding self or identity
between King Milinda and Buddhist monk Nagasena. Which province did King Milinda
hail from?
a. Indo-Greek
b. Egyptian
c. Roman
d. Mesoamerican
Ans a
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 13

8.

The learning of language by a child after birth is an example of ____________. (Fill in the
blank)
A. Analytical process
B. Rational thinking process
C. Impulsive process
D. Intuitive process
Ans d
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 13

9.

Which of the following movies showcases split/multiple personalities?

A. Memento
B. Inception
C. Fight Club
D. Gone Girl
Ans c
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 13
 10.

Following are some of the intrinsic reasons, for which we prioritise others over the self.
Which of them are true?
A. Empathy
B. Warm glow
C. Peer pressure
D. Values
i. Only A, B and C are true
ii. Only A, B and D are true
iii. Only A, C and D are true
iv. Only B, C and D are true
Ans ii
Explanation: Peer pressure is an extrinsic reason. Please refer to Lecture 14

11.

Veena is attending a charity event where people are pledging donations to an NGO for
child healthcare and education. She is unsure of the ideal amount of donation, but she
observes that many other people around her are pledging to donate various amounts of
money. Seeing this, Veena, who has been indifferent from the beginning and unsure about
the amount which she shall donate, suddenly declares her support for this cause, and goes
on to donate a small amount. Which psychological phenomenon primarily describes
Veena’s reaction?
A. Sunk cost fallacy
B. Bandwagon effect
C. Cognitive dissonance
D. Groupthink
Ans b
Explanation: The bandwagon effect is a cognitive bias that describes the tendency to adopt certain
beliefs or behaviours because others are doing so. In this scenario, Veena is most likely to invest
a small amount to fit in with the crowd, even if she is unsure of how much to invest, rather than
investing a large amount to appear rich or investing nothing at all. Please refer to Lecture 14.
 12.

Who wrote the line “The primary purpose of the nervous system is to direct an animal
either towards opportunities or away from danger in order to help survive and procreate.
Three brain modules are engaged in this task: one for avoidance and two for attraction
(seeking and consuming)”?
A. Shalom H. Schwartz
B. Bjorn Grinde
C. Russ Harris
D. Adam Grant
Ans b
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 14

13.

Which of the following character traits are directly linked to pro-sociality?

A. Justice
B. Humanity
C. Moderation
D. Transcendence
i. Only A, B and C are true
ii. Only A and B are true
iii. Only B and D are true
iv. Only B, C and D are true
Ans iii
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 15

14.

According to the PERMA model, ______________ and ______________ are two of the
five important building blocks of wellbeing and happiness. (Fill in the blanks)
a. Attention, Excitement
b. Engagement, Relationships
c. Empathy, Management
d. Politeness, Acceptance
b
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 15
 15.

Which of the following is NOT a subcomponent of the virtue ‘Transcendence’?

A. Appreciation of beauty
B. Spirituality
C. Forgiveness
D. Humour
Ans c
Explanation: Please refer to Lecture 15