Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. When the Getty Museum acquired an inauthentic kouros in 1983, what was the initial reason that caused antiquities experts to believe that it was a fake?

A) The kouros’s color was slightly off—it was a brighter white than other kouroi.

B) The kouros was found in near-perfect condition.

C) The nose, ears, and eyes of the kouros were “misshapen.”

D) The seller of the kouros could not provide a certificate of authenticity.

2. What of the following definitions best describes Gladwell’s concept of the “adaptive unconscious”?

A) The innate unconscious mind of all humans, which processes the bulk of incoming sensory data, produces rapid-fire and appropriate responses.

B) This concept refers to the skill certain humans develop in order to process information while sleeping.

C) When individuals are comatose, they “adapt” to their surroundings—thus, the “adaptive unconscious.”

D) A trait often seen in animals, it is the way in which certain species use “unconscious” techniques—sonar, smell, etc.—to hunt prey or avoid predators.

3. On average, how long did it take Gottman and his colleagues to determine the likelihood of a couple’s marital success based on recordings of the couples’ interactions?

A) 22 seconds

B) 1 minute

C) 3 minutes

D) 10 minutes

4. As discussed in Chapter 1, which of the following is NOT one of the “Four Horsemen” qualities that would predict the downfall of a marriage?

A) Defensiveness

B) Stonewalling

C) Criticism

D) Apathy

5. Gladwell explains that people occasionally have uncontrollable physical reactions that alert them to their intuition. How does investor George Soros intuit when it’s time to make a trade?

A) He gets a migraine.

B) He experiences a back spasm.

C) His right eye twitches, uncontrollably.

D) His palms begin to sweat profusely.

6. Which of the following best describes why Gladwell views speed dating as an effective tool for helping people find a romantic partner?

A) Because dating apps lead to a deluge of choices, it’s easier to be seated in front of someone via speed dating, and to make a quick decision yes or no.

B) Because in order to “hear” your romantic intuition, you must be given multiple options in quick succession.

C) Because (at least in heterosexual dating) it allows women to get in touch with their “women’s intuition,” it is another kind of fast-and-frugal thinking.

D) Because people have trouble articulating the kind of person they’re attracted to, their intuition will allow them to recognize it when they see it.

7. Due to racist/sexist bias at car dealerships, Gladwell discovers that women and Black people are often sold cars at a more expensive price. Up to what amount are women and Black people usually overcharged in comparison to their white, male counterparts?

A) $400

B) $500

C) $700

D) $800

8. In the Millennium Challenge, which of the following best describes the strategy used by the US’s “Blue Team,” in their attempt to triumph over the Middle East’s “Red Team”?

A) They used careful thinking and strategizing, via interactive planning processes and other simulations, to control the progress of war.

B) They used brute strength.

C) They used their gut instincts, rather than any calculated plan or strategy.

D) They found loopholes in international policy, upon careful examination of the Geneva Convention.

9. Which of the following tactics did the “Red Team” use to ultimately prevail over the “Blue Team” in the Millennium Challenge?

A) They launched a surprise sea attack against the “Blue Team,” firing cruise missiles that overwhelmed their armada and sunk 16 of their vessels.

B) They launched a surprise land attack against the “Blue Team,” lobbing grenades at their biggest and most powerful tanks.

C) They launched a surprise air attack against the “Blue Team,” using jet fighter pilots to drop bombs over their barracks.

D) They waged a “cold war” style strategy against the “Blue Team,” freezing them out of the resources which they controlled.

10. What major medical emergency was easier to diagnose because of Lee Goldman’s new decision-making algorithm?

A) Stroke

B) Paralysis

C) Heart attack

D) Blindness

11. When faced with information overload, what reaction do people tend to have? Hint: Gladwell illustrates this in a discussion of jam sales in Chapter 4.

A) They make the wrong decision.

B) They freeze and avoid making any decision at all.

C) They panic and tend to flee the scene, ultimately delaying their choice.

D) They are overjoyed, to finally have the freedom of choice. 

12. In Chapter 5, Gladwell refers to two 1960s television comedies that initially tested poorly, but eventually became two of the most successful TV shows. What were these two TV shows?

A) Petticoat Junction and Green Acres

B) The Mary Tyler Moore Show and All in the Family

C) Star Trek and That Girl

D) I Dream of Jeannie and The Dick Van Dyke Show

13. Paul Ekman proved that human facial expressions are universal, not culturally determined. What database did he create to catalog 3,000 individual expressions?

A) Facial Action Coding System

B) Face Attributing Coding Structure

C) Facially Ambiguous Crafting Synthesizer

D) Facial Assimilating Crafting Simulation

14. People with autism tend to have trouble reading facial expressions. Gladwell describes an example of this difficulty through an experiment on the subject, Peter. What film does Peter watch to test his ability to discern emotions via facial cues?

A) Titanic

B) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

C) Rocky

D) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

15. How much did the number of female players increase after music directors began holding orchestra auditions with the players hidden behind screens?

A) Twofold

B) Fourfold

C) Fivefold

D) Sixfold

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. As Gladwell discusses in Chapter 1, how can one tell which doctors are most likely to be sued for malpractice? Why is this strategy effective?

2. In the Afterword, Gladwell shares a story from the American Civil War of how Union General Joe Hooker faced Robert E. Lee’s forces at Chancellorsville. What happened at this battle and why does Gladwell bring it to the reader’s attention?