Chapter 27: Quiz
1. Grit correlates with conscientiousness (Big Five) at approximately: - A) r = 0.10 - B) r = 0.40 - C) r = 0.77–0.90 (so high they may be measuring the same thing) - D) r = 0.00
Answer: C. The overlap is enormous, leading many researchers to argue grit is conscientiousness repackaged.
2. The ego depletion multi-lab replication (Hagger et al., 2016) found: - A) A large ego depletion effect - B) Essentially no effect (d = 0.04) - C) That willpower is unlimited - D) That only chocolate restores willpower
Answer: B. The effect was essentially zero across 23 labs and 2,000+ participants.
3. Ericsson's actual claim about deliberate practice was: - A) Exactly 10,000 hours produces mastery - B) Practice is necessary but not sufficient; 10,000 hours was an average, not a threshold; talent and other factors also matter - C) Practice doesn't matter at all - D) Only natural talent determines expertise
Answer: B. Ericsson was clear that practice was important but not the whole story. Gladwell oversimplified.
4. Deliberate practice explains approximately what percentage of variance in professional performance? - A) 75% - B) 50% - C) 26% - D) 1%
Answer: D. Macnamara et al. (2014) found practice explains ~1% of variance in professions — far less than in games (26%) or music (21%).
5. The "individual effort mythology" is problematic because: - A) Effort doesn't matter - B) It systematically ignores structural factors (access, resources), innate differences (IQ, aptitude), and luck — overstating the role of individual determination - C) Everyone has equal opportunity - D) Only talent matters
Answer: B. The narrative that success is primarily about effort ignores the many other factors that shape outcomes.
6. The strongest single predictor of academic and job performance across domains is: - A) Grit - B) Growth mindset - C) Cognitive ability (IQ) - D) 10,000 hours of practice
Answer: C. IQ is consistently the strongest single predictor, though it's not the only factor.
7. The "Steve Jobs wore the same outfit to conserve willpower" advice was based on: - A) The ego depletion model, which has failed to replicate - B) Rigorous fashion research - C) Jobs's own published rationale - D) A randomized controlled trial
Answer: A. The reasoning that "decision fatigue" depletes willpower rests on the ego depletion model, which didn't replicate.
8. Baumeister's revised theory suggests that after exerting self-control, people: - A) Are genuinely unable to continue (resource depletion) - B) Feel entitled to a break and are less motivated to continue (motivational, not resource-based) - C) Become more self-controlled - D) Experience no change
Answer: B. The revised model is about motivation ("I've earned a break"), not capacity ("I've run out of fuel"). This is a fundamentally different claim.
9. The self-improvement industry sells individual effort because: - A) Effort is the most important factor - B) Effort is a product (books, courses, programs); structural change and luck are not products - C) Science has proven effort is all that matters - D) Structural factors don't exist
Answer: B. The market selects for messages that can be monetized. Individual effort can be sold; systemic change and luck cannot.
10. The chapter's overall message about success factors is: - A) Only talent matters - B) Only effort matters - C) Success results from many factors in combination — cognitive ability, conscientiousness, deliberate practice, opportunity, instruction quality, and luck — and no single factor is sufficient - D) Success is random
Answer: C. The honest answer is multi-factorial. The self-improvement industry's search for THE one key to success is itself an oversimplification.