Practicum Midterm Exam

1. According to Pausch, why do we have brick walls?

To give us the opportunity to show how much we want something, and to keep others who are not willing to work out

What was Pausch's most difficult brick wall?

his wife, Jai

3. What were Randy Pausch's childhood dreams?

To be in zero-gravity, play in the NFL, publish an article in the World Book Encyclopedia, be Captain Kirk, win stuffed animals, and be a Disney Imagineer

4. What lessons did he learn from his zero-gravity dream?

Brick walls and always have something to bring to the table

5. What lessons did he learn from not making it to the NFL?

The importance of learning the fundamentals and self-esteem is not handed out, it is earned

6. What lesson was learned from the World Book Encyclopedia?

The power of knowledge

7. What lesson was learned from wanting to be Captain Kirk?

The importance of leadership

8. What lesson was learned from winning stuffed animals?

Good things come to those who work hard and tenacity

9. What lessons were learned from being a Disney Imagineer?

Preparation, positive language, and life is meant to be lived

10. Why did Pausch pour soda in the back seat of his new car?

To show his niece and nephew it is alright if they spill in his car because people are more important than things

11. What advice did Pausch get from his mentor after his class blew him away with their projects?

Tell the class they did well but they can do better

12. What is the head fake?

When someone thinks they are learning one thing, but the real lesson is something else

13. What was Pausch's thoughts on plans?

You can change plans but you must have one first

14. What must time be managed like?

Money

15. What is a Dutch Uncle?

Someone who gives firm, honest advice

16. What is the difference between a Tigger and an Eeyore and which side was Randy Pausch on?

A Tigger is an optimistic person who is often smiling, laughing, and having fun. An Eeyore is pessimistic and often expects the worst. Pausch was a Tigger.

17. Why did Pausch want to do the lecture and publish the book so badly?

So he could leave his kids with advice he wanted to give them but they were too young to hear

18. What did Pausch say about small jobs?

No job is beneath you

19. What is The Man in the Convertible about?

A woman was stopped at a light and saw a man in a convertible next to her with the music up and having a good time. As she drove by she realized it was Pausch who only had months to live.

20. What university was Pausch a professor at, and what was his specialty?

Carnegie Melon University, Computer Science specializing in Virtual Reality

21. "You've got to get the ________ down, because otherwise the ______ stuff is not going to work."

a. Fundamentals, fancy

22. The term used for teaching someone something that they are not even realizing you are teaching them.

a. Head fake

23. What did Pausch say was his most formidable brick wall?

a. Jai

24. Explain the significance of Pausch's story about when his football coach was constantly yelling at him one day in practice.

a. The assistant coach came over to Randy and told him why Coach Graham was being so hard on him. It was because Coach Graham cared. The lesson is that if nobody is telling you that you are doing something wrong, it means that they have stopped caring.

25. In 50 years, what never came up?

a. Pausch's father winning the Bronze Star for valor.

26. In the chapter titled "I'm on my honeymoon, but if you need me..." name any 3 key points about time management that Pausch listed

a. Time must be explicitly managed, like money
b. You can always change your plan, but only if you have one
c. Ask yourself: Are you spending your time on the right things?
d. Develop a good filing system
e. Rethink the telephone
f. Delegate
g. Take a time out

27. What advice did Andy van Dam give to Pausch about how to respond to the fantastic work his students did on their projects? Why did he suggest that?

a. Andy told him to say, "Guys, that was pretty good, but I know you can do better." In order to get more out of students, you have to keep challenging them to become better, and that is exactly what happened.

28. ____ is short-term. _____ is long-term

a. Hip, Earnest

29. In chapter 15 "Pouring Soda in the Backseat," what were the two rules that Pausch had for his niece and nephew whenever they would hang out?

a. No Whining
b. Whatever we do together, don't tell mom

30. What did "Engineer Pausch" say to the man flying the hot air balloon when he saw the train?

a. "Sir, I think I see a variable here."

31. Explain why Pausch admired and idolized Captain Kirk on Star Trek.

a. Pausch admired him because Captain Kirk was not the most talented figure on the ship. Spock had the incredible knowledge; Dr. McCoy had the medical skills. Captain Kirk, however, had the quality of leadership. He looked good in whatever he had to wear. Kirk established the vision and tone of the Enterprise.

32. What was the head fake at the end of Pausch's lecture?

That the lecture was for his children.

33. What illness did Randy Pausch have?

Pancreatic Cancer

34. What was the theme of Pausch's Last Lecture?

Enabling the dreams of others.

35. Randy Pausch never played in the NFL. Why was that childhood dream still so important to him during his last lecture?

He said that he learned more by not getting into the NFL than he ever would if he did. It taught him to work harder even when he wanted to quit.

36:What does it mean to win the Parent Lottery?

To have the best, most supportive parents that you could ever possibly ask for. Parents who enabled the dreams and futures of their children.

37:What do we learn about the power of positive language?

This comes from the chapter "The Park is Open until 8 p.m." We learn that no matter how bad a situation is, life should be looked at and lived to the fullest.

What is the difference between goals and objectives

Goals are big and general. Objectives are specific and measurable

What does it mean to "be the first penguin?"

To not be afraid to dive/do something in first

Instead of complaining, just ____

Work harder

What was the point to pouring soda on the backseat of his car?

To show that people are more important than things

.Leadership is a ____

Skillset

What does it mean to be a communitarian?

To feel an obligation to do something for the community

Who did Pausch consider to be his Dutch Uncle?

Andy Van Dam

What was the movie that Pausch's student Tommy wanted to and eventually did work on?

Star Wars

What is the name of the teaching tool software that they were working on

Alice

What event as a kid helped Pausch realize that anything is possible?

Moon landing

When talking about not complaining and working harder, who did Pausch use as an example for this?

Jackie Robinson and Sandy Plat

What did Pausch say were the 3 key things to a real apology?

Say what I did was wrong, Say I feel badly for what I did, and How can I make it better

What lesson did Pausch learn from his father, regarding the bronze star?

Humility

Where was Pausch first a teacher?

University of Virginia

What did Pausch find important regarding receiving feedback?

Listening

Name a program that Pausch helped develop and used while teaching.

a. Building Virtual Worlds
b. Dream Fulfillment Factory - Entertainment Technology Center
c. Alice

Where did Pausch say his natural habitat was?

College campus, in front of students

Where did Coach Graham go to college?

Penn State

What was different about the first day of practice conducted by Jim Graham?

There were no footballs.

What did he learn about brick walls?

They give people a chance to see how badly they want something.

What is Alice and who developed her?

software teaching tool, Carnegie Mellon

Randy is a recovering ____

jerk

Why was the elephant stuffed animal important?

One of the attending students had cancer and she picked the elephant in the room because Randy did have an elephant in the room, which was his cancer

Why did Pausch realize loyalty was a two-way street?

A student of his Dennis was failing Calculus III but was passing Randy's class, so Randy vouched for him to stay in school to the dean and Dennis kept his promised and passed.

Why was New Year's Eve a sad holiday for Randy Pausch?

His son Dylan's 6th birthday, and Randy and his wife Jai was telling him that the next one will be without

One day, Pausch's wife accidentally crashed her car into his car. He wasn't upset. What did he say this was a sign of?

The cars had minor damage, and they still got them from point A to B. Like a relationship it doesn't have to be perfect, not everything needs to be fixed.

What was Pausch's bar chart used for?

Measuring his students ability to work with others told by his classmates.

What did Pausch ask his students to let their kids do as a favor to him?

Paint their rooms

What you get when you didn't get what you wanted.

Experience

Which Popular A.A. Milne characters does Pausch use as Archetypes on how to see life through the eyes of?

Eeyore and Tigger

What was Randy's "trick" to sitting at the front of the monorail at Disney?

Just asking the attendant for permission

What did Pausch send out with every Academic review he sent out?

Thin Mints

What is worse than no apology?

A bad apology

If Pausch could only give 3 words of advice, what would they be?

Tell the truth

What were Pausch's thoughts on WIkipedia?

It can be used as a reliable source (kinda)

What was his gift to his wife during his Last Lecture?

He wheeled in a cake and had everyone sing happy birthday to her.

What disease was his father diagnosed with?

Leukemia

Where did Pausch go the day before he heard that his cancer had spread?

A waterpark

Who recognized Pausch in his convertible and then told him a story about it?

Vice President of CMU Robbee Kosak

Name something Randy wrote on his bedroom walls as a child?

The quadratic formula

What happened after Randy and Jai's wedding?

Their hot air balloon crashed

Why did Randy's parents love Disney World after their first trip?

The Disney Park store employees gave the kids a new set of salt and pepper shakers since they broke them (no charge)

How many children did Pausch have?

3

True or false: Pausch turned down a position to fully be a Disney Imagineer?

TRUE

Why was it so dangerous for Pausch to defend Dennis, his student who got in trouble?

Pausch didn't have tenure yet