Book quiz
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning Quiz
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful LearningPeter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDanielYou read, you underline, you reread, and a week later you remember almost nothing? Two cognitive psychologists and a writer explain why the usual ways of studying can create an illusion of knowing, and what memory research suggests instead: testing yourself, spacing out your practice and mixing problems up. Stories…
Question 1 of 5
According to the authors, why is rereading deceptive?
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Right answer: The ease of familiar text is easy to mistake for understanding
Familiar text reads easily, and that ease feels like understanding. So rereading makes you feel you've learned it all, even when you haven't.
Question 2 of 5
You have just finished a section of a textbook. What would the book suggest doing next?
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Right answer: Close the book, write down all you remember, then check
Every effort to recall strengthens the memory trace. Checking afterwards shows the right answer, so even a failed attempt leaves a mark.
Question 3 of 5
According to the authors, why do spaced sessions build a skill better than back-to-back ones?
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Right answer: What is slightly forgotten takes effort to recall
Between sessions the material fades a little, so recalling it again takes effort. That effort is what fixes the skill, which is why spaced repetition works.
Question 4 of 5
You are preparing for a physics exam. How does the book suggest working through practice problems?
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Right answer: Problems from different topics, mixed together
Interleaving teaches you to recognize what kind of problem you face and which solution fits. Textbook chapters come in order, exam questions do not.
Question 5 of 5
Before an exam it feels like you know everything. What does the book suggest doing?
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Right answer: Answer an old exam question in the set time and compare
Confidence is an unreliable judge: a beginner lacks exactly the knowledge needed to spot mistakes. An outside check shows what you can really do.
Want all of the book's key ideas? Read or listen to its retelling in Livria.