QUESTIONS ON “THE WAYS WE LIE”
THE FACTS
1. How is that we all lie but think we are honest people?
2. What truth did Ericsson learn in one week about lying?
3. What are the consequences of being brutally honest all the time?
4. Why does Ericsson give her readers Webster’s definitions of lying?
THE STRATEGIES
1. How does Ericsson preface each type of lie? Does it add or detract from the lie she is
discussing?
2. What is the author’s method of discussing lying?
3. What is the assumption about the “white lie?”
4. What is a façade and why are they destructive?
5. Summarize the incident the author cites that is the basis for ignoring the facts.
6. According to the author, how does a passive-aggressive person respond to accusation?
7. What is the author’s reason for bringing up Lilith?
8. Why are stereotypes and clichés so dangerous?
9. What are the qualities of groupthink?
10. What is so good about an out-and-out lie?
11. How does dismissal damage a person?
12. How is delusion harmful and how is it beneficial?
THE ISSUES
1. Which lie is the most common form of lying?
2. Why do people lie anyway?
3. What does George Bernard Shaw say is the liar’s punishment?
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4. Is it possible to entirely eliminate lies from our lives? Why or why not?
5. How is lying “the spirit of a cultural cancer?” What is this technique called? (two
words with the same initial sound together?)
6. What remains in the author’s mind in a country song she heard? Do you agree or
disagree with the songwriter’s lyrics?
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