AP Psychology Practice Quiz: Positive Psychology
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 15 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 15
All Questions (15)
A) To diagnose and categorize mental illnesses.
B) To identify factors that lead to well-being and psychological health.
C) To analyze the neurochemical basis of behavior.
D) To focus exclusively on childhood experiences as determinants of adult behavior.
Correct Answer: B
The text explicitly states that 'Positive psychology seeks to identify factors leading to well-being, resilience, and psychological health.' This is its core focus, distinguishing it from other approaches that may concentrate more on pathology.
A) The development of posttraumatic growth.
B) A guaranteed prevention of future stress.
C) An increase in subjective well-being.
D) The immediate discovery of one's signature strengths.
Correct Answer: C
The content directly states, 'Expressing gratitude, a positive subjective experience, increases subjective well-being.' This indicates a direct positive relationship between the act of expressing gratitude and one's personal sense of well-being.
A) A higher reported level of happiness.
B) The elimination of all negative emotions.
C) An experience of posttraumatic growth.
D) A decreased need for social connection.
Correct Answer: A
This scenario is an example of exercising a signature strength or virtue (perseverance). The text states, 'People who exercise their signature strengths or virtues report higher levels of happiness.'
A) A therapeutic method used to treat trauma.
B) The complete absence of stress following a traumatic event.
C) A personality trait that makes a person immune to trauma.
D) A positive subjective experience that may occur after trauma or stress.
Correct Answer: D
The text defines posttraumatic growth directly: 'Posttraumatic growth, a positive subjective experience, may result after trauma or stress.' It is an outcome or experience, not a treatment method or a pre-existing trait.
A) By focusing on dysfunction and abnormal behavior to establish a baseline for health.
B) By seeking to understand and promote factors that contribute to psychological health.
C) By asserting that all human behavior is a result of positive reinforcement.
D) By rejecting the scientific method in favor of purely philosophical inquiry.
Correct Answer: B
The first and third content points explain that positive psychology's approach is to study behavior and mental processes by identifying factors that lead to positive outcomes like well-being, resilience, and psychological health.
A) Signature strengths.
B) Resilience factors.
C) Positive subjective experiences.
D) Psychological health indicators.
Correct Answer: C
The text explicitly identifies both expressing gratitude and posttraumatic growth as 'a positive subjective experience.' This is the specific term used to categorize these phenomena.
A) Subjective well-being.
B) Exercising a signature virtue.
C) Posttraumatic growth.
D) The gratitude effect.
Correct Answer: C
The scenario describes a positive transformation and growth resulting from a stressful event (losing a job). This aligns perfectly with the definition of posttraumatic growth, which 'may result after trauma or stress.'
A) There is no documented relationship between the two.
B) Happiness must be achieved before one can identify their signature strengths.
C) Actively using one's signature strengths is associated with higher reported happiness.
D) Signature strengths are only relevant for recovering from trauma.
Correct Answer: C
The content states, 'People who exercise their signature strengths or virtues report higher levels of happiness.' This indicates a positive correlation where the action of using strengths leads to increased happiness.
A) It is an inevitable and guaranteed outcome for all individuals who experience stress.
B) It is a potential positive development that can follow a traumatic experience.
C) It is another term for resilience, meaning simply returning to a pre-trauma state.
D) It can only occur after expressing gratitude for the traumatic event.
Correct Answer: B
The text is careful to state that posttraumatic growth 'may result' after trauma, implying it is a potential outcome, not a guaranteed one. This makes option B the most accurate description.
A) The link between expressing gratitude and subjective well-being.
B) The process of developing posttraumatic growth.
C) The identification of universal signature strengths.
D) The role of resilience in overcoming adversity.
Correct Answer: A
The study's focus on journaling about thankfulness (expressing gratitude) and its effect on life satisfaction (subjective well-being) directly tests the claim that 'Expressing gratitude...increases subjective well-being.'
A) resilience.
B) the application of signature strengths.
C) a primary focus on psychopathology and dysfunction.
D) factors contributing to well-being.
Correct Answer: C
The provided content establishes that positive psychology's approach is to identify factors leading to well-being, resilience, and health. This is a shift away from a more traditional psychological focus that is primarily concerned with pathology and dysfunction.
A) Posttraumatic growth.
B) Subjective well-being.
C) Signature strengths or virtues.
D) Psychological health.
Correct Answer: C
The text specifically uses the verb 'exercise' in relation to signature strengths: 'People who exercise their signature strengths or virtues report higher levels of happiness.' The other options are outcomes or states of being, not actions to be exercised in the same way.
A) prioritize the study of human flourishing and strengths alongside the study of mental illness.
B) replace the study of mental illness with the study of happiness.
C) conclude that happiness is a fixed trait determined entirely by genetics.
D) view trauma as a necessary and desirable experience for all individuals.
Correct Answer: A
The content as a whole suggests a balanced approach. By focusing on well-being, resilience, and health, positive psychology complements, rather than replaces, traditional psychology's focus on illness. It advocates for including the study of human strengths and flourishing.
A) only the study of abnormal psychology.
B) behavior and mental processes.
C) the development of phobias.
D) the physical structures of the brain.
Correct Answer: B
Content point 2 directly states the need to 'Explain how positive subjective experiences apply to behavior and mental processes.' This shows that these experiences are integral to understanding general psychological functioning.
A) a complete immunity to future negative events.
B) a positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity.
C) the simple act of expressing gratitude for a difficult experience.
D) a pre-existing character strength that prevents trauma.
Correct Answer: B
The term 'growth' itself suggests a change beyond the original state. Posttraumatic growth is described as a 'positive subjective experience' that results from trauma, indicating a positive transformation or development that occurs because of the struggle with adversity.