The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key plot points and ideas are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Introduction-Chapter 6

Reading Check

1. Why is George on the Energy Bus?

2. What problem does George have that he is at a loss to solve?

3. Why must George ride the bus for two weeks?

4. Why does George decide to take the bus again, and why is he disappointed?

5. What problem does Joy have in her life?

6. What does Joy tell George he needs to learn?

7. What is the reaction of the passengers on the Energy Bus when George agrees to learn?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why do you think George finds it so difficult to change his behavior?

2. Why does George feel he needs to fire his entire team?

Paired Resource

“Getting Stuck in the Negatives (And How to Get Unstuck)”

• This 10-minute TEDx Talk video explains the prevalence of negative thought and how to overcome it.
• Are people more prone to negative or positive thinking? How can positive thinking be improved? How is this related to the book’s theme of The Power of Positive Energy?

Chapters 7-11

Reading Check

1. What does Joy claim is the problem with blaming other people?

2. What is the first rule of the Energy Bus?

3. As George reads, what does he discover about energy?

4. What is George’s vision?

5. What does Joy teach George about his thoughts?

6. What is the second rule on the Energy Bus?

7. What research does Marty show George to support the second rule of the Energy Bus?

8. What formula related to the third rule does Danny hand Joy?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Marty says that people are most likely to die at 9 a.m. on a Monday than at any other time. What does Joy claim this means? Why do you think more people die at this time than any other?

2. What is the story Joy asks Marty to read to George, and what does it mean?

Paired Resource

“How to Use Visualization to Achieve Your Goals”

• This HuffPost article describes the benefits of visualization.
• Where do many visualizations get stuck? Why do visualizations work? How is this connected to the book’s theme of The Power of Positive Energy?

Chapters 12-20

Reading Check

1. What does George discover about the “Thank-You Walk”?

2. What is the theory of the one great golf shot?

3. What is the fourth rule of the Energy Bus?

4. Why does George feel down after being given the fourth rule?

5. What is the fifth rule of the Energy Bus?

6. What is the sixth rule?

7. What does Joy give George as a reminder to find value in the things around him?

8. What happens to George’s team after he draws a hard line for the Energy Bus?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Joy recommend for the workers who won’t get on the Energy Bus? Why does she recommend this? What will happen to them?

2. What problems arise because of George’s former outlook on life?

Paired Resource

“The Effects of Negativity in the Workplace”

• This article describes the cost of negativity in the workplace and how companies should handle negativity.
• How much does negativity cost companies each year, according to the University of California? How might these costs be accrued? What advice does the article give for decreasing negativity in the workplace?

Chapters 21-30

Reading Check

1. What does Joy say is still missing from George’s team?

2. What is a CEO, according to Jack?

3. What is the seventh rule of the Energy Bus?

4. What happens when Joy cleans the rock George has been carrying around?

5. What are the Five Ways to Love Your Passengers?

6. What is the ninth rule of the Energy Bus?

7. What does George discover will make his team work harder and longer?

8. What is George’s team’s shared purpose?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What effect does George’s “heart” have on his team? How do you explain this?

2. What study does Marty cite to support the last rule of the Energy Bus? Why do you think it is an effective strategy?

Chapters 31-34 and “The Energy Bus Action Plan”

Reading Check

1. What message does passenger Eddy offer to George?

2. When George offers his team members the rest of the day off, how do they react?

3. Whom does George call after visiting the car repair shop?

4. What does George bring for Joy on the Monday following his presentation?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What evidence exists in the concluding chapters to suggest that George’s outlook for the future is improved?

Paired Resource

“Why Having a Sense of Purpose Is Important”

• This brief article from Scottsdale Community College describes why purpose is important.
• How is purpose defined? What are the benefits of having a clear purpose? Which of the four categories do you believe you fall into? How is this article related to the book’s theme of The Power of Purpose?

Recommended Next Reads

The 5 Levels of Leadership by John C. Maxwell

• This book defines five levels of leadership and explains how leaders can move up through the levels.
• Shared topics include leadership, self-help, and team building.
• Shared themes include The Power of Positive Energy and The Power of Purpose.
• The 5 Levels of Leadership on SuperSummary

Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

• This book asserts that the difference between successful and unsuccessful people is having a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset.
• Shared topics include mindset as motivation, leadership, and self-help.
• Shared themes include The Power of Positive Energy and The Power of Purpose.
• Mindset on SuperSummary