Deck 6: Daoism and Confucianism

Question 1

The notion of wu wei is

A) social responsibility.
B) filial piety.
C) no unnecessary action.
D) education and discipline.

Answer 1

no unnecessary action.

Question 2

The man who dreamed of being a butterfly was

A) Laozi (Lao Tzu).
B) Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu).
C) Zhu Xi.
D) Mengzi (Mencius).

Answer 2

Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu).

Question 3

The receptive aspect of the universe that expresses itself in silence, darkness, coolness, and rest is called

A) wu wei.
B) yin.
C) dao.
D) yang.

Answer 3

yin.

Question 4

The Daodejing is written in approximately how many Chinese characters?

A) 100
B) 1,000
C) 5,000
D) 25,000

Question 5

The Daodejing is known for its

A) deliberate obscurity.
B) careful prose.
C) logical organization of themes.
D) mention of important sites in China.

Question 6

A story in the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) makes fun of the silliness of human beings. It compares them to

A) bees.
B) goats.
C) snakes.
D) monkeys.

Question 7

After his wife died, Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)

A) swam.
B) danced.
C) sang.
D) worked in his garden.

Question 8

Laozi (Lao Tzu) is said to have been a

A) fisherman.
B) painter.
C) carpenter.
D) librarian.

Question 9

Black caps are the signature headwear for

A) Daoist priests.
B) members of the Legalist school of philosophy.
C) actors in the theatrical programs performed during the Jiao rite of renewal.
D) teachers of Confucian rituals.

Question 10

Concerning the origins of Daoism, scholars today point to

A) the historical founder, Laozi.
B) the Yijing, the Book of Changes.
C) a multiplicity of possible sources that coalesced into a movement.
D) the legendary Jade Emperor.

Question 11

The two dots of contrasting color inside the light and dark commas of the yin-yang circle represent the

A) eternal strife of good and evil.
B) seed of each other.
C) eyes of God.
D) great Daoists Laozi and Zhuangzi.

Question 12

Daoism likely established monasteries and temples

A) to protect itself from Confucian influence.
B) to guard its secret practices.
C) in order to more closely follow the teachings of the Daodejing.
D) as a result of Buddhism's influence on it.

Question 13

Daoism developed a pantheon of hundreds of deities, the most important being

A) the Three Purities.
B) several female deities.
C) humans elevated to the status of gods.
D) household gods that protect the people.

Question 14

The Three Purities consist of

A) Mother Li, Lord Lao, and Zhenwu, the perfected warrior.
B) Laozi, Confucius, and the Buddha.
C) the Jade Emperor, Laozi, and Zhuangzi.
D) the Dao, the god who transmits Daoist insight, and Laozi.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is true about the Dao?

A) To experience the Dao, one must leave behind his or her desires for individual things.
B) The Dao can be "known" in the same way that one sees a car or hears a sound.
C) According to the Daodejing, the Dao that can be spoken of is the eternal Dao.
D) The Dao is any individual thing that has a name, such as a door, a tree, or a person.

Question 16

A key difference between the Zhuangzi and the Daodejing is that, unlike the Daodejing, the Zhuangzi

A) rejects the notion that there is a movement of the Dao in all that happens.
B) contains many whimsical stories.
C) deviates from the themes of early Daoist thought.
D) is composed of eight chapters whose authorship is uncertain.

Question 17

In the context of the main teachings of the Daodejing, identify a true statement.

A) Because Daoists pursue the aggressive way, they love weapons and war.
B) Daoists believe that, as humans, it is impossible to attain a vision of things that goes beyond apparent opposites such as I-you, good-bad, and so forth.
C) Daoism emphasizes the elimination of whatever is unnecessary and artificial and an appreciation of the simple and the apparently ordinary.
D) Wu wei is the name for whatever mysterious reality makes nature to be what it is and to act the way it does.

Question 18

After the Bible, the _____ is the world's most frequently translated book.

A) Book of Changes (Yijing, I Ching)
B) Book of Poetry (Shijing, Shih Ching)
C) Zhuangzi
D) Daodejing

Question 19

Confucius worked almost all his life as

A) a teacher.
B) a priest.
C) an artist.
D) a librarian.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true about the Analects?

A) They are the principal source of Legalist philosophy.
B) They are the sayings of Confucius.
C) They are a reaction against the Mohist thought.
D) They are a compilation of ancient poetry, saved by Confucians.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true about the Doctrine of the Mean?

A) It is a long work on the history of the state of Lu.
B) It is the basis for the Legalist emphasis on strict punishment.
C) It reflects the Daoist love of contemplation.
D) It is a short book on moderation and harmony.

Question 22

Which of the following statements is true about the Mencius?

A) It advocates the ideal of the bodhisattva.
B) It offers advice about the magical ritual that was thought to raise agricultural productivity.
C) It presents the teachings of a Confucian thinker.
D) It was a stone memorial to Confucius placed in his hometown of Qufu.

Question 23

Confucius's ideal society would live according to the ideals of the

A) Five Great Relationships.
B) Four Noble Truths.
C) Seven Sacraments.
D) Five K's.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true about the Yijing (I Ching)?

A) It was a central library, where many ancient texts were kept.
B) It recounts tales of the mythic life of the Yellow Emperor.
C) It is a book of prophecy and poetry.
D) It is a book, valued by Confucius, that is used for divination.

Question 25

The personal ideal or hero of Confucianism is the

A) teacher.
B) businessman.
C) noble person.
D) simple peasant.

Question 26

The period in which Confucius lived was

A) a time of social turmoil.
B) peaceful.
C) a time when China was ruled by a single emperor.
D) a time of a classless society.

Question 27

Which of the following statements is true about Mencius (Mengzi, Meng Tzu)?

A) He was a Legalist with a pessimistic view of human nature.
B) He was a Confucian with a positive view of human nature.
C) He was a Mohist with a stern view of human nature.
D) He was a Daoist with a very optimistic view of human nature.

Question 28

In the context of Confucianism, the Communists after the Communist Revolution

A) encouraged it in order to build up a sound economy.
B) spread it because of its support of government.
C) rejected it as not being egalitarian.
D) rejected it because of its emphasis on individual freedom.

Question 29

The most fundamental relationship for Confucius seems to have been that between

A) friends.
B) father and son.
C) elder brother and younger brother.
D) husband and wife.

Question 30

The virtue of filial piety means

A) doing what is appropriate to a situation.
B) love of education.
C) devotion to one's family.
D) doing only what is spontaneous.

Question 31

The ideal of benevolence or "human-heartedness" in Chinese is a written character made up of which pictographs?

A) two hearts, one beside the other
B) a person under a roof
C) a mother and a child
D) a person and the number two

Question 32

The most significant Confucian art form has been

A) garden design.
B) calligraphy.
C) stone carving.
D) music.

Question 33

The authoritative pre-Confucian books are the

A) Analects.
B) Mencius.
C) Five Classics.
D) Four Books.

Question 34

During the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE),

A) Confucianism became the official philosophy of China, guiding its state policy.
B) Confucianism was abandoned in favor of Daoism.
C) calligraphy came to be taught as part of Confucian training for girls.
D) Confucians embraced and adopted Buddhist religion as a complement to their own philosophy.

Question 35

Which great scholar developed a complete philosophy of reality, now called Neo-Confucianism?

A) Mozi (Mo Tzu)
B) Xunzi (Hsun Tzu)
C) Zhu Xi (Chu Hsi)
D) Dong Zhongshu (Tun Chung-shu)

Question 36

Confucianism was criticized by a few Chinese leaders who had studied in the West and were influenced by the teachings of

A) John Dewey and Bertrand Russell.
B) Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
C) Georg F. Hegel.
D) George Santayana.

Question 37

Confucianism remains a strong value system in

A) Cambodia.
B) Indonesia.
C) Malaysia.
D) South Korea.

Question 38

The Qing (Ching) dynasty, the last imperial dynasty, collapsed in China in the year

A) 1445.
B) 1703.
C) 1911.
D) 1966.

Question 39

Complex Confucian etiquette shows respect to others, makes social interactions predictable, and

A) reflects the social position of its participants.
B) leads to the virtue of humility.
C) generates much anxiety and resentment.
D) is the major reason for the development of Confucianism as a religious system.

Question 40

Which of the following statements is true about Confucius?

A) He believed that excellence comes partly from the cultivation of one' virtues and intellect.
B) He disliked the idea of education because it transmitted the lessons of the past into the present.
C) He was convinced that human beings can achieve good, refined, and even great qualities in isolation.
D) He remained unmarried throughout his life.

Question 41

In Confucian societies, the bow is an art form that varies according to the occasion. A small inclination of the head is

A) used to make a serious request.
B) used for greeting an equal.
C) given to a social superior.
D) used to show profound respect.

Question 42

Which of the following Confucian virtues can be described as empathy, consideration for others, and humaneness?

A) shu
B) li
C) ren
D) xiao

Question 43

Which of the following Confucian virtues refers to appropriate action, ritual, propriety, and etiquette?

A) ren
B) xiao
C) shu
D) li

Question 44

Which of the following Confucian virtues implies that obligations entailed by relationships are mutually binding?

A) xiao
B) shu
C) ren
D) li

Question 45

In the context of the virtues most prized by Confucians, the term _____ means "culture," and it includes all the arts that are associated with civilization.

A) shu
B) xiao
C) wen
D) li

Question 46

In the context of the Five Classics of the Confucian literature, _____ is an anthology of supposedly historical material about kings from earliest times up until the early Zhou (Chou) period (c. 1100-256 BCE).

A) Liji, Li Chi
B) Yijing, I Ching
C) Shijing, Shih Ching
D) Shujing, Shu Ching

Question 47

In the context of the Five Classics of the Confucian literature, _____ is a collection of three hundred poems of the Zhou period, once believed to have been selected by Confucius.

A) Shijing, Shih Ching
B) Yijing, I Ching
C) Liji, Li Chi
D) Shujing, Shu Ching

Question 48

In the context of the Five Classics of the Confucian literature, which of the following statements is true about Liji, Li Chi?

A) It speaks of the basic patterns of the universe.
B) It is referred to as the Book of Rites, and it lists ancient ceremonies and their meaning.
C) It allegedly comprises historical records of the state of Lu, where Confucius lived, and ends with a later commentary.
D) It is used to understand future events and to work with them properly.

Question 49

In the context of the Four Books of the Confucian literature, the _____ is a short discussion of the character and influence of the noble person.

A) Mencius (Mengzi, Meng Tzu)
B) Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong, Chung Yung)
C) Great Learning (Daxue, Ta Hsüeh)
D) Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu, Ch'un Ch'iu)

Question 50

Explain yang and yin using examples as necessary to illustrate your explanation.

Question 51

Recount the life story of Laozi.

Question 52

What is the Daodejing, and what roles has it played in the Daoist religion?

Question 53

Define the Dao-or explain why we cannot define the Dao, yet can experience it.

Question 54

What does the collection called the Zhuangzi add to the basic understanding of the Dao?

Question 55

Explain the ideal of wu wei.

Question 56

Summarize four of the basic teachings of early Daoism.

Question 57

Describe three or four features that came to be associated with later Daoism.

Question 58

Explain the likely influences Buddhism had on Daoism.

Question 59

Provide an overview of the Daoist pantheon of deities.

Question 60

Describe with some detail four classical Chinese arts, and show how they exhibit some of the concerns of Daoism.

Question 61

What particular aspects of the Dao are of primary interest to Confucians?

Question 62

Which two ideals were sought by Confucius?

Question 63

Explain, from a Confucian perspective, what it would take to be a "superior person."

Question 64

List the Five Great Relationships, and summarize the responsibilities of the related persons in each of the five.

Question 65

What is ren? How does one show it?

Question 66

Explain wen, and describe how it shows itself in practice.

Question 67

Explain the Confucian notion of sincerity, and contrast it with the common Western notion.

Question 68

Identify two of the Four Books of Confucianism, and describe a key characteristic of each.

Question 69

Describe what Mencius brought to Confucianism by contrasting his thought with that of Confucius.

Question 70

Pretend that you have been asked to begin a Confucian school. What would be studied? What practices would be evident in everyday life?

Question 71

Summarize Zhu Xi's contributions to Confucian thought.

Question 72

What is the greatest of Confucian arts? Why?

Question 73

Summarize three key arguments against Confucianism that became prominent during the twentieth century.

Question 74

In what ways are Confucian virtues at odds with typical Western virtues?