Deck 9: South Asia

Question 1

The partitioning by the British led to problems between India and Bangladesh over ________.

A) distribution of the Indus River
B) distribution of the Ganga River
C) distribution of the Brahmaputra River
D) Arunachal Pradesh
E) none of the above

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The Taj Mahal is an example of ________ architecture.

A) Muslim
B) Hindu
C) Buddhist
D) Jain
E) Sikh

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Emperor Asoka of the Mauryan Empire had established control over all of South Asia except ________.

A) present day Sri Lanka and the southern tip of India
B) present day Pakistan and Burma
C) present day Bangladesh and the southern section of Bhutan
D) Asoka controlled all of these territories.
E) none of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

This low-lying country is in danger of disappearing because of rising sea level, due to global warming.

A) Maldives
B) Sri Lanka
C) Nepal
D) Bhutan
E) Pakistan

Question 5

When does the wet monsoon season begin in South Asia?

A) May
B) July
C) September
D) December
E) none of the above

Question 6

Pakistan was established as a ________.

A) Muslim country
B) Hindu country
C) Buddhist country
D) country with no predominant religion
E) none of the above

Question 7

Who was India's major trading partner before 1992?

A) Great Britain
B) United States
C) Soviet Union
D) Pakistan
E) none of the above

Question 8

What is the geologic origin of the Deccan Plateau?

A) immense lava flows
B) erosion of mountains
C) uplift of marine sediments
D) folding and faulting
E) None of these adequately describes the geologic origin of the Deccan Plateau.

Question 9

When the British began their conquest of India in the early 18th century, South Asia was still ________ forested.

A) 90%
B) 60%
C) 40%
D) 20%
E) 10%

Question 10

The South Asian wet monsoon originates over the ________ and moves ________.

A) Indian Ocean/northeast
B) South China Sea/northwest
C) Pacific Ocean/west
D) South Atlantic/east
E) None of these adequately describes the wet monsoon in South Asia.

Question 11

Which of these cultures appeared first, before the others?

A) Harappan
B) Mughal
C) Aryan
D) Vedic
E) Parsee

Question 12

Before joining the rest of Asia by way of plate movement, South Asia was attached to this land mass.

A) North America
B) South America
C) Africa
D) Europe
E) none of the above

Question 13

Which of the following experiences the most regular and widespread flooding from the South Asian monsoon?

A) India
B) Pakistan
C) Afghanistan
D) Bangladesh
E) Nepal

Question 14

The Raj meant the rule of the ________ in India.

A) British
B) Dutch
C) French
D) Mughals
E) none of the above

Question 15

All of these are mostly Muslim countries, except:

A) Afghanistan
B) Sri Lanka
C) Maldives
D) Bangladesh
E) none of the above

Question 16

When did the British set about withdrawing from South Asia altogether?

A) after the Seven Years War
B) after World War I
C) after World War II
D) during the Vietnam War
E) none of the above

Question 17

Which of the following had the mythic understanding of the world which eventually would become the cornerstone of Hinduism?

A) Harappan culture
B) Mughal culture
C) Vedic culture
D) Parsee culture
E) none of the above

Question 18

What is the geologic origin of the Himalayas?

A) uplift of marine sediments
B) volcanism
C) immense lava flows
D) glacial deposition
E) None of these adequately describes the geologic origin of the Himalayas.

Question 19

The main competitor of the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company for the monopoly of the Indonesian spice trade was the:

A) Spanish
B) French
C) Portuguese
D) Americans
E) none of the above

Question 20

In most of South Asia, the winter is characterized as a ________ climate.

A) hot and mainly humid
B) cool and mainly dry
C) hot and mainly dry
D) cool and mainly humid
E) None of these adequately describes winter in South Asia.

Question 21

Kashmir has a predominately ________ population.

A) Muslim
B) Hindu
C) Buddhist
D) Christian
E) none of the above

Question 22

Since independence, all of these countries have had periods of military rule, except:

A) India
B) Pakistan
C) Bangladesh
D) They have all had periods of military rule since independence.
E) None of these have had periods of military rule since independence.

Question 23

In the Caste System those who pursue wealth ________.

A) are highly regarded
B) are less well regarded
C) become a god
D) do not matter
E) None of these adequately describes the conception of wealth in the Caste System.

Question 24

What is a system of kinship groupings that is reinforced by language, region and occupation?

A) Caste
B) Raj
C) Mujahideen
D) Muhajir
E) none of the above

Question 25

Approximately what percentage of sewage receives treatment in South Asia?

A) 10%
B) 50%
C) 75%
D) 90%
E) nearly 100%

Question 26

From 1979 to 1989, what foreign power had troops on the ground in Afghanistan?

A) Soviet Union
B) China
C) United States
D) India
E) Pakistan

Question 27

What region was described as the "breadbasket of India"?

A) Punjab and Haryana
B) Uttar Pradesh
C) Kerala
D) Bengal
E) Karnataka

Question 28

In 2008, which country had the highest total fertility rate?

A) Bangladesh
B) Pakistan
C) Sri Lanka
D) Bhutan
E) Nepal

Question 29

Which Pakistani language is spoken by people who migrated from India at the time of partitioning?

A) Punjabi
B) Sindhi
C) Urdu
D) Baluchi
E) none of the above

Question 30

What is the separatist movement in Sri Lanka named?

A) Mohajir Quami Movement
B) Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eelam
C) Bharatiya Janata Party
D) Congress Party
E) none of the above

Question 31

Buddhism is the main religious practice in ________.

A) India
B) Pakistan
C) Bhutan
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 32

The main opposing force to the Marxist government of Afghanistan was the:

A) Mujahideen
B) Aryans
C) Sikhs
D) Tamil Nadu
E) Muhajirs

Question 33

Most of the speakers of Tibeto-Burmese languages in South Asia live in:

A) the Northern Plains
B) Southern India
C) the Himalayas
D) Sri Lanka
E) none of the above

Question 34

What was the religion of the group who wanted a separate state of Khalistan in the Indian portion of Punjab?

A) Sikh
B) Islam
C) Buddhism
D) Jain
E) none of the above

Question 35

The Muslims who migrated to Pakistan from India after the partition agreement that created the two countries are called:

A) Muhajirs
B) Mujahideen
C) Tamils
D) Assamese
E) none of the above

Question 36

The Mughals originated in what is today:

A) Iran
B) Bangladesh
C) Tibet
D) Mongolia
E) China

Question 37

Which group/program has organized women workers in the informal sector?

A) Self Employed Women's Association
B) Grameen Bank
C) Women's Development Programme
D) Tree Huggers
E) none of the above

Question 38

Emperor Asoka personally supported the idea of "conquest by ________."

A) dharma
B) gupta
C) aryan
D) vedic
E) the sword

Question 39

Sikhs are concentrated in the ________.

A) Ladakh region
B) Punjab region
C) Utter Pradesh region
D) Assam region
E) none of the above

Question 40

The main conflict within Sri Lanka is between the Buddhist majority and the ________ minority.

A) Hindu
B) Sikh
C) Christian
D) Assamese
E) none of the above

Question 41

The mujahideen were the Afghanistan puppet government of the Soviet Union.

Question 42

South Asia is approximately ________ percent rural.

A) 50
B) 30
C) 75
D) 90
E) 45

Question 43

Hindi is the national language of India.

Question 44

The 19th century migration from South Asia to British colonies was encouraged by the need for cheap labor.

Question 45

Dalits of India are also referred to as:

A) Untouchables
B) Hindutva
C) Bumiputra
D) Harmattan
E) Manga

Question 46

The dominant religion of the Maldives is:

A) Hinduism
B) Buddhism
C) Islam
D) Christianity
E) Shintoism

Question 47

The Taj Mahal is the most famous piece of architecture of the Mughals.

Question 48

The Harappan culture flourished between 3000 and 2000 B.C.

Question 49

What is the "security" of a bonded loan in traditional Indian society?

A) the borrower's house
B) marriage with the borrower's child
C) the borrower's labor
D) the soul in the next life
E) none of the above

Question 50

One of the most horrific environmental disasters of all time took place in this city in 1984, when lethal methyl isocyanate leaked from a Union Carbide plant, killing around 4,000 people.

A) New Delhi
B) Calcutta
C) Mumbai
D) Bangalore
E) Bhopal

Question 51

Most people in South Asia speak a language that is either Indo-European or Dravidian in origin.

Question 52

Sri Lanka has the highest rural population in the world.

Question 53

The well water drawn from Indian tube wells was found to have been contaminated with ________.

A) methyl isocyanate
B) arsenic
C) radiation
D) DDT
E) none of the above

Question 54

The growth and wealth after capitalist reforms has been surprisingly evenly distributed throughout India.

Question 55

The partitioning of South Asia by the British continues to cause many problems in today's South Asia.

Question 56

The Thar Desert is located in which country?

A) Pakistan
B) India
C) Sri Lanka
D) Afghanistan
E) Nepal

Question 57

The geology of South Asia yields large quantities of:

A) oil and gas
B) coal and gas
C) tin and iron ore
D) sandstone and marble
E) limestone and shale

Question 58

Most of India's population lives in cities.

Question 59

The population of India is:

A) 2 billion
B) 1.2 billion
C) 325 million
D) 35 million
E) 100 million

Question 60

Tea was first brought to Europe by ________ traders and marketed as a medicine.

A) Portuguese
B) British
C) Spanish
D) Germans
E) French

Question 61

Match each country with its capital.

A) Islamabad
B) Male
C) Kathmandu
D) Thimphu
E) Colombo
F) New Delhi
G) Kabul
Maldives

Question 62

Sundarbans means "beautiful forest."

Question 63

Match each country with its capital.

A) Islamabad
B) Male
C) Kathmandu
D) Thimphu
E) Colombo
F) New Delhi
G) Kabul
Bhutan

Question 64

Match each country with its capital.

A) Islamabad
B) Male
C) Kathmandu
D) Thimphu
E) Colombo
F) New Delhi
G) Kabul
Afghanistan

Question 65

The South Asian country with the highest PPP (2010) is Bhutan.

Question 66

Where is Kashmir? Why is this region a highly contested space? Why is the conflict over Kashmir considered to be one of the most dangerous in the world?

Question 67

The Hindu Kush Mountains are located in Bhutan.

Question 68

What is a monsoon? When does the monsoon season begin and end in South Asia? What challenges face the people of South Asia with regard to the monsoon, and how have they adapted themselves and their landscapes over thousands of years?

Question 69

In the 1990s the most distinctive aspect of the "brain drain" from South Asia was the emigration of computer scientists and software engineers from India to the United States and part of Europe.

Question 70

Match each country with its capital.

A) Islamabad
B) Male
C) Kathmandu
D) Thimphu
E) Colombo
F) New Delhi
G) Kabul
India

Question 71

Match each country with its capital.

A) Islamabad
B) Male
C) Kathmandu
D) Thimphu
E) Colombo
F) New Delhi
G) Kabul
Pakistan

Question 72

Match each country with its capital.

A) Islamabad
B) Male
C) Kathmandu
D) Thimphu
E) Colombo
F) New Delhi
G) Kabul
Sri Lanka

Question 73

Match each city with its former name.

A) Bombay
B) Madras
C) Calcutta
Chennai

Question 74

Match each country with its capital.

A) Islamabad
B) Male
C) Kathmandu
D) Thimphu
E) Colombo
F) New Delhi
G) Kabul
Nepal

Question 75

Match each city with its former name.

A) Bombay
B) Madras
C) Calcutta
Mumbai

Question 76

What is the caste system? What are some of the most common misconceptions associated with caste? What has the government of India done to regulate some aspects of this cultural tradition?

Question 77

Match each city with its former name.

A) Bombay
B) Madras
C) Calcutta
Kolkata

Question 78

How did Britain transform the cultural, economic and political geographies of South Asia?

Question 79

The Mauryan Empire (320-125 B.C.E.) was the first to establish rule across the greater part of South Asia.

Question 80

Discuss the major physiographic provinces of South Asia. Describe at least three characteristics, such as elevations, geology, or types of vegetation, of each region.