Deck 4: India's Beginnings

Question 1

Which of the following is not a facet of Hinduism?

A) It contains many local variations in both style and action of worship.
B) It is a philosophical system.
C) It has been the foundation of all of India's former political systems.
D) It contains a set of doctrines to follow, to achieve eternal life.
E) It is a reflection of the Aryans' patriarchal society.

Answer 1

It contains a set of doctrines to follow, to achieve eternal life.

Question 2

The Indus River Valley settlements are in present day

A) Southern India
B) Pakistan
C) Burma
D) Tibet
E) Thailand

Answer 2

Pakistan

Question 3

Which of the following is true regarding the social stratification in India begun by the Aryans?

A) It was fluid.
B) It persists to the present day.
C) It was completely separate from any religion.
D) It lasted only a brief time.
E) None of the options are correct.

Answer 3

It persists to the present day.

Question 4

Mahayana Buddhism

A) is a very strict form of Buddhism.
B) has stayed within India and not spread to other nations.
C) preaches that Siddhartha Guatama is the only Buddha.
D) requires that all followers join a monastery.
E) teaches that there are many ways to salvation.

Question 5

The Rig-Veda depicts

A) a backward, agricultural people.
B) a trading society.
C) a fanatically religious community.
D) a people who thrived on warfare.
E) a superior group of invaders.

Question 6

Describe and explain the major by-products of Indian-Chinese contacts.

Question 7

What information have we been able to glean from the excavations of the Indus Valley cities?

Question 8

The ancient cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa

A) contained more than 250,000 people.
B) were built entirely of local stone.
C) were not very impressive or long-lived.
D) were built on the banks of the Indus River.
E) were built in the same style, suggesting that they were part of the same civilization.

Question 9

Initially Buddhism

A) rejected the idea of suffering.
B) built upon Vedic Hinduism.
C) was restricted to the upper class.
D) began as a revolt against the emptiness of Vedic ritualism.
E) None of the options are correct.

Question 10

Elaborate on the role of the environment and geography in Indian history.

Question 11

We know so little at present about the Indus civilization in part because

A) its language is still un-deciphered.
B) of landslides and flooding.
C) of the Aryan invasions.
D) of widespread vandalism in the ruins.
E) its traditions were all oral.

Question 12

Examine the impact of the Aryan invasions upon Indian culture and history,discussing specifically the Vedas and the caste system.

Question 13

Trace the development of Hinduism in India elaborating on its concepts,application and global significance.

Question 14

The only clearly defined cause for the abandonment of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro,so far,is

A) a malaria outbreak.
B) a buildup of alkalinity in irrigated farmland.
C) overpopulation.
D) changes in the course of the Indus River.
E) invasions by the Aryans.

Question 15

Vedic Hinduism

A) lacks a priestly class.
B) allows society to be economically mobile.
C) originated in the Harappan culture.
D) is accepting of all who believe.
E) is ritualistic and highly exclusive.

Question 16

Some experts believe that the government of the Indus Valley cities was

A) republican.
B) monarchical.
C) theocratic.
D) corrupt.
E) ineffective.

Question 17

The standard of living in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa appears to have been

A) low.
B) high.
C) fair.
D) miserable.
E) unusually and extremely varied across the social classes.

Question 18

Indian society under the caste system might be described as

A) flexible and progressive.
B) creative and innovative.
C) changeable and inconsistent.
D) violent and lawless.
E) fixed and rigidly hierarchical.

Question 19

Describe the background,basic tenets and development of early Buddhism highlighting its significance.

Question 20

The Aryans receive credit for introducing metal into India,after which they

A) produced more powerful weapons that defeated their adversaries.
B) conquered the southern half of India, as well as the northern part.
C) were able to cultivate new and better crops.
D) returned to their former nomadic lifestyles.
E) tied the use of the horse and the plow to cultivation.

Question 21

King Ashoka's single contribution was the introduction into public and private life of

A) organized religion.
B) social equality.
C) religious toleration.
D) codified laws.
E) caste divisions.

Question 22

____________________,an Indian aristocrat,later became known as the Buddha.

Question 23

The earliest archaeological excavations in Indus Valley farming sites found evidence of

A) a supernatural polytheism.
B) a rigid social structure.
C) monotheism.
D) writing.
E) grid-like streets and flood control systems.

Question 24

In India,"purdah" refers to

A) a woman's isolation from nonfamily males.
B) a widow's ritual suicide.
C) woman's subservient role.
D) marital sexual relations.
E) women's high status within their families.

Question 25

In Hinduism,the individual is finally incorporated into a world-soul by achieving a release known as

A) Samsara.
B) Moksha.
C) Dharma.
D) Karma.
E) Jati.

Question 26

The decline of the Indus Valley civilization was sped up by an invasion of nomads called ____________________.

Question 27

Which of the following religions of India emphasizes above all the sacred nature of all life?

A) Jainism
B) Buddhism
C) Hinduism
D) Mithraism
E) Zoroastrianism

Question 28

Ashoka

A) discouraged the spread of Buddhism.
B) is known for being bloodthirsty.
C) had successors stronger than himself.
D) was the greatest of the Mauryan rulers.
E) left behind no real writing.

Question 29

Many Indians became alienated from the early Hindu faith because of its excessive

A) violent ways.
B) empty rituals.
C) exclusive nature.
D) Both A and B
E) Both B and C

Question 30

The Buddhist equivalent of moksha is ____________________.

Question 31

In Buddhism,nirvana,or the release from suffering,is achieved through

A) obeying the will of the gods.
B) experiencing multiple reincarnations.
C) striving for better karma.
D) self-taught mastery of one's self and soul.
E) death and resurrection.

Question 32

The divine mortals known as bodhisattvas

A) are direct descendants of the Buddha.
B) are denied existence in Theravada Buddhism.
C) make no claim to be willing to help humans here on earth.
D) deny the existence of supernatural beings.
E) were selected by the Buddha before his death.

Question 33

According to the Buddha,all suffering is caused by

A) sin.
B) desires for power and happiness.
C) covetousness of his neighbor's goods.
D) disobedience to Buddha's teachings.
E) unconcern for others.

Question 34

The Laws of Manu show a society in which

A) there were no essential differences between male and female.
B) there was a strong sense of social justice.
C) children were not valued.
D) women were considered a source of temptation.
E) slaves were afforded some measure of protection.

Question 35

The ancient epics of the Aryans were the ____________________.

Question 36

The Eight Fold Path

A) demands righteousness.
B) is one of the basic elements of Buddhism.
C) was open to all regardless of gender or caste.
D) All of the options are correct.
E) None of the options are correct.

Question 37

What is the main difference between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism?

A) Mahayana Buddhists reject the belief that there are many acceptable paths to salvation.
B) The world contains more Theravada than Mahayana adherents.
C) Theravada Buddhism is stronger in Vietnam, China, Japan, and Korea.
D) Mahayana Buddhists believe that many other Buddhas will appear in time.
E) Theravada Buddhism is the more literal of the two groups.

Question 38

Karma is a word meaning

A) the soul.
B) release from earthly cycles.
C) the uppermost caste in Hindu society.
D) the tally of good and bad acts in a person's life.
E) the code of morals for one's caste.

Question 39

Before Buddha became the teacher who gave the world Buddhism,Siddhartha Guatama was

A) a teacher.
B) wealthy.
C) poor.
D) a solver of problems.
E) a merchant-seaman.

Question 40

Which of the following BEST aided India's international trade?

A) The discovery of monsoonal wind patterns.
B) The location of the Indus River.
C) The role of Hinduism in Indian society.
D) The teachings of the Vedas.
E) The immense farming villages in the north.

Question 41

The major cities of the Indus Valley culture were ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 42

The oldest and most important of the Vedas is the ____________________.

Question 43

The two major branches of Buddhism are ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 44

Good karma,it was believed,resulted in birth into a(n)____________________ class.

Question 45

____________________,a small religion/philosophy among high-caste Indians,emphasizes the sacredness of all life.

Question 46

The great dynasty of early India is the ____________________,whose greatest emperor was ____________________.