Deck 9: The Expansion of Civilization in South and Southeast Asia

Question 1

Islam was introduced to north-western India by ____ peoples.

A) Indo-European
B) Dravidian
C) Turkic
D) Aryan
E) Sind

Answer 1

Turkic

Question 2

Where was the capital of the Kushan kingdom located?

A) Pataliputra
B) Bactria
C) Kanchipuram
D) Bombay
E) Karakoram

Answer 2

Bactria

Question 3

The transformation of Brahmanism into Hinduism was complete by the end of the

A) 2^nd millennium BCE
B) 1^st millennium BCE
C) 2^nd millennium CE
D) end of the 1^st millennium CE
E) 2^nd millennium CE

Answer 3

end of the 1^st millennium CE

Question 4

It was from the Kushan kingdom that ______ began its long journey across the wastes of Central Asia to China and other societies in eastern Asia.

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

Question 5

Scholars attribute all of these factors to the decline of Buddhism in India EXCEPT

A) Hinduism's increasing appeal.
B) Buddhism's reinforcement of the Indian caste system.
C) Hinduism's increasing religious ardor.
D) Bhakti's growing appeal to the Indian masses.
E) Buddhism's rejection of the caste system.

Question 6

Mahayana Buddhism

A) reinterpreted Buddhism as a religion rather than a philosophy.
B) regarded Buddha as the source of their prosperity.
C) regarded nirvana as heaven state of mind.
D) developed a simple Buddhist cosmology.
E) disavowed those who built temples in honor of spiritual beings.

Question 7

The Buddhists who applied the term "lesser vehicle" to their rivals were eventually known as

A) Mahayana.
B) Hinayana.
C) Theravada.
D) Shi'ites.
E) Sivas.

Question 8

Which statement best describes the Kushan kingdom?

A) It was an important intermediary in the Rome-China trade along the Silk Road.
B) It was a significant force in curtailing the spread of Buddhism.
C) It was primarily dependent on agriculture for its wealth.
D) It was hostile to any cooperation between merchants and Buddhist monasteries.
E) It was a successor state to Mongol rule in India.

Question 9

Nanak

A) was the last Mongol invader to successfully control the entire Indian subcontinent.
B) was the favorite bodhisattva of the Mahayana Buddhists.
C) renounced the Zoroastrian tradition of asceticism.
D) founded a new religious movement known as Sikhism.
E) conquered Delhi.

Question 10

Mahayana Buddhism

A) was less religious and more "philosophical" than Theravada Buddhism.
B) attempted to maximize the number of people who could obtain release from the wheel of life.
C) revered Nanak.
D) began in Persia and spread to India during the time of the Gupta Dynasty.
E) had no impact outside of India.

Question 11

The Kushan monarch Kanishka patronized which religion?

A) Hinduism
B) Sufism
C) Buddhism
D) Jainism
E) Daoism

Question 12

The capital of the Gupta Dynasty under Chandragupta I was at

A) Pataliputra.
B) Bactria.
C) Chang'an.
D) Bombay.
E) Delhi.

Question 13

Muslim rule in India

A) maintained a close alliance with Baghdad.
B) was totally assimilated into Hindu culture.
C) employed many Hindus in powerful positions within the government.
D) reserved most of the high posts in the central government and the provinces for Muslims.
E) never made use of Hindus on any level of government.

Question 14

The military advances of ____ helped spread Islam to other parts of India.

A) the Rajputs
B) Mahmud of Ghazni
C) the Nanaks
D) Samudragupta
E) Asoka

Question 15

The Mongol khan from Samarkand who attacked the Islamic state of the Tughluq Dynasty was

A) Tamerlane.
B) Genghis Khan.
C) Chalukya.
D) Malmug Khan.
E) Chandragupta XIV.

Question 16

India's "golden age" is traditionally associated with the

A) Maurya dynasty.
B) Gupta dynasty.
C) Tughluq dynasty.
D) Angkor dynasty.
E) Mughal dynasty.

Question 17

The Kushan kingdom

A) was an important conduit for Buddhism from India to China.
B) was inhabited by Mesopotamian peoples.
C) defeated the Aryan invaders of India.
D) was installed by the Mongols.
E) rose to great heights during the third century C.E.

Question 18

Which statement about the Kushan kingdom is FALSE?

A) It benefitted from its intermediary role in trade between China and Rome.
B) Its growth was aided by the increasing appeal of Buddhism.
C) It met a dubious end in the third century.
D) It outlawed Buddhism during King Kanishka's reign.
E) Its ruler, King Kanishka, was an ardent Buddhist.

Question 19

Who was the greatest of the Kushan rulers?

A) Rurika
B) Tiberius
C) Chandragupta
D) Kanishka
E) Fa Xian

Question 20

The Kushan peoples

A) were, originally, inhabitants of Mesopotamia.
B) had been herder-nomads until they moved into the Irrawaddy Valley.
C) were of Indo-European background, driven out of Central Asia by the Xiongnu.
D) settled in Sri Lanka.
E) defeated the Aryan invaders of India.

Question 21

Kalidasa

A) was both a great military ruler.
B) wrote Ramayana.
C) combined poetry and prose as well as several languages in his plays.
D) ended his life as a Sufi mystic.
E) advised Asoka in the construction of the latter's pillars.

Question 22

What may have contributed to the decline in medieval Indian manufacturing and commercial activity within India?

A) The establishment of highly centralized ruling federations
B) The impact of the caste system, which restricted economic opportunities
C) Decreased tariffs between local jurisdictions
D) A decline in foreign trade with Japan
E) An exclusive preoccupation with religion and spiritual matters

Question 23

In rural India,

A) most peasants worked large farms to which they held legal title.
B) northern farmers in northern India usually grew corn and yams.
C) southern farmers grew oats, barley and maize by the eighth century.
D) a great deal of cotton was grown; more, indeed than most anywhere else.
E) slaves performed most of the manual labor.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is not true about ancient Indian music?

A) It was derived from Vedic chants.
B) It had no spiritual connection at all.
C) It emphasized the performer's creativity.
D) Classical Indian music is based on a scale called a raga.
E) Music played a major role in religious observances.

Question 25

The first major state in Southeast Asia was ____, with its access to copper, tin, and iron.

A) Funan
B) Vietnam
C) Angkor
D) Malay
E) Champa

Question 26

The peoples recognized as being among the first migrants into Southeast Asia during the first millennium C.E. were the

A) Vietnamese and Luo.
B) Mon-Khmer and Javanese.
C) Burmese and Thai.
D) Thai and Munda.
E) Desai and Inuit.

Question 27

The stringed instrument used in Indian music is called the

A) nada.
B) raga.
C) sati.
D) sitar.
E) mandolin.

Question 28

The most powerful state to emerge in mainland Southeast Asia before the sixteenth century was

A) Nubia.
B) Angkor.
C) Champa.
D) Malaya.
E) Sukhothai.

Question 29

Sikhism

A) tried to blend Islam and Hinduism.
B) practiced pacifism spite of attacks from Hindus and Muslims.
C) ultimately provided a third religious alternative in Persian Afghanistan.
D) was founded by Nanak, a guru in Tamiland, in the early 500s.
E) followed the Five Pillars of Asoka.

Question 30

It can be said of medieval Indian culture that

A) the south lacked any temple architecture.
B) the temples of India are among that civilization's most important artistic contributions.
C) India produced no literature of note.
D) written literature only came with the arrival of Islam.
E) there was never any religious influences in either its art or literature.

Question 31

Which of the following is not true about the caves of Ajanta?

A) They served only as shrines that were nothing more than holes in the cliffs.
B) They contain elaborate wall paintings relating to Buddha and his incarnations.
C) They are great sources of historical knowledge of fifth-century India.
D) They are examples of some of India's greatest artistic achievements.
E) Most of them were carved in an eighteen-year period.

Question 32

One of the earliest freestanding structures on the Indian subcontinent is the eighth-century shore temple at

A) Mamallapuram.
B) Elephanta.
C) Ellora.
D) Bhubaneswar.
E) Paliputra.

Question 33

The ____ dominated the banking and the textile industry in India, while the ____ dominated trade and manufacturing.

A) Parsis; Jains
B) Jains; Sikhs
C) Muslims; Christians
D) Kutch; Mahayana Buddhists
E) Rajputs; Sunnites

Question 34

In medieval India

A) trade was so small in scale that cities shrank and overall wealth declined.
B) the Parsis dominated the Hindu priestly caste by the eighth century C.E..
C) merchants were universally poor, a reflection of the areas hostility to merchants.
D) cotton goods, spices and sandalwood were major exports.
E) warfare disappeared.

Question 35

Indian Hindus

A) adopted the Muslim custom of purdah.
B) had largely converted to Islam by 500 C.E.
C) ultimately accepted the Muslim tradition of having no castes.
D) never adopted any non-Indian cultural practices.
E) remained aloof from all Muslims.

Question 36

Indian religious groups

A) were, aside from differences over one or two points, surprisingly alike.
B) were strikingly different.
C) were united in their support of a hierarchical social and religious structure.
D) all possessed strong priestly groups.
E) disagreed about the tradition of sati, which Hindus opposed and Muslims supported.

Question 37

Which region served as a land bridge for migrating peoples who ultimately traveled to Australia?

A) The Malay Peninsula
B) The Khyber Pass
C) The Gobi Desert
D) The Islands of Japan
E) The Deccan Plateau

Question 38

Muslim women had more ____ than Hindu women and were legally permitted to ____.

A) rights; divorce
B) children; refuse sati
C) family responsibilities; refuse a dowry
D) religious freedom; remarry
E) dowry; keep their wages

Question 39

Under the Indian land-use system

A) most farmers gave their landlord their entire annual harvest.
B) the landlord paid taxes to the local king in the form of manufactured goods.
C) actual title to the farmland in the realm belonged to the king.
D) most farmers owned about 35 acres per family.
E) rajas worked the land themselves.

Question 40

The two major geographic components of Southeast Asia are

A) the Rann of Kutch and the Irian tidal zone.
B) a mainland region from China to the Malay Peninsula and an archipelago that is part of present-day Indonesia and the Philippines.
C) the Mekong Delta and the Cao Highlands.
D) the Sargasso Hills and the Red River plain.
E) the Tienenman Valley and the Angkor Strait communities.

Question 41

Why did Theravada Buddhism have such a strong appeal for the Burmese and others in the northern part of Southeast Asia?

A) It did not need a priest or ruler go-between to permit the believer to achieve Nirvana.
B) It rejected the unnecessary retention of native beliefs.
C) It posed no threat to the official religions of the state, as Buddhists also strongly supported the state cults.
D) It closely resembled Islam in belief and practices.
E) It was required by the Brahman priests.

Question 42

Which statement about the religious underpinnings of the Indianized Southeast Asian states is TRUE?

A) They had become mainly Daoist by 1000 C.E.
B) They all exclusively adhered to Hindu values.
C) Buddhism determined the path they followed.
D) Although based on Hindu political thought, they afforded great privilege to Buddhists, who won over the masses.
E) Their religious orientations were entirely free of any external influences.

Question 43

Where is the pyramid temple at Borobudur located?

A) Northern India
B) The island of Java
C) The Malay Peninsula
D) Modern-day Vietnam
E) Modern-day Korea

Question 44

Historians of India have viewed the Gupta era as a time of thriving commerce with all of the following but

A) China.
B) Southeast Asia.
C) The Mediterranean.
D) Spain.
E) None of the above

Question 45

Which Hindu would be least likely to convert to Islam?

A) groups in the employ of the Muslim ruling class
B) artisans
C) sudra peasants
D) government officials
E) ostracized Jainists

Question 46

What prevented the Delhi sultanate from attempting to extend the reach of its power?

A) Its army was smaller and weaker than needed for a major expansion
B) It faced ongoing threats from Mongol armies on the northwestern frontier.
C) It was a self-contained unit, not interested in expansion.
D) It was focused on the problems created by a major drought.
E) Its religious beliefs forbid such actions.

Question 47

The Buddhist monasteries of the Kushan kingdom distinguished themselves by their commitment to asceticism and by providing monks with a refuge from the material cares of the world.

Question 48

Women in Southeast Asia

A) dominated life in almost all villages.
B) had greater literacy rates and more financial independence than Indian and Chinese women.
C) were seen as important only for their ability to bear daughters.
D) were prized for their virginity in marriage.
E) had fewer rights than the women of India and China.

Question 49

The kingdom of ______ arose in the fertile valley of the lower Mekong River.

A) Kushan
B) Mathura
C) Gupta
D) Funan
E) Pallavan

Question 50

Which of the following was a factor that contributed to a significant transformation of Buddhism in India?

A) the fast-paced transcribing written sources.
B) simpler concepts of heaven were replaced by abstract concepts of Nirvana .
C) Siddhartha became a figure of divinity.
D) a synthetic fusion with Jainism created its own cult.
E) fading of the Christianity idea of all four classes were equal.

Question 51

Southeast Asian agriculture

A) was highly unproductive, in large part to an absence of rich soil and high population density.
B) saw peasants pay heavy rents or taxes to landlords and local rulers.
C) contained no areas in which farmers controlled their land directly.
D) was highly inefficient, as peasants preferred to reduce taxes by lowering their incomes.
E) was exclusively based upon local self-sufficiency.

Question 52

The Gupta dynasty took place between 320-_____.

A) 360
B) 420
C) 550
D) 600
E) 700

Question 53

In their political institutions, the new states of Southeast Asia

A) were predominantly replicas of the Chinese system.
B) assimilated Chinese and/or Indian practices into their own ways of doing things.
C) were totally original in the development of their governments.
D) lacked any semblance of formal government.
E) ultimately created an integrated and peaceful confederacy.

Question 54

The Burmese originally came from ____, and the Thai came from ____.

A) Manchuria; Taiwan
B) Tibetan highlands; southwestern China
C) Sinkiang; Nepal
D) South India; Honshu
E) Sakhalin; Kwantung

Question 55

The most famous example of the Buddhist architecture that employed a massive empty stupa with sculpted terraces is the temple on Java at

A) Kuala Lumpur.
B) Borobudur.
C) Mount Meru.
D) Rangoon.
E) Jakarta.

Question 56

Overall, the Roman Empire exported to the Far East much more than it imported.

Question 57

Which statement about the Polynesian peoples is FALSE?

A) They originated on the island of Taiwan and on the southeastern coast of China.
B) They colonized the islands of Tahiti, Hawaii, and Eastern Island.
C) They were seafarers.
D) They did not include the Maoris of New Zealand.
E) They had sailing canoes up to 100 feet long.

Question 58

The Gupta dynasty included each of the following except

A) Chandragutpa I.
B) Samudragupta.
C) Chandragupta II.
D) Kushan.
E) None of the above

Question 59

Which statement about religious practice in Southeast Asia is FALSE?

A) Buddhism and Hinduism were never in competition in the region.
B) Rulers used either Hinduism or Buddhism to gain a political advantage.
C) Hinduism served to fortify the positions of the upper class.
D) Theravada Buddhism became a dominant religious force in much of the region.
E) Daoism did not become a major movement in Java or Sumatra.

Question 60

Which of the following is not a reason for the relatively enhanced status of women in Southeast Asia?

A) Emphasis on the joint family.
B) Wealth in marriage passed from female to female line.
C) Women could participate in local political concerns.
D) Divorce could be initiated by either party.
E) Virginity was a required attribute for women prior to marriage.

Question 61

Bodhisattvas were those individuals who failed to reach enlightenment and thus nirvana, and once again had to return to the cycle of reincarnation.

Question 62

Because of impenetrable jungles and dangerous seas and oceans, travel between the islands and regions of Southeast Asia was extremely difficult.

Question 63

The colossal pyramid temple at Borobudur is situated in the jungles of modern Cambodia.

Question 64

Hinduism preceded the establishment of Brahmanism in India.

Question 65

The Delhi Sultanate was a Hindu state that came into existence by 1200 and ruled over northern India.

Question 66

One Muslim tradition adopted by upper-class Hindus was purdah, which requires that women are kept in seclusion from everyday society.

Question 67

Some Hindus probably converted to Islam to avoid paying extra taxes.

Question 68

Muslim rule probably did not have a significant impact on the lives of most Indian women.

Question 69

Traditional religious beliefs in Southeast Asia emphasized that spirits lived in the mountains, rivers, and streams.

Question 70

According to a visiting Chinese Buddhist monk, in India as late as the fifth century CE, most commercial transactions were conducted by barter rather than coins or currency.

Question 71

Aristocratic Hindu clans, known as Rajputs, led the resistance to the advances of Islam into India by Mahmud of Ghazni and other Muslims.

Question 72

The Indonesian islands became important in the spice trade.

Question 73

Much of what is known about China in the first half of the first millennium CE comes from Indian Hindu monks.

Question 74

Mongol armies occupied Baghdad and destroyed the Abbasid caliphate in the 1300s.

Question 75

Rice became the staple crop of Southeast Asian cultures because of its drought-resistant qualities.

Question 76

The exchange of technology and information between China and India was facilitated by Buddhist monks

Question 77

The rock temple at Ellora in central India is comparable to the Christian churches carved out of solid rock in Ethiopia.