Deck 4: Central Asia and Indias Beginnings

Question 1

What is the most significant limitation on expanding our knowledge of the Dravidian civilization?

A)Its written language is still not deciphered.
B)The effects of landslides and flooding.
C)Destruction caused by the Aryan invasions.
D)The effects of the invasions by Alexander the Great.
E)There was no writing system, only verbal language.

Answer 1

Its written language is still not deciphered.

Question 2

In Hinduism, when a person has lived a life in perfect accord with their caste's code of morals, death will lead to final release from reincarnation. This is known as which of the following?

A)samsara
B)moksha
C)sharma
D)karma
E)jati

Answer 2

moksha

Question 3

What is the subject of the Rigveda?

A)a backward, agricultural people
B)a trading society
C)a fanatically religious community
D)a people led by a chieftain and magic-working priests
E)a superior group of invaders

Answer 3

a people led by a chieftain and magic-working priests

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a notable aspect of the ancient cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa?

A)They had a population of up to 100,000 people by some estimates.
B)They used fired bricks in some of their construction.
C)They probably had a theocracy as their government.
D)They were built in a very similar style, indicating the cities were part of the same Indus River Valley civilization.
E)They depended on the fish in nearby rivers for food.

Question 5

Which of the following cities played a significant role in the wealth of Bactria?

A)Taxila, Balkh, and Peshawar
B)Damascus and Jerusalem
C)Mecca and Medina
D)Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa
E)Kalinga, Tamluk, and Alexandria

Question 6

The goal of following the Eightfold Path is to reach what level?

A)reincarnation
B)dharma
C)moksha
D)nirvana
E)karma

Question 7

Which of the following describes Theravada Buddhism?

A)belief in many ways to salvation
B)emphasis on monastic life for both women and men
C)belief in many Buddhas
D)found in Vietnam, China, Japan, and Korea
E)belief in the universe working as a Great Wheel

Question 8

In Hinduism, which of the following deities was the preserver?

A)Brahman
B)Shiva
C)Maat
D)Vishnu
E)Buddha

Question 9

Which words best describe the Indian caste system?

A)flexibility and progressiveness
B)creativity and innovation
C)socially immobile and highly stratified
D)usually violent and lawless
E)changeable and adaptable

Question 10

Which of the following was true of Buddhism?

A)It rejected the idea of suffering.
B)It built upon Vedic Hinduism.
C)It was restricted to the upper class.
D)It began as a revolt against the emptiness of Vedic ritualism.
E)It was a way for the upper class to control the lower classes.

Question 11

What is one of the main characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism?

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

Question 12

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

A)It was fluid.
B)It did not allow social mobility.
C)It was completely separate from any religion.
D)It lasted only a brief time.
E)It allowed pariahs to interact with other classes.

Question 13

Where is Buddhism ranked in the numerical ranking of the world's major religions?

A)first
B)second
C)third
D)fourth
E)fifth

Question 14

Which of the following enabled 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 15

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.

Question 16

Which modern-day country is the location of the Indus River Valley settlements?

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

Question 17

Central Asia is the location of some significant advances in human history, including all of the following EXCEPT

A)the invention of horses' bridles and bits.
B)the invention of the horse-drawn chariot.
C)the domestication of horses and the Bactrian camel.
D)training warriors to shoot bows and arrows from horseback.
E)the pastoralists established long-term settlements.

Question 18

What was the ancient Indo-European language that developed in India called?

A)cuneiform
B)hieroglyphics
C)Sanskrit
D)logographs
E)phonetics

Question 19

Which of the following was NOT a class in the caste system?

A)Brahmins
B)Kshatrija
C)Vishnu
D)Vaishya
E)Pariahs

Question 20

All of the following were factors that could have contributed to the decline of the Dravidian civilization EXCEPT

A)a malaria outbreak
B)a buildup of alkalinity in irrigated farmland
C)invasion by the Aryans
D)changes in the course of the Indus River
E)warmer and wetter conditions rotted the food source

Question 21

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 are more liberal in their beliefs.
E)Theravada Buddhism is the more literal of the two groups.

Question 22

____________________ was a Central Asian commercial center that became a trading hub for caravan routes from India, Iran, and China.

Question 23

Which of the following were discoveries made by archaeologists at the ancient Indus Valley farming sites?

A)grid-like streets and sewage systems
B)rigid social structure
C)a monotheistic society
D)an easily decipherable writing system
E)a supernatural polytheistic belief system

Question 24

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 25

What is the meaning of karma?

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

Question 26

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

Question 27

What is the meaning of purdah ?

A)a woman's isolation from non-family males
B)a widow's ritual suicide
C)a woman's subservient role
D)female involvement in marital sexual relations
E)a woman's high status within her family

Question 28

Which of the following characteristics is associated with the rule of Ashoka?

A)He discouraged the spread of Buddhism.
B)He is known for being bloodthirsty.
C)He had successors stronger than himself.
D)He was a great supporter of trade with neighbors.
E)He left behind no real writing.

Question 29

According to the Buddha, what causes all suffering?

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

Question 30

In Buddhism, a person who is on the path to become an enlightened one is called a ____________________.

Question 31

What was the most significant export from India to Central and East Asia in ancient times?

A)salt
B)the Buddhist faith
C)slaves and warriors
D)silk
E)language and writing systems

Question 32

One of the emperors Ashoka's contributions to the Mauryan Dynasty was which of the following?

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

Question 33

The ____________________ was a complex, immobile, and highly stratified social system introduced to India by the Aryan invaders.

Question 34

____________________ is the code of morals prescribed to an individual caste group.

Question 35

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

Question 36

The founder of Buddhism was named ____________________.  He was born an Indian aristocrat and later became known as the Buddha, or the Enlightened One.

Question 37

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

Question 38

There were ____________________ major groups within the Indian caste system.

Question 39

What was Siddhartha Gautama's caste before he became the Buddha?

A)priests
B)warrior-governors
C)freemen
D)peasant farmers
E)outcast

Question 40

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

Question 41

Term for identification: Bactria

Question 42

Term for identification: Vedas

Question 43

Compare and contrast the development, theology, and spread of Hinduism and Buddhism.

Question 44

Term for identification: Shiva

Question 45

Term for identification: Moksha

Question 46

Trace the development of trade in the Indus Valley from the Dravidians to the Mauryan Dynasty.

Question 47

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

Question 48

Term for identification: Sangha

Question 49

Explain the similarities and differences in Dravidian society before and after the Aryan invasions and the development of the caste system.

Question 50

Term for identification: Aryans

Question 51

Term for identification: Sati

Question 52

Term for identification: Brahmins

Question 53

What are some of the unique aspects of the Central Asian societies, and why was nomadism preferred over a more sedentary lifestyle and society?

Question 54

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

Question 55

Term for identification: Silk Road

Question 56

Term for identification: Laws of Manu