Deck 14: The World Beyond the West

Question 1

Today,approximately 85 percent of India's population is

A)Confucian.
B)Buddhist.
C)Hindu.
D)Muslim.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Describe the arts of India as they reflect the basic precepts of Hinduism and the Hindu way of life.

Answer 2

Hinduism teaches that all individual aspects of being belong to the same divine substance:the impersonal,all-pervading Absolute Spirit known as Brahman.Much of the arts of India reflect this pantheistic system,as well as drawing heavily on the mythology and legend of early Hinduism.
In literature,many of the early arts were written in Sanskrit,the language of India's educated classes.Among the most popular forms of Hindu literature are the Puranas,a collection of eighteen religious books that preserve the myths and legends of the Hindu gods.Many of the tales in the Puranas illustrate the special powers of Vishnu and Shiva or their avatars.Much of Indian poetry is devoted to physical pleasure,and Sanskrit lyric poetry is the most erotic of all world literatures.
Hinduism generated some of the finest works of art and architecture in India's long history.Between the sixth and fourteenth centuries,Hindus built thousands of temple-shrines to honor Vishnu and Shiva.A Hindu temple encloses a series of interior spaces leading to a shrine-the dwelling place of the god on earth.Devotees enter the temple by way of an ornate porch or series of porches,each porch having its own roof and spire.Beyond these areas lies a large hall,and,finally,the dim,womblike sanctuary that enshrines the cult image of the god.The sacred space at the center is the primordial Brahman;the surrounding squares correspond to gods,whose roles in this context are as guardians of the Absolute Spirit.The Hindu temple is as a place of private,individual devotion,a place in which the devotee may visit and make offerings to the god.
The music of India is inseparable from religious practice.A single musical tradition-one that goes back some 3,000 years-dominates both secular and religious music.In ancient times,India developed a system of music characterized by specific melodic sequences (ragas)and rhythms (talas).The centuries have produced thousands of ragas,sixty of which remain in standard use;nine are considered primary.As with the Greek modes,each of the basic Indian ragas is associated with a different emotion,mood,or time of day.

Question 3

Discuss the cultural and technological achievements of Tang and Song China.

Answer 3

Under the rule of the Tang and Song emperors,China experienced a flowering of culture and technological innovation that was unmatched anywhere in the world.As the empire became solidified,the Tang emperors initiated a full census of the population that was repeated every three years.Tang bureaucrats,steeped in Confucian traditions and rigorously trained in the literary classics,were members of an intellectual elite that rose to service on the basis of merit.Their examinations for government service required a great degree of memorization and a thorough knowledge of the Chinese literary tradition,but originality was also important:candidates had to prove accomplishment in the writing of prose and poetry,as well as in the analysis of administrative policy.In addition to the highly refined governmental system,religion played a large part in Tang era society.Confucianism remained China's foremost moral philosophy,encouraging social harmony and respect for the ruling monarch,whom the Chinese called the "Son of Heaven." Confucian culture held firmly to a secular ethic that emphasized proper conduct (li)and the sanctity of human life on earth.Buddhism also thrived during the Tang era,with a focus on meditation to achieve self-control and selflessness.
During the Song era,great advancements in both culture and technology occurred as the population grew,agricultural productivity increased,and vigorous commercial trade brought economic wealth.Chinese cities were larger and more populous than those in the West,and city dwellers enjoyed conditions of safety that are enviable even today.Technological advancements included printing,paper money,water mill,wheelbarrow,magnetic compass,gunpowder,iron casting,among others.The Chinese used vaccination to prevent diseases and codified a deep understanding of human anatomy and the flow of the body's qi (life energy),which gave rise to acupuncture.

Question 4

The devotion of the upper-caste Hindu woman to her husband was dramatically expressed in ________,a custom by which the wife threw herself on the funeral pyre of her late husband.

A)raga
B)sangeeta
C)avatar
D)sati

Question 5

Indian poetry makes use of several literary devices,such as the intentional similarity between vowel sounds,known as

A)alliteration.
B)assonance.
C)anagram.
D)antonyms.

Question 6

Which of the following are NOT members of the Hindu "trinity" as described in the text?

A)Brahma
B)Vishnu
C)Shiva
D)Krishna

Question 7

Describe the arts of medieval Japan and their unified themes.

Question 8

Which of the following are the correct events in Indian history that approximate the events of the Western Middle Ages in Europe?

A)the invasion of Rome to the Renaissance
B)the end of the Gupta dynasty to the Mongol invasion of India
C)the Mongol invasion of India to the end of the Gupta dynasty
D)the beginning of the Gupta dynasty to the end of the Gupta dynasty

Question 9

The architectural ideal of the early Buddhist and Hindu temples was to represent which of the following?

A)the River Ganges
B)the sacred mountain
C)the Khyber Pass
D)the Earth

Question 10

Explain the unique features of Chinese poetry,music,and painting.

Question 11

The main route to official status in China throughout its long history has been

A)the imperial examination system.
B)family connections.
C)service in the military.
D)caste.

Question 12

Explain the basic ideas of Hinduism and Confucianism.

Question 13

The word ________ is used to describe music in the Indian language and means both "sound" and "rhythm."

A)raga
B)sangeeta
C)avatar
D)sati

Question 14

The poetic language of ancient India is called

A)linear A.
B)hieroglyphics.
C)cuneiform.
D)sanskrit.

Question 15

A particular melodic sequence in traditional Indian music would be called

A)ragA.
B)sangeeta.
C)avatar.
D)sati.

Question 16

Which of the following correctly describes Hinduism?

A)unique in having no historical founder
B)multiple gods perceived as multiple aspects of the One god
C)has no monolithic authority center or hierarchy
D)All these answers are correct.

Question 17

According to the text,a direct interpersonal contact with the Hindu godhead can be achieved

A)by self-denial acts such as starvation.
B)by chanting loudly.
C)by gazing steadily at a visual representation.
D)by making donations and gestures of giving.

Question 18

The famous Venetian merchant that visited China in the thirteenth century was

A)Christopher Columbus.
B)Marco Polo.
C)Galileo.
D)Casanova.

Question 19

The text compares Chinese poetry to

A)yodeling.
B)rhythmic drumming.
C)vocal musiC.
D)two hands clapping.