Deck 7: Emerging Empires in the East: Urban Life and Imperial Majesty in China and India

Question 1

Han Emperor Wu supported the arts by

A)providing pensions to musicians and poets.
B)setting up a public forum for poetry readings.
C)establishing a large bureau to collect folk songs.
D)building schools for the teaching of music and poetry.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The Qin dynasty embraced legalism,because it

A)advocated state power over the individual.
B)encouraged piety.
C)encouraged compassion among all people.
D)taught individuals respect for nature.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Of the three primary deities of Hinduism,Vishnu is believed to assume human form most often because of his

A)great love for humankind.
B)insatiable lust for women.
C)duty to serve as a warrior.
D)need to help people discover nirvana.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Cai Lun's invention of cellulose-based paper was particularly significant because it

A)eliminated papyrus importation from Egypt.
B)enabled the emperor to distribute his laws.
C)enabled China to develop widespread literacy.
D)allowed traders to record and share their maps.

Question 5

The Aryans were responsible for bringing to India the

A)notion of enlightenment.
B)art of poetry.
C)wheelbarrow.
D)Hindu religion.

Question 6

Qin Shihuangdi ordered the building of the Great Wall of China to

A)free up prisons by giving criminals and disfavored civil servants work.
B)establish tangible evidence of his status as "First Emperor."
C)provide employment for soldiers languishing from lack of action.
D)protect against invasion from nomadic invaders from the north.

Question 7

Oracle bones were used to

A)record business transactions.
B)foretell the future.
C)make contact with ancestors.
D)practice writing.

Question 8

The yin-yang symbolizes the

A)harmonious merging of the Shang and the Zhou dynasties.
B)perpetual interplay and mutual relation among all things.
C)moment of transition that ultimately leads to wisdom.
D)five elements and the five powers of creation.

Question 9

Confucianism became extremely popular among Chinese leaders and the artists they patronized because of its emphasis on

A)state exercise of power and support.
B)the ability to achieve economic success.
C)respect for age,authority,and morality.
D)a class system with rulers at the top.

Question 10

Daoists advocate living in total simplicity to

A)reach nirvana.
B)cleanse the soul.
C)preserve moral order.
D)understand qi.

Question 11

In 261 BC,Ashoka decried violence and turned to Buddhism upon

A)suffering a crushing defeat by the Suleucids in battle.
B)seeing a monk walking among the dead on a battlefield.
C)being offered an opportunity to engage in diplomatic relations with the Greeks.
D)watching his best friend suffer and die on a battlefield.

Question 12

What lies at the core of Confucianism?

A)traditional Chinese values of self-discipline and proper relations among people
B)knowledge and acceptance of one's assigned place in Chinese society
C)absolute obedience to the state so as to curb the individual's evil nature
D)acceptance of a diversity of beliefs,deities,and practices

Question 13

The Yi Jing (Book of Changes)provides a guide to

A)interpreting the workings of the universe.
B)understanding Chinese mythology.
C)translating Chinese writing.
D)explaining traditional rules of behavior.

Question 14

The Zhou government sent officials into the Chinese countryside to collect

A)poetry.
B)bronze castings.
C)scrolls.
D)jade wine vessels.

Question 15

Why is goddess worship fundamental to the Hindu religion?

A)Benevolent goddesses balance Shiva's role as destroyer.
B)Goddesses assist in souls' quest for union with divinity.
C)Villages recognize goddesses as their protectors.
D)Goddesses intermediate between humans and gods.

Question 16

Prince Siddhartha Gautama left the palace to live in the wilderness for six years because he was

A)actively seeking the Four Noble Truths.
B)banished by his father for decrying war.
C)dismayed by the poor state of Indian education.
D)troubled by the suffering of all human beings.

Question 17

What distinctive feature of Han houses became a standard of East Asian construction?

A)columns supporting a floor above
B)broad eaves of the roof
C)interior courtyards
D)uneven multiple levels

Question 18

The greatest artistic achievement of the Shang dynasty is generally considered to be

A)ink painting.
B)bronze casting.
C)tomb mural painting.
D)lyrical poetry.

Question 19

The writing inscribed on ancient oracle bones is easily understood today because

A)Chinese pictograms closely resemble the things they portray.
B)the Shang dynasty Yi Jing (Book of Changes)acts as a cypher.
C)Chinese symbols closely resemble Mesopotamian cuneiform characters.
D)ancient Chinese is closely related to modern Chinese.

Question 20

According to Chinese legend,Fu Xi's invention of a pictographic writing system was inspired by

A)visions that came to him in a dream.
B)random scratches that he noticed on animal bones.
C)constellations and bird and animal footprints.
D)papyruses left behind by seafaring Egyptians.

Question 21

Sensuous form,vibrant color,ornament,and rich texture dominate Indian art to

A)attract the attention of the gods.
B)reflect the qualities of the Indus River.
C)capture the essence of the divine.
D)celebrate the various regions of India.

Question 22

Why was the Silk Road so important in Southeast Asia's development?

A)It spurred the cultural interchange between East and West,India and China.
B)Lined with mulberry trees,it was home to the finest silk moth caterpillars.
C)Sericulture,or silk farming,first developed here in about 2700 BCE.
D)It offered the Chinese a quicker,safer route to India than did the sea.

Question 23

Pilgrims circle the stupa's walkway to

A)gain entrance to the hemispheric dome.
B)purge themselves of worldly sins.
C)see scenes of Buddha's life.
D)symbolically follow Buddha's path.

Question 24

Compare Hinduism's beliefs with Buddhism's.

Question 25

Compare the Chinese concept of balance to the Hindu tripartite of Brahman: Brahma,Vishnu,and Shiva.

Question 26

Compare Buddha's Four Noble Truths with Confucius's teachings.

Question 27

Explore the connections between dynastic change and the major philosophies of ancient China.

Question 28

Discuss the portrait of society that ranking in the Indian caste system provides.

Question 29

Compare the Book of Songs compiled during the Zhou dynasty to the yuefu songs collected by the Han Music Bureau,focusing on source and content.

Question 30

Examine Daoism and Confucianism as reflections of ancient Chinese values.

Question 31

Compare the symbolism of Qin Shihuangdi's burial with that of Buddha's.

Question 32

The stupa's three supporting discs-chatras-represent

A)Buddha's three different identities.
B)Buddhism's three levels of consciousness.
C)Buddhism's three domes of heaven.
D)Buddha's three signs of authority.

Question 33

Around 483 BCE,eight of the earliest stupas were built with the purpose of

A)containing Buddha's remains,which were divided into eight parts.
B)honoring the eight yakshis,the Vedic female spirit figures.
C)serving as tombs for Buddha's eight wives.
D)signifying the eight levels of Buddhist consciousness.