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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did Confucius stress about the elderly?

2. What form of Buddhism flourishes in Japan?

3. What is the real idea behind the three Taoist senses?

4. What appears to be a contradiction in Taoist thought?

5. What is the irony of assigning god-like attributes to the Buddha?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Religious Taoism and how it accommodated the esoteric.

2. Tell how one word came to epitomize Buddhism.

3. Describe in one sentence the basic tenet of Hinduism.

4. When did Confucius begin his mission of teaching the people?

5. Simply stated, how do the three approaches to Taoism come together?

6. Explain how Huston Smith made his arbitrary decisions about what to include in his book.

7. What was the political condition in China as Confucius began his teaching?

8. Explain dharma and sangha and their relationship to Buddhist monks.

9. What is the purpose of Jnana yoga in Hinduism?

10. How did Siddhartha react to any effort to elevate him to god stature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the religion you found most fascinating during the study of The World's Religions. Include whether the study changed some misconceptions about the religion you might have held previously.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about what you got out of studying Huston Smith's book. Has it changed your mindset on different religions? Do you agree with Smith that there is little point in trying to compare religions to see which one is best?

Essay Topic 3

Write a critique of Huston Smith's book, The World's Religions. In your critique discuss such things as how well the topics were covered, how easy or difficult the points were to understand, and whether you would recommend the book for others to read.

(see the answer keys)

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