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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do (1) the brahmin, or seer; (2) the kshatriya, or administrator; (3) the vaishya, or producer; and (4) the shudra, or servant represent?
(a) The stations of life
(b) The levels of education
(c) The divisions of monks
(d) The highest forms of yoga

2. What was Confucius' idea about art?
(a) He believed that poetry stimulated the mind and music aroused the spirit.
(b) He believed that art put false illusions in people's minds.
(c) He thought that art was a complete waste of time and effort.
(d) He taught that philosophy was superior to art.

3. Where was Siddhartha sitting as he gained enlightenment?
(a) On the banks of the Ganges.
(b) Under the bo tree.
(c) On a royal throne.
(d) In a Hindu temple.

4. How does the development of Buddhism parallel that of all major world religions?
(a) It saw no period of hierarchical struggle.
(b) It began to wage war with non-believers.
(c) It went into immediate decline after the death of the Buddha.
(d) Hardly a century after the death of the Buddha it began to show signs of schism.

5. In the caste system, who receives the greatest punishment for wrong doing?
(a) The lower the caste, the greater the punishment for a sin or crime.
(b) The higher the caste, the greater the punishment for a sin or crime.
(c) The sin of monks, the greater the punishment for a sin or crime.
(d) Among the working class, the greater the punishment for a sin or crime.

6. What is the ultimate reality of Taoism?
(a) That everything is nothing
(b) That which is above all, behind all, and beneath all
(c) That motherhood is the essence of life
(d) That which flows is permanent

7. Who is Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakya?
(a) The author of the Hindu Vidas.
(b) The founder of Sikhism.
(c) The first Hindu.
(d) The awakened one, the Buddha.

8. Under what condition does Hinduism allow for self-gratification of the senses?
(a) So long as it does not harm others
(b) So long as it benefits society
(c) So long as it does not last long
(d) So long as it is only for spiritual growth

9. What happened to Confucius texts?
(a) They were kept secret for 1,000 years.
(b) They became mandatory disciplines for Chinese government officials.
(c) They were destroyed by Kublai Khan.
(d) They were lost and handed down only verbally.

10. How is Western thought different from Hinduism in the matter of imperfection?
(a) Western thought says there are no imperfections.
(b) Western thought suggests getting as far away from imperfection as possible; whereas, Hinduism avows a purpose of by-passing imperfection altogether.
(c) Hinduism says there are no imperfections.
(d) Western thought says that imperfection is an illusion; whereas, Hinduism accepts it as reality.

11. What is the Hindu concept of galaxies of finer or courser natures?
(a) These are illusions with which man must deal.
(b) These are other life forms in the universe.
(c) These are obstacles to be reasoned out.
(d) These are paths the spirit travels in quest of God.

12. What is more or less the same in all forms of Buddhism?
(a) The idea that enlightenment is impossible to attain.
(b) The theme of a crossing from the sufferings of life to the wisdom of enlightenment.
(c) The use of elaborate hand gestures to concentrate on prayers.
(d) The rejection of any kind of musical instrument.

13. Who is credited as the originator of Taoism?
(a) Lao Tzu
(b) Confucius
(c) Mao Tse-tung
(d) Kublai Khan

14. What was transformed into the diamond scepter of Buddhism?
(a) The temporal and spiritual authority of the Dalai Lama
(b) Converting sounds into holy formulas
(c) Mandalas which offer visual icons
(d) The thunderbolt of Indra

15. What was the subject matter of the Buddha's first sermon?
(a) The Four Nobel Truths
(b) The Wheel of Fortune
(c) The Eight-fold Path
(d) The Way to Enlightenment

Short Answer Questions

1. Eventually, how do Hindu minds conceive of God?

2. What is dharma?

3. What is the sangha?

4. What physical exercise was developed by Taoists?

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

(see the answer keys)

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