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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did Confucius earn the title of First Teacher?
(a) Because of his prominence in China as a teacher
(b) Because he was first a teacher and then a politician
(c) Because no one had ever been a teacher before
(d) Because he taught the Emperor

2. What did the Buddha write during his lifetime?
(a) Nothing
(b) The Buddhist Bible
(c) The Vidas
(d) The Sangha

3. What kind of people are suited to practice Jnana yoga ?
(a) Those who already know everything there is to know.
(b) Those who want to increase their circulation.
(c) Those who have a spiritual bent and are highly reflective in their thought.
(d) Those who are too weak to do heavy exercise.

4. What appears to be a contradiction in Taoist thought?
(a) The ideas of reality and the supernatural
(b) The idea of teaching the unteachable
(c) The three different senses
(d) The earthly versus the esoteric

5. How does Hinduism see life?
(a) As something to be ignored
(b) On a continuum that moves naturally through all the stages
(c) As a way to stay young
(d) As the main source of suffering

6. What historical event occurred just as Confucius began teaching?
(a) The Peloponnesian War
(b) The collapse of the Chou Dynasty
(c) The arrival of Marco Polo
(d) The birth of Mohammed

7. 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 is only for spiritual growth
(d) So long as it does not last long

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

9. What is the tanha?
(a) Loosely translated, it is suffering.
(b) Loosely translated, it is the fear of death.
(c) Loosely translated, it is religious education.
(d) Loosely translated, it is human desire.

10. What is the objective of philosophical Taoism?
(a) Figuring out the complexities of living
(b) Making something useful for all humanity
(c) Quietude that is expressed as pure effectiveness in simplicity
(d) Reasoning things out by questions and answers

11. What is the irony of Buddhism and India?
(a) Buddhism replaced the centuries old practice of Hinduism in India.
(b) Buddhism was never understood in India.
(c) Buddhism never flourished in India.
(d) Buddhism flourishes all over Asia except in India where Buddhism was born.

12. What is the Taoist outlook on good and evil?
(a) They are one and the same thing.
(b) They are representations of heaven and earth.
(c) They have nothing to do with yin/yang.
(d) They are not opposites but revolve around each other.

13. What Huston Smith says the book is not.
(a) A balanced account of the subjects of the book
(b) A guide to base values of significant religions
(c) A book on comparative religions
(d) A book to give a specific descriptions of world religions

14. What physical exercise was developed by Taoists?
(a) The kung-fu
(b) The chin-up
(c) The raja yoga
(d) The t'ai ch'i chuan

15. 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 highest forms of yoga
(b) The divisions of monks
(c) The levels of education
(d) The stations of life

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the purpose of the Tao senses?

2. How is Western thought different from Hinduism in the matter of imperfection?

3. How does the yogi eliminate distractions of the mind during raja yoga?

4. What is the Chinese concept of ch'i?

5. What is the result of seeking wealth, fame, and power?

(see the answer keys)

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