View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the Hindu say would happen if the divine base of everything is removed?
(a) Religion would die out.
(b) The stars would shift their constellations.
(c) The natural world would disintegrate into nothing.
(d) People would be free to do as they willed.

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

3. How does Hinduism teach that pain can be endured?
(a) By learning to enjoy the sensations of pain
(b) By certain natural pain inhibitors taken orally
(c) By avoiding situations that have a potential for pain
(d) By focusing on that which distracts the mind from the pain itself

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

5. Why does Hinduism stress what the human mind must leave out?
(a) Because human mind is adapted to deal with the family.
(b) Because human mind is adapted to deal with money.
(c) Because human mind is adapted to deal with the universe.
(d) Because human mind is adapted to deal with the finite.

6. According to Hinduism, what are the two receptors that control the lives of humans?
(a) Those of ignorance and education
(b) Those of suffering and vocation
(c) Those of pleasure and pain
(d) Those of spiritual and material matters

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

8. Eventually, how do Hindu minds conceive of God?
(a) The Gods transcend the anthropomorphic and become animals.
(b) The Gods transcend the anthropomorphic and become constellations.
(c) The Gods transcend the anthropomorphic and become statues.
(d) The Gods transcend the anthropomorphic and become total abstractions.

9. What is the central characteristic of the Sikh?
(a) The Sikh seeks unity with God through hard work.
(b) The Sikh seeks unity with God through money.
(c) The Sikh seeks unity with God through self denial.
(d) The Sikh seeks unity with God through love.

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

11. What is the Zen koan?
(a) The elaborate tea ceremony with its slow and graceful movements
(b) Private consultation with a master
(c) Problems like the classic "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
(d) Sitting in meditation for long hours

12. What did Confucius propose as a better way for society?
(a) Forget old traditions and create new ones
(b) Redirect thinking into a conscious reorientation of traditional behaviors
(c) Form political parties to work out differences
(d) Reinstate the Chou Dynasty and go back to the way things were

13. What is it that Taoists reject?
(a) Quietude as a means of simplifying life
(b) All forms of competition or ambition to stand out
(c) Work without working
(d) Group dynamics of equality

14. What is the viewpoint of the Theravada Buddhist?
(a) It denies the idea of reincarnation.
(b) It insists that the path to enlightenment is up to the individual.
(c) It proposes a collective attempt to reach nirvana.
(d) It teaches that only monks can reach enlightenment.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How might the rise of Buddhism be compared to the Protestant Reformation?

2. To what other notable teacher has Confucius been compared?

3. What is the tanha?

4. What is the ultimate reality of Taoism?

5. In Taoism, what is the concept of wu wei?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 780 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample