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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How was the "Old boy" of Taoism often seen?
(a) Riding off on a white horse
(b) Riding off on a water buffalo
(c) Riding off on a donkey
(d) Riding off on an ostrich

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

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

4. How has the Western mind often viewed the Path of Renunciation?
(a) As the best Hinduism has to offer
(b) As an example of good ethics
(c) As the ultimate comparison to Christianity
(d) As a life-denying spoilsport

5. Eventually, how do Hindu minds conceive of God?
(a) The Gods transcend the anthropomorphic and become total abstractions.
(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 animals.

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

7. What is the follower of wu wei said to be able to do?
(a) Think without thinking
(b) Dream without dreaming
(c) Work without working
(d) Speak without speaking

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

9. What form of Buddhism flourishes in Japan?
(a) Theravada Buddhism
(b) Mahayana Buddhism
(c) Zen Buddhism
(d) Hinayana Buddhism

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

11. 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) Western thought says that imperfection is an illusion; whereas, Hinduism accepts it as reality.
(d) Hinduism says there are no imperfections.

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

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

14. 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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What did Confucius stress about the elderly?

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

4. How did Confucius reject both the Realists and the Mohists?

5. What did the Buddha write during his lifetime?

(see the answer keys)

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