Cultures of India, Persia, and China

SOL Quiz Version A

In India's caste system, the top position is held by the

a) shudras.b) shoguns.c) brahmans.d) caliphs.

Which religion replaces the question mark?

a)Buddhismb)Hinduismc)Shintoismd)Taoism

A belief in reincarnation, karma, many forms of one major deity, and a caste system are characteristics of which of the following religions?

a) Buddhismb) Hinduismc) Judaismd) Zoroastrianism

What major religion teaches both reincarnation and the conformity to a caste system?

a) Hinduismb) Taoismc) Christianityd) Buddhism

Belief in many forms of one major deity is characteristic of

a) Buddhism.b) Taoism.c) Shintoism.d) Hinduism

The Aryans, a light-skinned people probably related to the Persians, crossed the mountain passes and invaded the plains, abruptly destroying the highly advanced culture they encountered there.

This passage best describes the fate of

a) Ancient Egyptb) Early Chinese settlements along the Huang He

River.c) The Hebrews after leaving Egypt.d) Harappan (Indus River) civilization.

The following is a sacred writing of Hinduism:

a) Ten Commandmentsb) Code of Hammurabic) Upanishadsd) Koran

A characteristic of the Aryan society of India was

a) a rigid caste system.b) development of a sophisticated alphabet.c) Buddhism as a religion.d) tolerance of conquered peoples.

This statue represents Siddhartha Gautama the founder of —

a)Shintoismb)Buddhismc)Hinduismd)Confucianism

Which best describes nirvana as a goal of Buddhists?

a) the forgiveness of sins granted by Buddhist priests for performing religious rituals

b) the eternal bliss the soul experiences when it escapes from the cycle of death and rebirth

c) the respect received by peers for following the Eightfold Pathd) the peace of mind that one experiences after spending a year

in a Buddhist monastery

The founder of Buddhism was

a) Liu Bang.b) Siddhartha Gautama.c) Shi Huangdi.d) Chandragupta Maurya.

Siddhartha Gautama explained his new faith as

a) a return to ceremonies and rituals that had been neglected.

b) a search for answers to life’s mysteries that he had not found in Hinduism.

c) rejection of the idea of a code of moral behavior aimed at harmony with nature.

d) the perfect mixing of Hinduism and Shintoism.

Which best describes the origin of the religion of Buddhism?

a) It was brought by the Aryans from Central Asia.

b) It was developed by Siddhartha Gautama as a reform of Hinduism.

c) It was based on traditional Dravidian beliefs.

d) It was the religion of the early civilizations of the Indus Valley.

Which of the following was associated with construction of the Great Wall?

a)Asokab)Confuciusc)Qin Shi Huangdid)Siddhartha Gautama

China’s leaders received the right to rule by

a) Mandate of Heaven.b) an elder chieftain.c) a high priest.d) military leaders.

In China, to rule by the Mandate of Heaven meant

a) following the astrological signs.b) ruling fairly so that heaven would grant prosperity.c) strictly adhering to Buddhist religious principles.d) balancing the forces of the heavens.

Which statement accurately compares the development of Buddhism with that of Hinduism?a) Both began in India, and Hinduism has thrived

there, while Buddhism has a larger following in other places.

b) Buddhism came to India from China, while Hinduism began in India and dispersed to China.

c) Hinduism began in China and was exported though Japan to India, while Buddhism emerged in India and spread throughout Asia.

d) Both began in India, and both are highly popular religions there today.

All of the following ideas are attributed to Confucius except

a) the best approach to social problems is inaction; nature must take its course.

b) respect for the ancestors is a fundamental obligation.

c) happiness of the people is more important than the privileges of the rulers.

d) rulers must be fair and just if the country is to prosper.

The balance of the opposing forces of Yin and Yang (good and evil, light and dark) are central to

a) Hinduism.b) Buddhism.c) Confucianism.d) Taoism.

Which of the following civilizations contributed a civil service system, paper, porcelain, and silk?

a) Indusb) Guptac) Chinad) Egypt

The jagged line of the map to the right represents the

a) Great Wall of China.

b) route of Marco Polo.

c) Silk Road.d) border of modern

China.

The characteristics listed apply to which society?

a) Ancient Indiab) The Muslim Empirec) Ancient Chinad) The Persian Empire

•Respect for elders•Civil service examinations•Ancestor worship

•Respect for elders•Civil service examinations•Ancestor worship

The attitude of respect and devotion to one's family observed in Chinese society, especially in the Imperial era, is known as

a) animismb) ethnocentrismc) reincarnationd) filial piety

Zoroastrianism existed in which civilization?

a) Phoenicianb) Persianc) Egyptiand) Assyrian

This Persian Emperor built the Royal Road to facilitate rapid communication throughout his very large empire

a) Cyrus.b) Cambyses.c) Darius.d) Xerxes.

Which city did Cambyses add to the Persian Empire?

a) Memphisb) Odessus

c) Ninevehd) Taxila

Which of these best replaces the question mark?a)Caste systemb)Ancestor worshipc)Code of politenessd)Imperial bureaucracy

Which civilization was not associated with a large and efficient civil service?

a) Periclean Athensb) the Persian empire under Dariusc) the Han dynasty of Chinad) the Roman empire