Deck 7: Hindu Traditions

Question 1

What are the earliest compositions in the Hindu tradition?

A) The Sutras
B) The Dharmashastras
C) The Upanishads
D) The Epics
E) The Vedas

Answer 1

E

Question 2

In the Hindu tradition, who are the rishis?

A) Priests and Priestess
B) Women Mystics
C) Yogi Masters
D) Unclean or Poor
E) Visionaries or Seers

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which term refers to the experience of Hindus seeing or being seen by a deity or a guru?

A) Darshana
B) Dharma
C) Shruti
D) Atman
E) Jnana

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Where does the term "Hinduism" come from?

A) The word Sind, referring to the region of the river Sindhu (Indus)
B) The term Hindi, the official language of India
C) The region of the Hind Mountains
D) The Arabic term hanif
E) The Sanskrit term Hindutva

Question 5

In Hinduism, what does the Sanskrit word dharma refer to?

A) Righteousness, specifically in religious and social obligation
B) Prayer to the gods
C) A religious leader
D) Philosophy
E) The realm of rebirth and change

Question 6

Which of the following is the civilization in the Indus Valley region dating as far back as 2750 BCE?

A) Persian Empire
B) Indo-European Culture
C) Proto Shiva Civilization
D) Mesopotamian Culture
E) Harappa Culture

Question 7

What is the second path to liberation according to Krishna?

A) Way of action (karma yoga)
B) Way of knowledge (jnana yoga)
C) Way of devotion (bhakti yoga)
D) To see and be seen by a deity (Darshana)
E) To recite chants with concentration (Mantra)

Question 8

Shruti ("that which was heard") literature refers to which of the following?

A) The Puranas
B) The epics
C) The dharmashastras
D) The Vedas
E) Sant poetry

Question 9

When do scholars believe the Vedas were composed?

A) 500 BCE
B) 100-300 CE
C) 1750-1000 BCE
D) 2500-1500 BCE
E) 1500-600 BCE

Question 10

What part of the Vedas is known as the Upanishads?

A) Poetic writings
B) Epic narratives
C) Theological works
D) Philosophical works
E) Ethical works

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT one of the Vedic collections?

A) Rig
B) Purana
C) Sama
D) Yajur
E) Atharva

Question 12

What is the literary genre of the Mahabharata?

A) Philosophical
B) Theological
C) Ethical
D) Epic
E) Poetic

Question 13

In what Hindu text is the Creation Hymn found?

A) The Mahabharata
B) The Sama Veda
C) The Upanishads
D) The Atharva Veda
E) The Rig Veda

Question 14

The origins of the four classes (varnas) of Hindu society are traced to which of the following?

A) The emanation of the comsmic principle of rta
B) The creation of the god Brahma
C) The cosmic sacrifice of the "Supreme Person"
D) The great rishi Sobhari
E) The command of the god Varuna

Question 15

The Upanishads were written around the same time as the life of what religious leader/founder?

A) Jesus
B) Abraham
C) Guru Nanak
D) The Buddha
E) Muhammad

Question 16

What is the literal meaning of the word karma?

A) Luck
B) Life
C) Consequence
D) Action
E) Power

Question 17

In the Hindu tradition, what is samsara?

A) Liberation
B) The teachings of the Vedas
C) The continuing cycle of death and rebirth
D) The consequences of good and bad behaviour
E) Social and religious obligation

Question 18

In the Hindu tradition, what is moksha?

A) "Liberation" from the cycle of rebirth
B) "Wisdom" gained through study of sacred texts
C) "Power" gained through yoga
D) "Duty" based on one's social/religious caste
E) "Action" that has good or bad consequences

Question 19

In the Hindu tradition, what is Atman?

A) The human soul
B) The Supreme Being
C) The power of the gods
D) The cycle of death and rebirth
E) The knowledge needed for liberation

Question 20

In the Hindu tradition, what does the phrase tat tvam asi ("you are that") refer to?

A) The connection of Brahman and Atman
B) The identification of Krishna as Lord
C) The command to follow your dharma
D) The teaching that a person is the product of his/her karma
E) A student identifying Shankara as a god

Question 21

In the Hindu tradition, which of the following are types of smrti ("that which is remembered") literature?

A) Epics (itihasas)
B) Ancient Stories (Puranas)
C) Codes of Laws and Ethics (dharmashastras)
D) Both B and C
E) All of the above

Question 22

In the Ramayana, which of the following describes Rama?

A) Young heroic prince
B) Young ascetic devotee
C) Elder wise sage
D) Elder troubled king
E) Young wayward poet

Question 23

In the Ramayana, who is Sita?

A) Wife of Rama
B) Sister of Rama
C) Rival of Rama
D) Temptress of Rama
E) Half-sister of Rama

Question 24

The Bhagavad Gita is an extract from which larger work?

A) The Ramayana
B) The Mahabharata
C) The Chandogya Upanishad
D) The Manava Dharmashastra
E) The Puranas

Question 25

Krishna is considered an avatara (incarnation) of which god?

A) Brahma
B) Indra
C) Parvati
D) Shiva
E) Vishnu

Question 26

The Bhagavad Gita takes the form of a conversation between whom?

A) Arjuna and Krishna
B) Shiva and Vishnu
C) Arjuna and his son
D) Rama and Sita
E) Arjuna and Shiva

Question 27

What are the three ways to liberation described in the Bhagavad Gita?

A) Action, prayer, devotion
B) Knowledge, pleasure, devotion
C) Action, knowledge, devotion
D) Knowledge, prayer, meditation
E) Soldier, scholar, sage

Question 28

What does bhakti yoga, discussed in the Bhagavad Gita, refer to?

A) The way of sacrifice
B) The way of devotion
C) The way of knowledge
D) The way of action
E) The way of meditation

Question 29

The Hindu Purana texts primarily concerned which of the following?

A) The "newer" deities
B) Laws and codes of ethics
C) The genealogy of great sages
D) Great stories of legendary heroes
E) Philosophical speculation

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT one of Vishnu's avataras?

A) Krishna
B) A tortoise
C) Rama
D) A fish
E) Ganesha

Question 31

How many incarnations will Vishnu have in the present cycle of creation, according to Hindu tradition?

A) 7000
B) 5
C) 100
D) 50
E) 10

Question 32

The linga, a conical or cylindrical stone column symbolic of creative energy, is associated with which Hindu god?

A) Brahma
B) Parvati
C) Vishnu
D) Shiva
E) Ganesha

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT a form of the Hindu Goddess?

A) Hanuman
B) Kali
C) Devi
D) Parvati
E) Durga

Question 34

The Hindu god Ganesha has the head of what animal?

A) Cow
B) Cobra
C) Monkey
D) Tiger
E) Elephant

Question 35

The Hindu trimurti ("three forms") includes which three gods?

A) Shiva, Ganesha, Lakshmi
B) Brahma, Vishnu, Devi
C) Vishnu, Shiva, Devi
D) Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
E) Brahma, Shiva, Parvati

Question 36

In what age (yuga) are we thought to be living today, according to traditional Hindu reckoning?

A) Dharma yuga
B) Kali yuga
C) Krta yuga
D) Dvapara yuga
E) Treta yuga

Question 37

What is the most famous text outlining the nature of righteousness, moral duty, and law according to the Hindu caste system?

A) Bhagavad Gita
B) Mahabharata
C) Puranas
D) Ramayana
E) Laws of Manu

Question 38

Who makes up the kshatriya caste in Hindu society?

A) Merchants
B) "Untouchables"
C) Rulers and warriors
D) Servants
E) Priests and teachers

Question 39

Who makes up the shudra caste in Hindu society?

A) Servants
B) "Untouchables"
C) Priests and teachers
D) Merchants
E) Rulers and warriors

Question 40

In the Hindu tradition, what are the ashramas?

A) The final texts of the Vedas, written last
B) The four stages of life recognized in the classical period for males in the top three castes
C) The temples built to the three deities of the trimurti
D) The seers thought to have "heard" the ancient texts
E) The four social classes

Question 41

Kama, one of the aims of human life according to classical Hindu literature, means what?

A) Sensual pleasure
B) Performing one's duty
C) Prosperity and power
D) Action
E) Liberation

Question 42

What view of women is expressed in the Laws of Manu?

A) They are equal in status to men.
B) They are completely unimportant to rituals.
C) They have special power.
D) They are to treat their husbands as gods.
E) They should conduct rituals.

Question 43

What is the most important school of Hindu philosophy?

A) Vedanta
B) Mimamsa
C) Yoga
D) Samkhya
E) Nyaya

Question 44

Which of the following is true, according to Shankara's advaita interpretation of Vedanta?

A) God is radically transcendent of creation.
B) The only truth is what we perceive in everyday life with our senses.
C) Atman and Brahman are related but separate.
D) Reality is non-dual, made up of the single reality of Brahman.
E) Only certain people can be liberated through devotion to the gods.

Question 45

In the Hindu tradition, what did "left-handed" tantra involve?

A) Yogic rituals performed before great battles were fought
B) The ritual performance of activities forbidden in everyday life
C) Strict celibacy
D) Rituals strictly between members of the same caste
E) Elaborate ritual hand gestures

Question 46

In the Hindu tradition, what is South Indian bhakti?

A) Knowledge
B) Meditation
C) Action
D) Devotion
E) Liberation

Question 47

Tamil poetry and devotionalism is predominant in which geographical area?

A) North India
B) South India
C) The Indus Valley
D) East India
E) Cambodia

Question 48

When did Islam first arrive in India?

A) Early nineteenth century
B) Second century CE
C) Twelfth century CE
D) Mid-eighth century CE
E) Late seventh century CE

Question 49

Which European explorer opened the way to the Indian subcontinent for a long line of traders, missionaries, and eventually rulers?

A) Marco Polo
B) Christopher Columbus
C) Samuel de Champlain
D) Ferdinand Magellan
E) Vasco da Gama

Question 50

Who was the influential Hindu participant at the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago?

A) Ram Mohan Roy
B) Vivekananda
C) Rabindranath Tagore
D) Dayananda
E) Ramakrishna

Question 51

How did Mahatma Gandhi understand the Bhagavad Gita?

A) As an allegory of the conflict between good and evil within human beings
B) As a political manual
C) As historical proof of the existence of Vishnu
D) As a tool of oppression used by the brahmin caste to maintain power
E) As justification for war in a good cause

Question 52

The Taittiriya Upanishad exhorts students to think of his acharya as which of the following?

A) A god
B) A deceiver
C) A fellow student
D) A disciplinarian
E) A mere human

Question 53

In the Hindu Tradition, what is prasada?

A) Icons or objects used in worship
B) Food ritually presented to, then returned by, a deity
C) Clarified butter used in many Hindu rituals
D) Music that accompanies temple rituals
E) A household shrine

Question 54

One of the earliest symbols in the Hindu tradition may be the naga, which means what?

A) A tiger
B) A serpent
C) A dancer
D) A singer
E) A warrior

Question 55

At the simplest level, the red dot (bindi) on the forehead is which of the following?

A) Decorative
B) Oppressive
C) Exclusive
D) Religious
E) Gendered

Question 56

In the Hindu tradition, which term refers to ritual devotion at home to a deity or spiritual teacher?

A) Prasada
B) Puja
C) Jnana yoga
D) Tilaka
E) Sati

Question 57

In the Hindu tradition, Ayurveda referred to an important system of which of the following?

A) Meditation
B) Prayer
C) Medicine
D) Philosophy
E) Governance

Question 58

In which Hindu festival do people throw coloured powder on each other?

A) Kumb Mela
B) Holi
C) Navaratri
D) Deepavali
E) Onam

Question 59

What Hindu festival means "necklace of lights"?

A) Deepavali (or Diwali)
B) Navaratri
C) Bathukamma
D) Onam
E) Holi

Question 60

In a Hindu wedding, what does the couple take seven steps around together?

A) Ritual fire
B) A sacred tree
C) A small shrine
D) A copy of the Vedas
E) The bride's father

Question 61

What holy word is chanted at the beginning and end of all Hindu prayers?

A) namaste
B) mantra
C) murti
D) om
E) smrti

Question 62

There have been at least how many waves of Hindu migration outside the Indian sub-continent?

A) 2
B) 3
C) 6
D) 8
E) 10

Question 63

Americans spend approximately how much on yoga and yoga related products on a yearly basis?

A) 100 million dollars
B) 2 billion dollars
C) 750 million dollars
D) 10 billion dollars
E) 27 billion dollars

Question 64

The present day political issue of dividing and divided religious groups is part of the historical legacy of which of the following?

A) Muslim conquests of parts of northern India
B) Literal readings of the Bhagavad Gita
C) Cultural threats related to Buddhism
D) Ramifications of the caste system
E) Political activism in the modern era

Question 65

Which of the following does India NOT currently have?

A) Caste system
B) Civil code
C) Environmental activism
D) Quotas for castes
E) An understanding of secularism

Question 66

As a term for religious identity, the word "Hinduism" did not catch on until the nineteenth century.

Question 67

There are indications that some features of the Hindu religion as practised today date back before 1750 BCE.

Question 68

There are six Vedic collections.

Question 69

All Hindu traditions believe the Vedas were created by God.

Question 70

According to the Hindu "Hymn to the Supreme Person," the universe was created through the cosmic sacrifice of the primeval man.

Question 71

In the Hindu tradition, the continuing cycle of death and rebirth or reincarnation is known as moksha.

Question 72

"Atman" in the Hindu tradition refers to the Supreme Being.

Question 73

The literature of Classical Hinduism is called smrti ("that which is remembered").

Question 74

The Bhagavad Gita is an extract from the famous epic, the Ramayana.

Question 75

In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna describes six ways to liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Question 76

Rama, hero of the Ramayana, is believed to be an incarnation of the god Vishnu.

Question 77

In the form of Parvati, the Hindu Goddess is the wife and consort of Shiva.

Question 78

All Hindus worship the three gods of the trimurti ("triple form"): Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu.

Question 79

The shudras are the servant caste in traditional Hindu society.

Question 80

Members of the three upper classes in traditional Hindu society were generally called "twice born."