Deck 5: Jainism and Sikhism

Question 1

Jainism places great emphasis on

A) ahimsa (non-harm).
B) sacrificial rituals.
C) self-defense.
D) ritual dance.

Answer 1

ahimsa (non-harm).

Question 2

The Jain worldview holds that a Creator

A) made the world.
B) created only good things.
C) does not exist.
D) created evil as well as good.

Answer 2

does not exist.

Question 3

Hylozoism, the metaphysical philosophy of Jainism

A) sees life in everything, even in what is inanimate.
B) holds that religion and culture are the same.
C) recommends celibacy and monastic life.
D) sees women as equal to men in the possibility of spiritual development.

Answer 3

sees life in everything, even in what is inanimate.

Question 4

The Jains consider Mahavira to be

A) the twenty-fourth "crossing maker."
B) the first person to have reached the top of the universe.
C) the third god in their trinity.
D) one of the twenty major disciples of Ramakrishna.

Question 5

Jain monks differ from Buddhist monks in

A) allowing the eating of food after noon.
B) refusing to beg for food.
C) allowing nakedness.
D) allowing the drinking of liquor.

Question 6

In the story of their lives, Mahavira and the Buddha show similarities, such as

A) the fact that they both came from the south of India.
B) their both being of the brahmin caste but rejecting its rituals.
C) the fact that they both were orphaned as children.
D) their both practicing extreme asceticism.

Question 7

Jainism sees reality as made up of

A) life (jiva) and nonlife (ajiva).
B) three principles: energy, inertia, and stasis.
C) five elements: earth, water, air, fire, and consciousness.
D) only physical matter, taking many different shapes.

Question 8

Tirthankara is a Jain name that is translated as

A) crossing maker.
B) released from bondage.
C) gone away.
D) one who has overcome.

Question 9

Jainism seems to be most strongly concerned about

A) performing correct ritual at the statues of the tirthankaras.
B) circumambulation and pilgrimage.
C) living the longest life possible.
D) breaking the power of bondage to the physical world.

Question 10

Jains believe that perfected souls

A) live at the top of the universe.
B) are reborn in new bodies in order to help others.
C) live in a paradise in the western sky.
D) are absorbed into the divine and lose all individuality.

Question 11

Jainism, as taught by Mahavira, emerged in India about the time of which other great teacher?

A) Mohandas Gandhi
B) Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha
C) Guru Gobind Singh
D) Sri Aurobindo

Question 12

Jain monasticism has split into _____ branches.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 13

The name of the Digambara branch literally means

A) white lotus.
B) upper sight.
C) clothed-in-sky.
D) painfree.

Question 14

Jainism had a strong influence on

A) Gandhi.
B) Nanak.
C) Arjan.
D) Aurangzeb.

Question 15

Sallekhana means

A) clothed-in-sky.
B) holy death.
C) nonattachment.
D) perfect teacher.

Question 16

Most Jains practice the devotional activity of

A) acharya.
B) paryusana.
C) puja.
D) sallekhana.

Question 17

Like Buddhists, Jains value

A) nonattachment and nonviolence.
B) strict monotheism.
C) self-defense.
D) a middle way in all things.

Question 18

Which of the following is the youngest religion in India?

A) Sikhism
B) Jainism
C) Buddhism
D) Islam

Question 19

Identify a true statement about Jainism.

A) It accepts the belief in a Creator God.
B) It teaches that the universe goes through regular great cycles of rise and fall.
C) It rejects the belief that spirits are constantly being reborn in various forms.
D) It embraces a devout monotheism and accepts meat eating and military self-defense.

Question 20

Which of the following is a similarity between Jainism and Sikhism?

A) Both religions have close connections with Christianity.
B) Both accept the telling of falsehood and exaggeration when meant humorously.
C) Both stress the importance of an individual's struggle to purify the self, to act morally, and to do good to others.
D) Both embrace strict vegetarianism and reject the use of animal products such as leather, feathers, and fur.

Question 21

Which of the following branches of Jainism holds that everything must be renounced, including the last scrap of clothing and the consequent shame of nakedness?

A) Terapanthi
B) Sthanakavasi
C) Shvetambara
D) Digambara

Question 22

Which of the following branches of Jainism does not accept women into monastic life and holds that they may become monks only when they have been reborn as men?

A) Digambara
B) Shvetambara
C) Sthanakavasi
D) Terapanthi

Question 23

Identify a true statement about the Sthanakavasi branch of Jainism.

A) It was founded by Acharya Bhikshu, also called Swami Bhikkanji Maharaj.
B) It rejects the use of either temples or images while worshipping.
C) It discourages meditation and individual austerities.
D) It is the oldest branch of Jainism.

Question 24

Who among the following has been at the forefront in spreading Jainism outside of India and in spreading basic Jain principles among non-Jains, both within India and beyond?

A) the Shvetambaras
B) the Sthanakavasis
C) the Terapanthis
D) the Digambaras

Question 25

The term _____ refers to a member of the Jain sect in which monks and nuns wear white clothing.

A) Terapanthi
B) Digambara
C) Shvetambara
D) Sthanakavasi

Question 26

Which of the following branches of Jainism rejects the tradition that Mahavira was ever married, possibly because of its high regard for celibacy?

A) Shvetambara
B) Sthanakavasi
C) Terapanthi
D) Digambara

Question 27

The religion of Sikhism first developed in

A) Kashmir in northern India.
B) northeast India, near Calcutta and Benares.
C) the Punjab region of India and Pakistan.
D) southeast India, near Madras.

Question 28

The center of the Sikh religion is at

A) Benares.
B) Lahore.
C) Colombo.
D) Amritsar.

Question 29

Which of the following was the turning point in Guru Nanak's life?

A) a prophetic call near a river
B) a near-death experience from sickness
C) a request by his spiritual teacher to preach
D) a dream of a child who told Nanak to leave home

Question 30

A Sikh temple is called a

A) guru.
B) gurdwara.
C) kesa.
D) kara.

Question 31

Nanak, after leaving home to teach, wore

A) a white robe and a rosary of amethyst beads.
B) clothing that blended Muslim and Hindu styles.
C) nothing, as a sign of total submission to God.
D) a Sufi robe of brown wool with a Buddhist begging bowl.

Question 32

The Khalsa was created to be

A) a protective social organization.
B) a group of copyists who created a permanent library of Sikh literature.
C) a group of devotees who would read aloud continuously in the Golden Temple for the sake of the faithful.
D) the organization that cleaned the Golden Temple.

Question 33

The name Adi Granth means

A) final history.
B) first beauty.
C) original collection.
D) multiple meaning.

Question 34

The Adi Granth is the

A) Sikh name for the Golden Temple.
B) most important Sikh scripture.
C) name of the vow that members take to enter the Khalsa.
D) sword with which baptismal water is stirred.

Question 35

Some Sikhs want a

A) Sikh nation, separate from India.
B) wider use of Sikh principles in the government of Pakistan.
C) return to the early principles of ahimsa.
D) union of Sikhism with Islam.

Question 36

How many Sikh gurus were there before the human line of gurus ended?

A) 3
B) 5
C) 10
D) 33

Question 37

Nanak referred to the fundamental divine reality as _____.

A) the Inconceivable
B) the Radiance
C) the Void
D) the True Name

Question 38

Nanak, like the Hindus, believed in

A) the worship of many gods.
B) reincarnation and karma.
C) daily puja at home altars.
D) vegetarianism and devotion to cows.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is true about the Guru Granth Sahib?

A) It is an honorary title for the sacred book of Sikhism.
B) It refers to the last of the Sikh gurus, who was assassinated.
C) It is another name for Nanak, in his capacity as a Sikh teacher.
D) It is a Sikh community association, created to help widows and orphans.

Question 40

The worldview of Sikhism is similar to the Hindu philosophical school called the

A) Sankhya.
B) Mimamsa.
C) Vaisheshika.
D) Vedanta.

Question 41

Which of the following statements is true about sangat?

A) It is a form of meditation.
B) It is a sacred book of Sikh rituals.
C) It is a special comb worn by Sikh males.
D) It is a religious group.

Question 42

Which of the following items worn by the Sikh Khalsa symbolizes strength?

A) hair comb
B) steel bracelet
C) sword
D) special underwear

Question 43

Uncut hair by the Khalsa and the last name Singh represent the symbolic characteristics of which animal?

A) lion
B) eagle
C) bear
D) cow

Question 44

Which of the following items worn by the Sikh Khalsa represents alertness and readiness to fight?

A) steel bracelet
B) special underwear
C) hair comb to hold long hair in place
D) sword

Question 45

The Adi Granth is divided into _____ parts.

A) five
B) four
C) three
D) two

Question 46

According to Sikh teaching, who is the primary guru?

A) God
B) Nanak
C) Adi Granth
D) Ram Das

Question 47

Which of the following statements is true about Guru Nanak?

A) He accepted Hindu love of ritual.
B) He admired Hindu polytheism.
C) He grew up in a Muslim family and remained unmarried throughout his life.
D) He believed that true religion has a strong social responsibility.

Question 48

In the context of the development of Sikhism, who among the following gurus inaugurated a special military order for men, called the Khalsa, and devised a ceremony of initiation, called the baptism of the sword?

A) Guru Gobind Singh
B) Guru Tegh Bahadur
C) Guru Har Rai
D) Guru Harkishan

Question 49

Which of the following statements is true about the first and most important part of the primary book of the Sikh scripture, the Adi Granth?

A) It praises both Islam and Hinduism for their abilities in helping the poor.
B) It is a moderately long poem by Guru Nanak that summarizes the religion.
C) It consists thirty-nine ragas by Guru Nanak and later gurus.
D) It is a collection of varied works, including poems from Hindu saints.

Question 50

Explain the Jain belief in ahimsa. By what other religion is this belief espoused?

Question 51

Summarize the story of the life of Mahavira. Include at least three details.

Question 52

Explain why Jainism rejects the notion of a Creator God.

Question 53

Explain the Jain concepts of jiva and ajiva. How do they help explain the human situation?

Question 54

Explain briefly three of the basic Jain ethical principles.

Question 55

What is the fundamental Jain goal? How does it relate to the idealization of self-starvation?

Question 56

Contrast the Jain notion of liberation with the Buddhist notion.

Question 57

Name two of the four main branches of Jainism, and list key identifying characteristics of each.

Question 58

Describe two typical Jain devotional acts, and explain how each relates to Jain belief.

Question 59

What is the literal meaning of the word Sikh? Why is it appropriate? Please explain your answer.

Question 60

When did Nanak live, and what was the key moment in his life story?

Question 61

Describe the basic Sikh understanding of God.

Question 62

What are the two key functions of the sangat?

Question 63

Describe three elements of the Khalsa dress. How do these elements relate to Sikh belief?

Question 64

Describe two practices that involve the Adi Granth.