Deck 7: Chinese Religions

Question 1

What was the name of the legendary founder of Daoism which, when translated, also means "Old Master" or "Old Boy"?

A) Confucius
B) Shangdi
C) Laozi
D) Siddhartha

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What does the word Dao mean?

A) the life
B) the force
C) the way
D) the truth

Answer 2

C

Question 3

This group, part of the major school of thought that emerged in addition to the Daoists, believed that human nature demanded strong leadership because it tended to be wicked and lazy.

A) the Confucians
B) the Legalists
C) the Mohists
D) the Neo-Daos

Answer 3

B

Question 4

This person is often credited with developing Confucianism during the Han dynasty.

A) Confucius
B) Mencius
C) Lan-Ling
D) Xunzi

Question 5

One result of the end of the feudal system was

A) great Chinese philosophy-religions were born.
B) great wars, lasting centuries, broke out.
C) the Han dynasty took charge.
D) serfs lost even more power.

Question 6

In early April, Chinese people celebrate this holiday that involves the ancestors as well as ritual baths and the building of new fires.

A) The Dragon Boat Festival
B) All Souls' Day
C) Pure and Bright Festival
D) Chinese New Year

Question 7

What is the sacred book of Daoism?

A) Daodejing
B) I Ching
C) Te Tao Chang
D) Tsu Tsa Lu

Question 8

According to Confucius, if the principles of li and ren were present and operative in a person, the end product would be

A) Nirvana.
B) the superior human being.
C) yinyang.
D) total balance.

Question 9

Which of the following is a traditional Chinese holiday?

A) All Saints Day
B) Purification Festival
C) Yinyang Festival
D) All Souls' Day

Question 10

The influential foreign religion that began as a rivalry with Daoism in the first millennium C.E. was

A) Hinduism.
B) Confucianism.
C) Buddhism.
D) Judaism.

Question 11

This group, who warred with the Shang dynasty, proclaimed that one Supreme God controlled the destinies of all humankind.

A) the Ming
B) the Zhou
C) the Han
D) the Jin

Question 12

Which of the following is not one of the religions officially recognized by the Chinese government?

A) Sikhism
B) Roman Catholicism
C) Confucianism
D) Jehovah's Witnesses

Question 13

The teachings of Confucianism are based on certain central themes, including this one, which when translated translated loosely means "propriety" or "rites."

A) jen
B) ren
C) yinyang
D) li

Question 14

What happened to Confucianism as a result of the birth of the People's Republic of China?

A) It flourished.
B) It was abandoned.
C) It became illegal.
D) Its influence stayed the same.

Question 15

Why did the fourth-century Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi turn down the prince's offer to appoint him to the position of prime minister?

A) He, like many Daoists, had contempt for rank and wealth.
B) He did not think he was offered enough money to take the position.
C) He did not like the politics of Prince Wei.
D) He was old and didn't want to work anymore.

Question 16

This core Daoist principle can be translated as "non-action" or "effortlessness."

A) wu wei
B) Li-poh-yang
C) Shangdi
D) yinyang

Question 17

Which of the following is true of Confucianism?

A) It has an extensive priesthood.
B) Its sacred writings were written after a divine revelation.
C) It embraces asceticism.
D) It has no doctrine of an afterlife.

Question 18

The Cultural Revolution repressed

A) all religions.
B) no religions.
C) only native Chinese religions.
D) only Western religions.

Question 19

In 1949, China underwent a revolution and became the People's Republic of China, under the direction of what kind of government?

A) fascist
B) Marxist
C) totalitarian
D) Stalinist

Question 20

Which of the following contrasts is part of the concept of yinyang?

A) happy and sad
B) rest and work
C) truth and falsity
D) moon and sun

Question 21

Describe the basic philosophy of the Daodejing and discuss how this text developed over centuries.

Question 22

What effect did the death of Mao have on religious practices in China?

A) The government became more open to religions.
B) It had no effect on religious practices in China.
C) Confucianism proliferated.
D) Catholicism became the predominant religion of China.

Question 23

Discuss the three schools that rivaled the early Daoists and give a brief explanation of their basic tenets. Did they survive? Why or why not?

Question 24

Describe the role of li in Confucianism.

Question 25

What Chinese holiday is celebrated continually until the full moon of the first month of the year?

A) Pure and Bright Festivals
B) Dragon Boat Festivals
C) Autumn Harvest Festivals
D) Chinese New Year

Question 26

Describe the political difficulties facing religions in China today.

Question 27

Which of the following is one of the regulations a religious organization must accept from the Chinese government to be officially recognized?

A) It must appoint a government official to oversee the activities of the church.
B) It must pay a hefty stipend to the government every year.
C) It must give 10 percent of their donations to the Ministry of Welfare for distribution to the poor.
D) It must accept government censorship of religious writings.

Question 28

One thing the Daoists absorbed from the Buddhists was

A) the pattern of monasticism.
B) the pattern of asceticism.
C) vegetarianism.
D) a belief in nature's power.

Question 29

Explain how the decline of the feudal system of the Zhou dynasty set the stage for the rise of Daoism.

Question 30

In direct contradiction to the teachings of Mencius, Xunzi contended that people are basically

A) good at heart.
B) evil in nature.
C) dishonest.
D) heretics.