Hinduism and Buddhism Test
Page 1
India’s Ancient Religion
To millions of Hindus in India, the Ganges is more than just a river. It is a holy river, where thousands of pilgrims come each year to cleanse and purify themselves. Some Hindus come to die in the Ganges, believing it will transport them to heaven.
Hinduism, India’s major religion, is a way of life for more than 80 percent of India’s 1 billion people. More than 1.5 million people in the United States are also Hindus.
Unlike other major world religions, Hinduism was not started by one central figure like Jesus in Christianity or Mohammad in Islam or Buddha in Buddhism. It has no church or central leader and no rules. You can be a Hindu just because you think you are and because you do the right things.
Beginnings of Hinduism
Hinduism began 3000 years ago when nomadic cattle herding tribes from Central Asia moved into northern India. These invaders called themselves Aryans-“the noble ones”. They brought with them religious teachings, known as Vedas, which people memorized and repeated generation after generation. These teachings blended with the religious beliefs of early Indian villagers and were eventually written down. They are the foundation of Hinduism.
Many Deities
Although Hindus believe in Brahman-the one great spirit-they do not worship a single, all powerful god. Instead, Hinduism has hundreds of deities, and many ways of worshipping. Of all the deities in Hinduism, the most important are Brahman, the creator of the universe, Vishnu, its preserver, and Shiva, its destroyer. But like most religions, Hinduism has basic beliefs, including:
Karma: what a person says and does in life affects his or her fate.
Dharma: each person is bound to perform certain duties. These duties vary depending on the person’s social standing and caste.
Reincarnation: after dying, each living thing is reborn into another life. India’s Castes
India’s caste system, increasingly a thing of the past, had close ties to Hinduism. Each person was born into a caste, or social group from which he or she could not escape. According to Hindu belief, a person’s caste was a result of their karma in a previous life. A person’s caste once determined their job, who they could marry and how they lived. Completely outside the social order fell the Untouchables-the lowest of the low, with whom other groups were to have no contact. Officially, it is now illegal to discriminate based on caste, but many people still do.
To millions of Hindus in India, the Ganges is more than just a river. It is a holy river, where thousands of pilgrims come each year to cleanse and purify themselves. Some Hindus come to die in the Ganges, believing it will transport them to heaven.
Hinduism, India’s major religion, is a way of life for more than 80 percent of India’s 1 billion people. More than 1.5 million people in the United States are also Hindus.
Unlike other major world religions, Hinduism was not started by one central figure like Jesus in Christianity or Mohammad in Islam or Buddha in Buddhism. It has no church or central leader and no rules. You can be a Hindu just because you think you are and because you do the right things.
Beginnings of Hinduism
Hinduism began 3000 years ago when nomadic cattle herding tribes from Central Asia moved into northern India. These invaders called themselves Aryans-“the noble ones”. They brought with them religious teachings, known as Vedas, which people memorized and repeated generation after generation. These teachings blended with the religious beliefs of early Indian villagers and were eventually written down. They are the foundation of Hinduism.
Many Deities
Although Hindus believe in Brahman-the one great spirit-they do not worship a single, all powerful god. Instead, Hinduism has hundreds of deities, and many ways of worshipping. Of all the deities in Hinduism, the most important are Brahman, the creator of the universe, Vishnu, its preserver, and Shiva, its destroyer. But like most religions, Hinduism has basic beliefs, including:
Karma: what a person says and does in life affects his or her fate.
Dharma: each person is bound to perform certain duties. These duties vary depending on the person’s social standing and caste.
Reincarnation: after dying, each living thing is reborn into another life. India’s Castes
India’s caste system, increasingly a thing of the past, had close ties to Hinduism. Each person was born into a caste, or social group from which he or she could not escape. According to Hindu belief, a person’s caste was a result of their karma in a previous life. A person’s caste once determined their job, who they could marry and how they lived. Completely outside the social order fell the Untouchables-the lowest of the low, with whom other groups were to have no contact. Officially, it is now illegal to discriminate based on caste, but many people still do.
Page 2
Find the textual evidence that helps you answer the following questions.
Underline the evidence and put the number of the question near it.
Then write the answer in a complete sentence.
1. According to the passage, what are two ways Hinduism is different from other religions?
2. Why do pilgrims visit the Ganges River?
a. to worship Brahman
b. to purify themselves
c. to be reborn
d. to change their caste
3. What is the meaning of “caste” in India?
4. How do Hindus justify a person’s placement in a particular caste?
Find the textual evidence that helps you answer the following questions.
Underline the evidence and put the number of the question near it.
Then write the answer in a complete sentence.
1. According to the passage, what are two ways Hinduism is different from other religions?
2. Why do pilgrims visit the Ganges River?
a. to worship Brahman
b. to purify themselves
c. to be reborn
d. to change their caste
3. What is the meaning of “caste” in India?
4. How do Hindus justify a person’s placement in a particular caste?
Page 3
Reading a Primary Source: Use the story to complete the answers.
A Story from the Ramayana
When a king retired in ancient India, his oldest son was in line to become the next king. Rama was the oldest son of a king, but his stepmother wanted her son – Rama’s younger brother Bharata – to be king instead. She persuaded the king to send Rama into the forest for 14 years.
“Of course I will go. A son should always obey his parents,” Rama said.
Rama’s wife, Sita, decided to go with him into the forest. “A wife’s place is with her husband,” Sita explained.
When Bharata learned what had happened, he went to the forest to find his brother. “Rama, you should be king, not me. Please come home,” Bharata said.
“You are a good brother and a good man,” Rama said. “Some people struggle their whole lives to become willing to give up riches and power. You are willing to give them up right now. But I cannot disobey my father’s command.”
“All right, I will rule in your place until you come back, but everyone will know that you are the real king,” Bharata said. He ruled for 14 year. Then Rama and Sita came back, and Rama took over the throne that his brother had kept for him.
Reading a Primary Source: Use the story to complete the answers.
A Story from the Ramayana
When a king retired in ancient India, his oldest son was in line to become the next king. Rama was the oldest son of a king, but his stepmother wanted her son – Rama’s younger brother Bharata – to be king instead. She persuaded the king to send Rama into the forest for 14 years.
“Of course I will go. A son should always obey his parents,” Rama said.
Rama’s wife, Sita, decided to go with him into the forest. “A wife’s place is with her husband,” Sita explained.
When Bharata learned what had happened, he went to the forest to find his brother. “Rama, you should be king, not me. Please come home,” Bharata said.
“You are a good brother and a good man,” Rama said. “Some people struggle their whole lives to become willing to give up riches and power. You are willing to give them up right now. But I cannot disobey my father’s command.”
“All right, I will rule in your place until you come back, but everyone will know that you are the real king,” Bharata said. He ruled for 14 year. Then Rama and Sita came back, and Rama took over the throne that his brother had kept for him.
5. The Hindu ideal that Rama says is a lifelong struggle for some people is to
a. be a good son. c. be a good brother.
b. be a good ruler. d. become willing to give up riches and power.
6. How did Rama feel about his brother Bharata?
a. Bharata was a good person. c. Bharata should not be king.
b. Bharata was stealing his job. d. Bharata was unfit to be king.
7. In the context of the sentence below, what does the word “throne” mean?
Then Rama and Sita came back, and Rama took over the throne that his brother had kept for him.
a. the power of king c. a chair
b. a forest d. a father’s command
8. The author’s purpose in writing this story is
a. to tell an interesting story c. to explain how the kingdom works
b. to give the moral to obey your parents d. to tell about the journey in the forest
Page 4
Reading Visual Information: Read the diagram and text to answer the questions.
Reading Visual Information: Read the diagram and text to answer the questions.
Hinduism and the Caste System
The Social Order: By 500 BC, there was a strict division of classes. This was called the caste system. Under this system, people always had to stay in the caste of their parents. Since people could not leave their caste, they did the same work that their parents and other group members did. The caste system still exists in present-day India, but it is much less rigid. For example, people of different castes interact more freely. (adapted from History of Our World: The Early Ages, Prentice Hall, 2008, p.111) |
9. Which group has the fewest members?
a. Brahmins b. Khatriyas c. Vaishyas d. Shudras
10. Which group had the lowest social status?
b. Brahmins b. Shudras c. Untouchables d. Vaishyas
11. Each of the following is true about the caste system EXCEPT
a. People had to stay in the caste of their parents.
b. People could not leave their caste.
c. People did the same work that their parents did.
d. People are no longer in the caste system today.
a. Brahmins b. Khatriyas c. Vaishyas d. Shudras
10. Which group had the lowest social status?
b. Brahmins b. Shudras c. Untouchables d. Vaishyas
11. Each of the following is true about the caste system EXCEPT
a. People had to stay in the caste of their parents.
b. People could not leave their caste.
c. People did the same work that their parents did.
d. People are no longer in the caste system today.
Page 5
Reading Visual Information: Examine the picture and read the text to answer the questions.
Reading Visual Information: Examine the picture and read the text to answer the questions.
Prayer Wheel
Buddhists believe that reciting prayers helps them spiritually. They use the prayer wheel to help them pray. So, instead of chanting the mantra out loud, they turn the wheel, which counts the same as a prayer that has been said out loud. · The wooden grip is spun around. · Words of the mantra are inscribed on the brass surface. · A mantra is written down and rolled up inside. |
12. The central idea of this passage is
a. The prayer wheel helps Buddhists pray.
b. The wooden grip is spun around.
c. The mantra is written down and rolled up inside.
d. The weighted chain helps the wheel to spin.
13. How does the visual support your understanding of the text?
a. The prayer wheel helps Buddhists pray.
b. The prayer wheel shows where the mantra is kept.
c. The prayer wheel shows how it is able to spin.
d. The prayer wheel has a wooden grip.
14. From the context of the passage, what does the word “mantra” mean?
a. weighted chain b. wooden grip c. prayer d. chanting
a. The prayer wheel helps Buddhists pray.
b. The wooden grip is spun around.
c. The mantra is written down and rolled up inside.
d. The weighted chain helps the wheel to spin.
13. How does the visual support your understanding of the text?
a. The prayer wheel helps Buddhists pray.
b. The prayer wheel shows where the mantra is kept.
c. The prayer wheel shows how it is able to spin.
d. The prayer wheel has a wooden grip.
14. From the context of the passage, what does the word “mantra” mean?
a. weighted chain b. wooden grip c. prayer d. chanting
Page 6
Read the passage and study the map to answer the following questions.
Emperor Ashoka of India, becomes a Buddhist in the year 260 BCE. He has pillars carved with Buddhist teachings built all over India. Ashoka also sent his son to introduce Buddhism to the island of Ceylon. Later, around the start of the Common Era, Buddhism spread from northwestern India to Central Asia. From there, it traveled to China, Korea, and Japan. (www.teachtci.com)
Read the passage and study the map to answer the following questions.
Emperor Ashoka of India, becomes a Buddhist in the year 260 BCE. He has pillars carved with Buddhist teachings built all over India. Ashoka also sent his son to introduce Buddhism to the island of Ceylon. Later, around the start of the Common Era, Buddhism spread from northwestern India to Central Asia. From there, it traveled to China, Korea, and Japan. (www.teachtci.com)
12. What is the central idea of the passage?
a. Emperor Ashoka supported Buddhism, helping it spread.
b. Emperor Ashoka wanted to create pillars of teachings
c. Emperor Ashoka sent his son to Ceylon.
d. Emperor Ashoka traveled to China, Korea, and Japan.
13. Why did King Ashoka send his son to Ceylon?
a. to become king b. expand his empire c. to trade d. to spread Buddhism
14. In what body of water is the island of Ceylon?
a. Arabian Sea b. Indian Ocean c. Pacific Ocean d. South China Sea
15. Buddhist ideas also spread by water to what place?
a. China b. Korea c. Persia d. Sumatra
16. To where in Southeast Asia did Buddhism spread?
a. China b. Korea c. Persia d. Siam
a. Emperor Ashoka supported Buddhism, helping it spread.
b. Emperor Ashoka wanted to create pillars of teachings
c. Emperor Ashoka sent his son to Ceylon.
d. Emperor Ashoka traveled to China, Korea, and Japan.
13. Why did King Ashoka send his son to Ceylon?
a. to become king b. expand his empire c. to trade d. to spread Buddhism
14. In what body of water is the island of Ceylon?
a. Arabian Sea b. Indian Ocean c. Pacific Ocean d. South China Sea
15. Buddhist ideas also spread by water to what place?
a. China b. Korea c. Persia d. Sumatra
16. To where in Southeast Asia did Buddhism spread?
a. China b. Korea c. Persia d. Siam
Page 7
The Buddha said that one could end suffering and find enlightenment by following these eight teachings.
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1. Right understanding
Develop a deep understanding of the Four Noble Truths. 2. Right purpose Live a life of selflessness (not selfishness), love, and nonviolence. 3. Right Speech Be careful and truthful in what you say. Do not lie or gossip. 4. Right action Do not kill, steal, or lie. Be honest. |
5. Right way to earn a living
Do not work at a job that causes harm to people or living creatures. 6. Right effort Promote good actions and prevent evil actions. 7. Right mindfulness Be aware of but not attached to your emotions, thoughts, and feelings. 8. Right concentration Focus your mind with such practices as meditation. |
The Path to Nirvana
Choose three pathways from The Eightfold Path. Write the pathway, draw a visual and write an explanation of how the visual is an example of the pathway. (2 points each)
Check! How many things do you need to do?
20. 21. 22.
Explain: Explain: Explain:
Choose three pathways from The Eightfold Path. Write the pathway, draw a visual and write an explanation of how the visual is an example of the pathway. (2 points each)
Check! How many things do you need to do?
20. 21. 22.
Explain: Explain: Explain: