Assignment:
Question 1 Which of the following statements about bodhisattvas is true?
a They are rejected in Mahayana Buddhism.
b They are laypeople in Theravada Buddhism.
c They are enlightened beings who refrain from entering nirvana in order to save others.
d They are monks who failed to enter nirvana and are sentenced to work for the poor.
Question 2 Which of the following statements regarding Buddhism's perspective on suffering is true?
a Buddhism does not claim to be able to get rid of pain or evil, it merely claims that an enlightened person will no longer perceive it.
b Buddhism claims that attaining enlightenment will show individuals that there is no such thing as suffering.
c Buddhism claims that suffering is caused by evil spirits.
d Buddhism claims that suffering is necessary for spiritual development.
Question 3 Which of the following choices is NOT one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism?
a the Buddha
b karma
c dharma
d the Sangha
Question 4 Which of the following choices best expresses how Buddha taught about dharma after reaching enlightenment.
a Instead of teaching others how to learn for themselves, he taught them what he learned.
b Instead of teaching what he learned, he taught others how to learn those things for themselves.
c He taught them what he learned only if they could survive a life of extreme asceticism.
d He did not begin teaching after reaching enlightenment.
Question 5 All schools of Buddhism ____________.
a accept only the Pali Tipitaka as Buddhist texts.
b encourage followers to ignore the Three Jewels
c encourage followers to embrace the Five Precepts
d encourage followers to reject the Four Noble Truths
Question 6 Many Mahayana sutras appear to ______________.
a have been abandoned at a later time in their histories
b have been abandoned at an early time in their histories
c have been translated from Sanskrit into local languages at a later time in their histories
d have been translated from local languages into Sanskrit at an early time in their histories
Question 7 The Irenaean theodicy posits that _______
a evil does not exist
b the existence of evil depends entirely on individual perspective
c the existence of evil is necessary for proper spiritual development
d evil is an illusion
Question 8 The Vinaya Pitaka contains __________.
a rules for Buddhist monks and nuns
b rules for Buddhist rulers
c rules for Buddhist children
d None of the above
Question 9 While both the Theravada school and the Mahayana school stress the importance of attaining wisdom, the Mahayana school also emphasizes the ______________.
a practice of martial arts b practice of studying
c practice of compassion
d practice of fasting
Question 10 Vajrayana Buddhism is also sometimes called _________.
a Tiantai Buddhism
b Zen Buddhism
c Mahayana Buddhism
d Tantric Buddhism
Question 11 Which Buddhist school is thought to be the largest school?
a Mahayana Buddhism
b Theravada Buddhism
c Tibetan Buddhism
d None of the above
Question 12 What is one purpose of the Noble Eightfold Path?
a To provide instructions for finding an acceptable sangha.
b To provide instructions for meditating correctly.
c To provide instructions for eliminating dukkha.
d To provide instructions for maximizing dukkha.
Question 13 Which of the following statements about the Middle Way is true?
a The Middle Way is a summary of the Buddhist creation story.
b The Middle Way does not require Buddhists to take firm positions on metaphysical questions.
c The Middle Way requires practitioners to embrace extreme self-indulgence or self-deprivation.
d Both B and C
Question 14 Which Buddhist text contains rules for Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as explanation for those rules? a Abhidhamma Pitaka
b Vinaya Pitaka
c Sutta Pitaka
d Bodhisattvas Pitaka
Question 15 It is believed that Buddhism faced a period of oppression under the rule of which dynasty?
a the Ashokan Dynasty
b the Persian Empire
c the Mauryan Dynasty
d the Sunga Dynasty
Question 16 Vajrayana Buddhism holds ________ intended to focus the body and mind to be central its practice.
a rituals
b charity
c fasting
d compassion
Question 17 Which of the following choices is NOT one of the Four Noble Truths?
a The truth of suffering
b The truth of the origin of suffering
c The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering
d The truth of enlightenment
Question 18 East Asian and Tibetan Buddhists believe there exists a period of experience between lives called _______. a bardo
b dukkha
c samsara
d ahimsa
Question 19 The cycle of samsara is _____________.
a blocked by human cravings and aversions
b perpetuated by human cravings and aversions
c perpetuated by nirvana d
a human illusion
Question 20 The Zen school is believed to have been influenced by _________________.
a Chinese Daoism
b Hinduism
c Confucianism
d Both A and C
Question 21 Which of the following choices is the proper term for a Buddhist community of nuns and monks?
a the Magga
b Samsara
c the Dharma
d the Sangha
Question 22 _______ is the Buddhist term for suffering, stress, anxiety, and dissatisfaction.
a Karma
b Samsara
c Dukkha
d Nirvana
Question 23 Which of the following statements regarding Buddhism is true?
a The concept of nonviolence is largely ignored.
b There is no official Buddhist position on dietary restrictions.
c Every Buddhist in every school is required to chant daily.
d There is no prohibition on ingesting intoxicants that can alter one's mind.
Question 24 Which of the following choices is the correct Buddhist term for a state of bliss offering total peace and freedom from life's pain?
a nirvana
b samsara
c karma
d sangha
Question 25 __________ attempt to justify the existence of evil and suffering.
a Theologies
b Theodicies
c Apologetics
d Dialectics