Question 1

A key difference between Hinduism and Buddhism was that Buddhism

Accepted Answer

A)  claimed that each individual possessed a unique soul, capable of reincarnation. 
B)  believed in an unyielding caste structure. 
C)  was simpler and rejected the numerous Hindu gods. 
D)  required belief in a different, two-tier caste system. 
E)  originated in Mongolia, Siddhartha's birthplace. 
A)  claimed that each individual possessed a unique soul, capable of reincarnation. 
B)  believed in an unyielding caste structure. 
C)  was simpler and rejected the numerous Hindu gods. 
D)  required belief in a different, two-tier caste system. 
E)  originated in Mongolia, Siddhartha's birthplace.

Question 2

Which leader drove Alexander the Great's Greek administrators from India?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ashoka 
B)  Siddhartha Gautama 
C)  Xiongnu 
D)  Chandragupta Maurya 
E)  Megasthenes 
A)  Ashoka 
B)  Siddhartha Gautama 
C)  Xiongnu 
D)  Chandragupta Maurya 
E)  Megasthenes

Question 3

What did Mahavira, founder of Jainism, preach to his followers?

Accepted Answer

A)  That they follow the "middle way" 
B)  That they abandon their possessions and become beggars 
C)  That they practice sati 
D)  That they embrace education for women 
E)  That they erect stone pillars in honor of the Buddha 
A)  That they follow the "middle way" 
B)  That they abandon their possessions and become beggars 
C)  That they practice sati 
D)  That they embrace education for women 
E)  That they erect stone pillars in honor of the Buddha

Question 4

The caste system was in part a reflection of the light-skinned Aryans conquest of the dark-skinned Dravidians.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Why do historians believe that India was unable to maintain a unified empire?

Accepted Answer

A)  India was unable to profit from its agricultural system. 
B)  India lacked a dynamic leader. 
C)  India's declining regional trade fueled the growth of smaller kingdoms and a shift toward agriculture. 
D)  India's diverse religions divided the people and made unity impossible. 
E)  India's complex geography made it difficult to unify far-flung sections. 
A)  India was unable to profit from its agricultural system. 
B)  India lacked a dynamic leader. 
C)  India's declining regional trade fueled the growth of smaller kingdoms and a shift toward agriculture. 
D)  India's diverse religions divided the people and made unity impossible. 
E)  India's complex geography made it difficult to unify far-flung sections.

Question 6

The third-ranked caste, usually viewed as the merchant caste, was the

Accepted Answer

A)  kshatriya. 
B)  pariah. 
C)  brahmins. 
D)  vaisya. 
E)  sudras. 
A)  kshatriya. 
B)  pariah. 
C)  brahmins. 
D)  vaisya. 
E)  sudras.

Question 7

Women who did not consent to sati were

Accepted Answer

A)  unknown. 
B)  disgraced. 
C)  widely praised. 
D)  forced to do so by husbands. 
E)  banned from the Buddhist faith. 
A)  unknown. 
B)  disgraced. 
C)  widely praised. 
D)  forced to do so by husbands. 
E)  banned from the Buddhist faith.

Question 8

Asceticism was practiced in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

The founder of Buddhism was

Accepted Answer

A)  Chandragupta Maurya. 
B)  Siddhartha Gautama. 
C)  Mahauira Krishna. 
D)  Ashoka Gupta. 
E)  Mahavira. 
A)  Chandragupta Maurya. 
B)  Siddhartha Gautama. 
C)  Mahauira Krishna. 
D)  Ashoka Gupta. 
E)  Mahavira.

Question 10

The Aryans introduced agriculture to the Indian subcontinent.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The members of the caste known as the untouchables, or pariahs, were

Accepted Answer

A)  so holy that they would be contaminated if touched even by high priests. 
B)  given extensive opportunity to achieve social mobility. 
C)  required to have a minimum of five children during their lifetimes. 
D)  composed primarily of priests and financial planners. 
E)  given jobs such as handling dead bodies or collecting trash. 
A)  so holy that they would be contaminated if touched even by high priests. 
B)  given extensive opportunity to achieve social mobility. 
C)  required to have a minimum of five children during their lifetimes. 
D)  composed primarily of priests and financial planners. 
E)  given jobs such as handling dead bodies or collecting trash.

Question 12

The Ramayana

Accepted Answer

A)  is a presentation of Indian values such as duty over self-indulgence. 
B)  ignores the relationship of gods and animals in human life. 
C)  is a realistic depiction of Indian life. 
D)  describes an Aryan attack on Delhi. 
E)  is the name of the warrior caste. 
A)  is a presentation of Indian values such as duty over self-indulgence. 
B)  ignores the relationship of gods and animals in human life. 
C)  is a realistic depiction of Indian life. 
D)  describes an Aryan attack on Delhi. 
E)  is the name of the warrior caste.

Question 13

The Indian term dharma referred to laws setting behavioral standards for which groups in Indian society?

Accepted Answer

A)  bodhis and kshatriyas. 
B)  rajas and maharajas. 
C)  the Dao. 
D)  the untouchables. 
E)  all inhabitants of India, of all classes. 
A)  bodhis and kshatriyas. 
B)  rajas and maharajas. 
C)  the Dao. 
D)  the untouchables. 
E)  all inhabitants of India, of all classes.

Question 14

Why did Ashoka construct the rock chambers?

Accepted Answer

A)  To house monks and wandering ascetics 
B)  To find a creative use for mountain rock 
C)  To make a sacrifice to the gods 
D)  To emulate similar structures in Rome 
E)  To have a central location for the practice of sati 
A)  To house monks and wandering ascetics 
B)  To find a creative use for mountain rock 
C)  To make a sacrifice to the gods 
D)  To emulate similar structures in Rome 
E)  To have a central location for the practice of sati

Question 15

The two major cities of the Harappan civilization were

Accepted Answer

A)  Gujarat and Panini. 
B)  both located near the Indian Ocean coast. 
C)  comprised of over 500,000 inhabitants each. 
D)  Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. 
E)  established on the bank of the Ganges River. 
A)  Gujarat and Panini. 
B)  both located near the Indian Ocean coast. 
C)  comprised of over 500,000 inhabitants each. 
D)  Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. 
E)  established on the bank of the Ganges River.

Question 16

According to the Arthasastra,

Accepted Answer

A)  the king was required to rule solely in a despotic manner. 
B)  the king must choose practical politics over sacred law when the two are in conflict. 
C)  the king must embrace egalitarian use of political power in the society. 
D)  the peasants should be given a limited form of self-rule. 
E)  the rulers were to be morally flawless. 
A)  the king was required to rule solely in a despotic manner. 
B)  the king must choose practical politics over sacred law when the two are in conflict. 
C)  the king must embrace egalitarian use of political power in the society. 
D)  the peasants should be given a limited form of self-rule. 
E)  the rulers were to be morally flawless.

Question 17

The three major forms of architecture in ancient India had which of the following in common?

Accepted Answer

A)  They were largely formulaic and followed a set pattern. 
B)  They are embellished with figures that give them a sense of nature and the vitality of life. 
C)  They forbid the representation of people and animals. 
D)  They reflected the philosophies of Buddhism but not other religions. 
E)  They were largely developed as secular monuments by kings. 
A)  They were largely formulaic and followed a set pattern. 
B)  They are embellished with figures that give them a sense of nature and the vitality of life. 
C)  They forbid the representation of people and animals. 
D)  They reflected the philosophies of Buddhism but not other religions. 
E)  They were largely developed as secular monuments by kings.

Question 18

Indian farmers faced all of the following problems EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)  high taxes for land-owners. 
B)  the unpredictability of the climate. 
C)  government control of crop prices. 
D)  heavy rents for sharecroppers. 
E)  the whims of the marketplace. 
A)  high taxes for land-owners. 
B)  the unpredictability of the climate. 
C)  government control of crop prices. 
D)  heavy rents for sharecroppers. 
E)  the whims of the marketplace.

Question 19

Why did the jati class system survive for so many centuries?

Accepted Answer

A)  Indian society could not function without it. 
B)  It served as a denunciation of any form of welfare. 
C)  It provided an identity for individuals in a highly hierarchical society where they could always find someone lower in status 
D)  Indian society could not untangle class status from religious beliefs. 
E)  It was embraced and reinforced by each succeeding ruler. 
A)  Indian society could not function without it. 
B)  It served as a denunciation of any form of welfare. 
C)  It provided an identity for individuals in a highly hierarchical society where they could always find someone lower in status 
D)  Indian society could not untangle class status from religious beliefs. 
E)  It was embraced and reinforced by each succeeding ruler.

Question 20

What do archeologists believe about Harappan civilization?

Accepted Answer

A)  That it was ruled by a series of kings 
B)  That its inhabitants lacked the ability to write 
C)  That it was a monarchical society 
D)  That it was the birthplace of Buddhism 
E)  That it was a primitive culture 
A)  That it was ruled by a series of kings 
B)  That its inhabitants lacked the ability to write 
C)  That it was a monarchical society 
D)  That it was the birthplace of Buddhism 
E)  That it was a primitive culture

Exam 2: Ancient India

A key difference between Hinduism and Buddhism was that Buddhism

Which leader drove Alexander the Great's Greek administrators from India?

What did Mahavira, founder of Jainism, preach to his followers?

The caste system was in part a reflection of the light-skinned Aryans conquest of the dark-skinned Dravidians.

Why do historians believe that India was unable to maintain a unified empire?

The third-ranked caste, usually viewed as the merchant caste, was the

Women who did not consent to sati were

Asceticism was practiced in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism.

The founder of Buddhism was

The Aryans introduced agriculture to the Indian subcontinent.

The members of the caste known as the untouchables, or pariahs, were

The Ramayana

The Indian term dharma referred to laws setting behavioral standards for which groups in Indian society?

Why did Ashoka construct the rock chambers?

The two major cities of the Harappan civilization were

According to the Arthasastra,

The three major forms of architecture in ancient India had which of the following in common?

Indian farmers faced all of the following problems EXCEPT

Why did the jati class system survive for so many centuries?

What do archeologists believe about Harappan civilization?

Early Humans and the First Civilizations

China in Antiquity

The Civilization of the Greeks

The Roman World Empire

The Americas

Ferment in the Middle East: the Rise of Islam

Early Civilizations in Africa

The Expansion of Civilization in South and Southeast Asia

The Flowering of Traditional China

The East Asian Rimlands: Early Japan, Korea, and Vietnam

The Making of Europe

The Byzantine Empire and Crisis and Recovery in the West

New Encounters: the Creation of a World Market

Europe Transformed: Reform and State Building

The Muslim Empires

The East Asian World

The West on the Eve of a New World Order

The Beginnings of Modernization: Industrialization and Nationalism in the Nineteenth Century

The Americas and Society and Culture in the West

The High Tide of Imperialism

Shadows Over the Pacific: East Asia Under Challenge

The Beginning of the Twentieth-Century Crisis: War and Revolution

Nationalism, Revolution, and Dictatorship: Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America From 1919 to 1939

The Crisis Deepens: World War Ii

East and West in the Grip of the Cold War

Brave New World: Communism on Trial

Europe and the Western Hemisphere Since 1945

Challenges of Nation Building in Africa and the Middle East

Toward the Pacific Century

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