Instructions: For each question, click on the radio button beside your answer. When you have completed the entire quiz, click the 'Submit my answers' button at the bottom of the page to receive your results.

Question 1:

There are four meaningful sights/signs in the Buddha’s life story. Which of the following was NOT one of these sights?
a) a corpse
b) a meditating monk
c) a newborn baby
d) an old man

Question 2:

Which of the following is NOT one of the three major characteristics of existence taught by the Buddha?
a) devotion
b) impermanence
c) suffering
d) no immortal soul

Question 3:

The alleged birthplace of the Buddha is the town of
a) Bodh Gaya, India.
b) Kushinagar, India.
c) Lumbini, Nepal.
d) Sarnath, India.

Question 4:

Within the schools of Mahayana Buddhism, a particular type of religious figure became the centre of a host of devotional practices. That type of figure is known as
a) the Arhat.
b) the Tirthankara.
c) the Pratyeka Buddha.
d) the Bodhisattva.

Question 5:

In Madhyamika Buddhist philosophy, all phenomena of existence are ultimately
a) empty.
b) identical with the transcendent (nirvana).
c) emergent from the Storehouse Consciousness.
d) both a and b.
e) both b and c.

Question 6:

Which of the following is NOT a common feature of Vajrayana Buddhist practice?
a) an understanding of death based on the Bardo Thodol
b) 'vipassana' (‘mindfulness’) meditation
c) visualization of sexual union between divine beings
d) mediation upon mandalas

Question 7:

Pure Land Buddhism is correctly depicted by which of the following statements?
a) It began the lineage of the Dalai Lamas.
b) It encourages meditation as the key to nirvana.
c) It emphasizes devotion, chanting, and worship.
d) It was introduced into China by Bodhidharma.

Question 8:

Siddhartha Gautama taught that
a) enlightenment comes through self-effort and not the assistance of a God.
b) individuals need to flow around any obstacles in their paths.
c) all caste duties are inescapable.
d) none of the above

Question 9:

Which of the following texts is NOT associated with Mahayana Buddhism?
a) Lotus Sutra
b) Abidharma
c) Heart Sutra
d) Platform Sutra

Question 10:

Which one of the following terms does NOT denote one of the major Buddhist 'yanas'?
a) Hinayana
b) Therayana
c) Mahayana
d) Vajrayana

Question 11:

Which of the following features is important to Tibetan Buddhism?
a) koan practice
b) rejection of rituals
c) vegetarianism
d) tantrism

Question 12:

Which of the following is a distinctive element of the Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism?
a) It stresses the importance of non-attachment.
b) It allows its monks to marry.
c) It reveres the text of the Heart Sutra.
d) It requires its monks to subsist by begging.

Question 13:

According to your textbook, which form of Buddhism is the most popular in the world today?
a) Tibetan Buddhism of the Dalai Lama
b) Theravada Buddhism
c) Zen Buddhism (Mahayana)
d) Pure Land school (Mahayana)

Question 14:

Identify the Triple Gem in Buddhist teachings.
a) Buddha, dharma, sangha
b) suffering, impermanence, no-soul
c) craving, attachment, anger
d) karma, rebirth, nirvana

Question 15:

Zen practice often centres on the use of koans, which are dictums that push listeners over logic’s cliff to help them let go of reason to find Enlightenment. Imagine a koan that began with the phrase ‘A Buddha is much like an oil lamp…’. Which of the following lines would be the most fitting koan-like response?
a) ‘… His light can be extinguished through appropriate effort.’
b) ‘… Aaarrrrghh! Hot!!’
c) ‘… His enlightenment shines forth, illuminating the darkness.’
d) ‘… The oil, wick, and flame are One.’

Higher Education

A Concise Introduction to World Religions 2e: Chapter 8