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:

Which of the following statements correctly characterizes the Hindu tradition?
a) The Hindu tradition has no founder.
b) Virtually all Hindus are vegetarians.
c) Meditation and yoga are the primary Hindu paths to salvation.
d) None of the above correctly characterizes the Hindu tradition.

Question 2:

Which of the following groups is NOT considered to be one of the ‘twice born’ castes?
a) Brahmin
b) Shudras
c) Vaisyas
d) Kshatriya

Question 3:

Which of the following texts was the earliest to appear?
a) The Bhagavad Gita
b) The Upanishads
c) The Vedas
d) Laws of Manu

Question 4:

What was the central theme of the earliest Vedic texts?
a) ‘Jnana’ (knowledge) on the unity of Atman and Brahman
b) ‘Yajna’ (sacrifice) to the Gods
c) ‘Bhakti’ (devotion) to Vishnu and his various avatars
d) ‘Vrata’ (votive rituals) to ensure well-being

Question 5:

Which of the following types of Hindu texts is NOT considered to be smrti?
a) Vedas
b) Epics
c) Puranas
d) Dharmasastras

Question 6:

Which of the following texts is said to be the longest poem in the world?
a) The Ramayana
b) The Rig Veda
c) The Mahabharata
d) The Upanishads

Question 7:

In Yoga, perfection in concentration and meditation lead to what?
a) Samadhi
b) Tantra
c) Maya
d) Vaidya

Question 8:

Which of the following statements about the Bhagavad Gita is FALSE?
a) It is part of a much larger work called the Mahabharata.
b) It teaches that fighting in a spirit of detachment is acceptable.
c) It concerns a war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
d) It describes the heroic exploits of the avatar Rama.

Question 9:

Hindus believe which deity will have ten incarnations in the present cycle of creation?
a) Shiva
b) Brahma
c) Ganesha
d) Vishnu

Question 10:

Which of the following terms does NOT denote a Hindu festival?
a) Upanayana
b) Deepavali
c) Onam
d) Kumbha Mela

Question 11:

According to your textbook, who is probably the most popular god in all of Hinduism today?
a) Shiva
b) Ganesha
c) Devi (the Goddess and her myriad forms)
d) Vishnu (including his incarnations)

Question 12:

Which of the following is NOT a way to liberation, as identified in the Bhagavad Gita?
a) The way of devotion
b) The way of action
c) The way of discipline
d) The way of knowledge

Question 13:

Which of the following is NOT a part of South Indian Hindu traditions?
a) Sant tradition
b) Nayanmars and Alvars
c) Puram and Akam
d) Ettutokai and Pattupattu

Question 14:

According to your textbook, who wrote a book emphasizing the compatibility of Jesus’ moral teachings with the Hindu tradition?
a) Pandit Nehru
b) Mahatma Gandhi
c) Ram Mohan Roy
d) Rabindranath Tagore

Question 15:

Modern Hinduism was spearheaded by two Hindu reform movements. Identify these movements—or the leaders of these movements—from the following.
a) Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar
b) Aurobindo and Tagore
c) Vedic Reform and the Dalit Movement
d) Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj

Higher Education

A Concise Introduction to World Religions 2e: Chapter 6