Exercise Answers
A. Choose the correct answer:
1. The Upanishads were composed in:
a. Pali
b. Tamil
c. Sanskrit
d. Maithili
Ans. c. Sanskrit
2. Karma is a belief in:
a. life after death
b. the universal soul
c. every action causing a reaction
d. freedom from the circle of birth and death
Ans. c. every action causing a reaction
3. The Buddha delivered his first sermon at:
a. Kashi
b. Bodhgaya
c. Sarnath
d. Kushinagar
Ans. c. Sarnath
4. The group of Buddhist who worshipped Buddha like a god were called:
a. digambar
b. Hinayana
c. Mahayana
d. svetambara
Ans. c. Mahayana
B. Fill in the blanks:
1. The Upanishads are also known as the ________.
Ans. Vedanta
2. The Upanishads advocated faith in __________, meaning the universal soul.
Ans. Brahman
3. _________ was the last of the 24 tirthankaras.
Ans. Mahavira
4. Mahavira was also known as _________ or the conqueror of Passions.
Ans. Jina
5. Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment at _______ ________ in Bihar.
Ans. Bodh Gaya
6. The Buddhist prayer hall is called a ________.
Ans. Monastery
C. Answer in one or two sentences.
1. What is the meaning of the word Upanishad?
Ans. The word 'Upanishad' literally means ' to sit down beside '.
2. Who is a tirthankar?
Ans. tirthankara: In Jain tradition, one of 24 enlightened spiritual masters who preach the righteous path.
3. What does the term ahimsa mean?
Ans. The term ahimsa means non-violence.
4. How could a person attain nirvana according to Mahavira?
Ans. According to Mahavira he believed that everyone could attain nirvana by following the three-fold path of right belief, right knowledge and right conduct.
5. Which are the countries to which Buddhism spread from India?
Ans. The countries which Buddhism spread from India are China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia.
D. Answer in a paragraph.
1. What were the Upanishads? What did they teach?
Ans. The Upanishads are the final part, and the essence, of the Vedas.
The main teachings of the Upanishads include:
• belief in the law of Karma
• believe in Samsara or the cycle of birth, death and rebirth
• belief in Moksha
• belief in the Atman
• faith in Brahman
2. What were the four noble truths? What is the eight-fold path? Why is it called the Middle Path?
Ans. The main teachings of Buddha are contained in the Four Noble Truths.
• Suffering exists in our lives.
• the main cause of our suffering is desire
• It is possible to end suffering
• In order to end suffering and control desire, one should follow the eight-fold path.
3. What was the Sangha? What was its role in the spread of Buddhism?
Ans. Gautam Buddh established the Sangha (an organisation of order). The Sangh consists of monks and nuns who had renounced all ties with the world and its pleasures and lived strictly according to his teachings. Members of the sanga lived and prayed together. They also wandered from place to place begging from food and alms.
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