India's Cultural Roots — Hard

Q1. Read: (i) Vedanta holds that everything is one divine essence called brahman. (ii) Brahman is the same as the god Brahmā. Which is correct?

• A. Both (i) and (ii) are correct
• B. Only (i) is correct
• C. Only (ii) is correct
• D. Neither (i) nor (ii) is correct

Q2. The Vedic, Buddhist and Jain schools had important differences but shared common concepts. Which set best represents these shared concepts?

• A. Coins, taxes and trade routes
• B. Dharma, karma, rebirth, and the search for an end to suffering and ignorance
• C. Iron pillars, stupas and inscriptions
• D. Kingship, warfare and conquest

Q3. The debate between Gārgī and Yājñavalkya, found in the Brihadāranyaka Upanishad, is best used to illustrate which idea?

• A. That women were forbidden from learning
• B. The importance of asking questions, including by women, about the nature of brahman
• C. That kings always won philosophical debates
• D. That the Vedas opposed all debate

Q4. Experts have proposed dates for the composition of the Rig Veda ranging across which span?

• A. The 5th to the 2nd millennium BCE
• B. The 1st to the 5th century CE
• C. The 6th century BCE only
• D. After the birth of the Buddha

Q5. Sociologist André Béteille argued that the influence between Hinduism and tribal religions was

• A. Entirely one-way, from Hinduism to tribes only
• B. Mutual — tribal religions influenced Hinduism, and Hinduism influenced tribal religions, throughout history
• C. Non-existent, as they never interacted
• D. Limited only to the modern period

Q6. In the Jātaka tale of the monkey-king, what value does the monkey-king's act of forming a bridge with his body best illustrate?

• A. Greed for the tree's fruit
• B. Selfless sacrifice and a ruler's duty toward his subjects
• C. Fear of the king's soldiers
• D. The uselessness of helping others

Q7. A Jain follower limits herself to only what is truly necessary in life and detaches from material things. This best reflects which principle?

• A. Anekāntavāda
• B. Aparigraha
• C. Ahimsa
• D. Avidyā

Q8. The Buddha's saying 'Conquering oneself is greater than conquering a thousand men on the battlefield' chiefly emphasises

• A. Military victory over enemies
• B. Inner discipline and self-mastery over external conquest
• C. The need to bathe in sacred rivers
• D. The value of accumulating wealth

Q9. The Toda tribals of the Nilgiris avoid even pointing a finger at over thirty peaks. This best illustrates which idea about tribal belief?

• A. Tribes have no concept of any deity
• B. Natural elements like mountains are regarded as sacred residences of deities
• C. Tribes worship only one supreme god and nothing else
• D. Pointing fingers is forbidden in all Indian cultures

Q10. In the Vedic worldview, 'ritam' refers to

• A. A type of musical chant
• B. Truth and order in human life and in the cosmos
• C. A tribal deity from Odisha
• D. The capital city of the Vedic janas

Q11. Consider: (i) Vardhamāna was born near Vaishālī in modern-day Bihar. (ii) He achieved supreme wisdom after practising ascetic discipline for 12 years. Which is correct?

• A. Only (i) is correct
• B. Only (ii) is correct
• C. Both (i) and (ii) are correct
• D. Neither is correct

Q12. The rock-cut caves at Ellora (Maharashtra), made between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, are significant because

• A. They belong to only one school of thought
• B. Some caves are Hindu while others are Buddhist and Jain, showing coexistence
• C. They were built by foreign rulers
• D. They contain only Vedic hymns carved in stone

Q13. Folk and tribal roots are described as 'oral traditions'. What does this mean, and how does it link to the Vedas?

• A. They are written in printed books, unlike the Vedas
• B. They are transmitted through everyday practice without written texts, as is also the case of the Vedas
• C. They have no connection with the Vedas at all
• D. They were recorded only on copper plates

Q14. Early in the 1st millennium BCE, the Yoga school developed methods chiefly intended to

• A. Conquer neighbouring kingdoms
• B. Achieve the realisation of brahman in one's consciousness
• C. Record taxes and land grants
• D. Build large stone temples

Q15. Match correctly: tribal supreme deities and their regions, as given in the chapter.

• A. Donyipolo — Arunachal Pradesh; Singbonga — Munda and Santhal tribes
• B. Donyipolo — Tamil Nadu; Singbonga — Odisha coast
• C. Donyipolo — Munda tribe; Singbonga — Arunachal Pradesh
• D. Donyipolo — Maharashtra; Singbonga — Nilgiris