India's Cultural Roots — Quiz

Q1. Why is one of the 'True or false' statements — 'The Vedic hymns were written on palm-leaf manuscripts' — false?

• A. Palm-leaf was invented much later than the Vedas
• B. The hymns were recited orally, not written down
• C. Only kings were allowed to write them
• D. The hymns were carved on stone pillars instead

Q2. The Vedic statement 'ekam sat viprā bahudhā vadanti' best reflects the belief that

• A. Only one deity should ever be worshipped
• B. The supreme reality is one, but sages give it many names
• C. Truth changes from age to age
• D. Knowledge belongs only to the rishis

Q3. The Vedic words 'sabhā' and 'samiti' both refer to a

• A. King or ruler
• B. Collective gathering or assembly
• C. Type of yajña
• D. Sacred river

Q4. Which two new concepts did the Upanishads introduce, building upon Vedic ideas?

• A. Rebirth and karma
• B. Trade and taxation
• C. Coins and inscriptions
• D. Monasteries and stupas

Q5. In the Upanishads, the ātman or Self is described as

• A. A material object that can be bought
• B. The divine essence in every being, ultimately one with brahman
• C. A separate god living in the sky
• D. Something that dies with the body

Q6. What did Siddhārtha see during his chariot ride that led him to give up palace life?

• A. A king, a soldier, a merchant and a farmer
• B. An old man, a sick man, a dead body and an ascetic
• C. Four sacred rivers
• D. Four temples of different gods

Q7. After enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, what did the Buddha identify as the two sources of human suffering?

• A. Poverty and war
• B. Avidyā (ignorance) and attachment
• C. Disease and old age
• D. Hunger and thirst

Q8. The Buddha taught ahimsa, usually translated as 'non-violence'. What did the word originally mean?

• A. Non-hurting or non-injuring
• B. Conquest of enemies
• C. Giving up all food
• D. Bathing in sacred rivers

Q9. The word 'Jain' comes from 'jina', meaning 'conqueror'. What kind of conquest does it refer to?

• A. Conquest of territory and enemies
• B. Conquest of ignorance and attachments to reach enlightenment
• C. Conquest of rival kings in battle
• D. Conquest of wealth and trade routes

Q10. In Jainism, anekāntavāda means that

• A. Only one perspective on truth is correct
• B. Truth has many aspects and cannot be fully described by any single statement
• C. Possessions should be increased
• D. Violence is acceptable in self-defence

Q11. In the Chhāndogya Upanishad story, how did Uddālaka use a banyan seed to teach Shvetaketu?

• A. The seed looks empty, yet contains the future banyan tree — so brahman, though invisible, is everywhere
• B. The seed is heavy, showing brahman has weight
• C. The seed must be burnt to release brahman
• D. The seed cannot grow, proving brahman does not exist

Q12. Why does the chapter prefer 'schools of thought' over the word 'religion' for Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism?

• A. Because these traditions have no followers today
• B. Because they have many aspects — philosophical, spiritual, ethical, social — and 'religion' is too limiting
• C. Because they were invented by foreigners
• D. Because they reject all forms of worship

Q13. How do anthropologists today usually describe a 'tribe'?

• A. A group living in cities and owning large estates
• B. Families or clans sharing common descent, culture and language, living close-knit under a chief with no private property
• C. An army unit serving a king
• D. A trading guild of merchants

Q14. According to many scholars, some of India's cultural roots go all the way back to which civilisation?

• A. The Gupta Empire
• B. The Indus or Harappan (Sindhu-Sarasvatī) civilisation
• C. The Mauryan Empire
• D. The Roman Empire

Q15. What did the Chārvāka (or Lokāyata) school believe?

• A. That this material world is the only thing that exists, so there is no life after death
• B. That the Vedas are the highest authority
• C. That ahimsa is the supreme value
• D. That brahman is the essence of everything