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DSST Introduction To World Religions

Subjects : dsst, culture

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. What belief systems are neither monotheistic nor polytheistic?
Buddhism; Confucianism; Taoism
Profess one's Islamic faith
The caste system.
Christians' belief in an immortal soul; Native Americans in general believe that if people forget the dead - over time their souls will cease to exist.

2. The Kabbalah is similar to the material found in the...
The dominant theme of Taoism
Anglicans; Thomas Cranmer - who was the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury and a leader of the English Protestant Reformation - wrote the 'Book of Common Prayer -' which remains the official liturgy of the Anglican communion of churches.
Disappeared after the Assyrians captured Israel
Tantras of Tibetan Buddhism

3. Circumcision is a rite of passage found in which religions?
Judaism; Islam; Traditional African religions
Covenant; The Covenant between Yahweh and Abraham is the foundation on which Judaism is based.
Transubstantiation
A supreme being

4. The Upanishads are important to Hindus because they...
It describes Allah as a strict - distant - and unresponsive god
Set out a number of principles that are central to Hinduism; The Upanishads are a collection of advice from Hindu sages. Among the topics covered are reincarnation - creation - and the relationship between individual souls and Ultimate Reality.
Roman Catholicism
Householder

5. Buddhism's 'middle path' is best explained as a way of life that...
Is neither a life of pleasure nor one of self-denial
Hindus; part of the epic 'Mahabharata'
Tantras of Tibetan Buddhism
Magic

6. What is not a reason fundamentalist movements in any religion usually develop?
The desire to convert nonbelievers and spread the religion
The caste system
Sudden illumination; The Renzai - or Intuitive - school of Zen Buddhism believes that rational thought will not bring illumination. One must think anti-rationally and go behind reason before enlightenment will come - and then it will come suddenly in
Sencond Vatican Council

7. Jerusalem is a holy city to...
Hinduism
Christians; Jews; Muslims
Jews; This is the promise that Yahweh made to Abraham
Only those times when he invokes the authority of 'ex cathedra'; 'Ex cathedra' is the authority of the pope based on his position as teacher and pastor of Christians. When the pope speaks 'ex cathedra' on a doctrine of faith and morals - he is kept f

8. Meditation is NOT an important part of the practice of...
Indigenous religions of South America
Relied on by the faithful of the Pure Land sect to Buddhism to enter the Land of Bliss
Experiencing a feeling of oneness with Allah; Sufism is a mystical movement within Islam that is characterized by asceticism.
Judaism

9. King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church because he...
The role of its clergy; Shi'a has a clerical hierarchy.
Disappeared after the Assyrians captured Israel
Covenant; The Covenant between Yahweh and Abraham is the foundation on which Judaism is based.
Had been denied an annulment of his marriage

10. In Taoism - yin and yang represent...
Female and male; Yin represents the female principle and earth. It is passive and dark. Yang represents the male principle and heaven. It is action - heat - and light. Together - they represent harmony.
Disappeared after the Assyrians captured Israel
Dowries were given to brides - not their fathers; Women gained property and inheritance rights; Mistreatment of wives in marriage was forbidden
A path to release the mind from distractions

11. The natural world is an integrated whole.
An accurate explanation of Taoist teachings
Reassert Church doctrine as a result of the Protestant Reformation
Disappeared after the Assyrians captured Israel
Lack of hierarchical structure; Unlike the Roman Catholic Church that has the pope at its head - Eastern Orthodox churches are ruled by a network of patriarchs.

12. Who is the most traditionally observant Jew?
Jewish dietary laws
A supreme being
Orthodox
Baal Shem Tov

13. Council called to modernize the Roman Catholic Church.
Sencond Vatican Council
Shinto
Emphasized obedience to God's law
Jews; This is the promise that Yahweh made to Abraham

14. What are aspects of Buddhism's Four Noble Truths?
Required obedience to a set of moral behaviors
Desire is the cause of all suffering; The Eightfold Path; All life is suffering; The only way to end suffering is to end desire
Torah; The Torah scroll is kept in the ark and read from during services
Judaism; Islam

15. Charitable giving is important to Muslims because...
The dominant theme of Taoism
Veneration of the saints
Lack of hierarchical structure; Unlike the Roman Catholic Church that has the pope at its head - Eastern Orthodox churches are ruled by a network of patriarchs.
It acknowledges that everything belongs to Allah ultimately.

16. In Taoism - yin is...
Right Views
The concept that Judaism was based on laws that could be read and known
The caste system.
Female - nurturing - and passive

17. Marriage is an example of which basic characteristic of religion?
Purim
Rite of passage
Reassert Church doctrine as a result of the Protestant Reformation
A person who is not sure whether there is a supreme being or not

18. Why was Confucius similar to Gautama Buddha?
It was absorbed into Hinduism. Over time - Hinduism adopted some of the concepts of Buddhism and Buddha became one of many Hindu gods.
Submission
Because he did not write down his teachings
Moksha

19. The delivery of the Jews from Persia is celebrated during...
Immersing adults in water
Set out a number of principles that are central to Hinduism; The Upanishads are a collection of advice from Hindu sages. Among the topics covered are reincarnation - creation - and the relationship between individual souls and Ultimate Reality.
Purim
Reassert Church doctrine as a result of the Protestant Reformation

20. Ka'bah
The most sacred to Muslims
Torah; The Torah scroll is kept in the ark and read from during services
The Hindu Festival of lights.
Who would appoint bishops

21. The Jews who were expelled from Spain and Portugal in the 15th century were known as...
Economics and social concerns of African Americans within an Islamic framework
Christians' belief in an immortal soul; Native Americans in general believe that if people forget the dead - over time their souls will cease to exist.
Sephardim
Both the Pentateuch and all oral and written teachings of Judaism

22. The relationship between ruler and ruled in Confucianism is mirrored in Judaism's and Christianity's...
Circumcision; The ceremony of circumcision - known as brit - marks the entrance of a male child into Judaism.
Destruction of the second Temple and the end of Palestine in 70 C.E.
Benevolence
Fourth Commandment; The Fourth Commandment - Honor thy Father and thy Mother - applies not only to relationships within the family unit - but to the relationship between civil authority and members of the civil society.

23. Gain salvation.
Bring the gift of God's grace
The ultimate goal of Christians
Allowed subject peoples to practice their own religions
Myths explain the natural world and the reasons for the religious beliefs and customs of a group

24. The predominant culture in India is...
An emphasis on monasticism; an emphasis on the compassion of Buddha; the transformation of Siddharta Gautama into an Ultimate Being - one of many Buddhas; the belief that the 'Great Vehicle' has room to transport all souls to nirvana
The teachings of Buddha - or religious truth.
Fourth Commandment; The Fourth Commandment - Honor thy Father and thy Mother - applies not only to relationships within the family unit - but to the relationship between civil authority and members of the civil society.
Hindu

25. The Apostles Creed - Nicene Creed - and Athanasian Creed do NOT what in common?
Yom Kippur; Yom Kippur is the holiest and most solemn day in the Jewish calendar.
The mass
Compassion
All Protestant denominations accept all three of the creeds

26. In Hinduism - ahimsa is the principle of...
Communion
Nonviolence
Commemorate the Angel Gabriel's appearance to Muhammad; have one's sins forgiven; become more aware of how a person acts in life
Moksha

27. 'Chosen People' of God.
Episcopalians believe in scripture as interpreted by tradition - whereas Lutherans believe that scripture alone is the sole authority on which their faith is based.
Offered a spiritual approach to life
Jews; This is the promise that Yahweh made to Abraham
Its members pray together without priests and with little ritual

28. As Islam spread - it made many converts primarily because...
Yahweh's covenant with Abraham. In the covenant - Yahweh declared that the descendants of Abraham would have a special relationship with him.
The First Pillar of Islam
Meng-zi reinforced Confucius's teaching that people were innately good - whereas Xun-zi taught that people were innately evil.
Ordinary people could easily understand and practice Islam; The practices of Islam are easy to understand and to practice even by the poorest and uneducated.

29. The Council of Trent was called by the Catholic Church to...
Mayan religion
Rite of passage
Reassert Church doctrine as a result of the Protestant Reformation
Immersing adults in water

30. What will you NOT see in an orthodox synagogue?
It is the revealed word of God; Muslims believe that God revealed his message to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.
Jewish dietary laws
Men and women sitting together
The role of its clergy; Shi'a has a clerical hierarchy.

31. Hindus view 'dharma' as a duty - or moral code of action - whereas to Buddhists 'dharma' is...
Collections of sayings and actions of Muhammad
No schools that teach religion to their followers
After the Assyrians destroyed Israel; The Jewish Diaspora began after the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians in the 8th century B.C.E.
The teachings of Buddha - or religious truth.

32. A rite of passage in Judaism is...
The recognition of Jesus as the messiah of Israel and the savior of all peoples
Ecumenism.
Venerate and fear ancestors - Have healers; Are localized; Hinduism does not share any of these characteristics. The only trait that African religions have in common with Hinduism is that Hinduism and African religions are polytheistic.
Circumcision; The ceremony of circumcision - known as brit - marks the entrance of a male child into Judaism.

33. What changes in Arab society resulted from Muhammad's teachings?
The split into Sunni and Shi'a branches of Islam
A vision quest
Moses
Dowries were given to brides - not their fathers; Women gained property and inheritance rights; Mistreatment of wives in marriage was forbidden

34. The goal of the Four Noble Truths.
Jewish dietary laws
Enter the state of nirvana - or enlightenment
What Allah said to Muhammad
Hindu

35. The person who was most responsible for the spread of Buddhism outside India was...
Asoka; Asoka - a ruler of the Maurya dynasty in India in the third century B.C.E. - converted to Buddhism and sent missionaries to convert the people of his huge empire. As a result - Buddhism is the predominant religion of Asia.
Myths explain the natural world and the reasons for the religious beliefs and customs of a group
Roman Catholicism
Meditation - Nonviolence - Self-Denial

36. Some people think that Zionism is the same as...

37. In Judaism - Yahweh...
Marriage for the clergy
Is a righteous God who demands moral and ethical behavior from people
Confucianism
Rely on both the Bible and Church traditions as sources of truth

38. Is Monasticism found in Islam?
The Trinity
No
Roman Catholicism
Required obedience to a set of moral behaviors

39. The Jewish Day of Atonement is...
Yom Kippur; Yom Kippur is the holiest and most solemn day in the Jewish calendar.
Jews
Doctrine of papal infallibility
Chanukah; symbolizes the miracle of a day's cup of oil lasting for eight days.

40. Islam is similar to Judaism in that...
Neither has priests. Neither Jewish rabbis nor Muslim imans are priests; both are teachers and leaders of services - which is not the same as a priest whose role is to make sacrifices.
It taught people to accept the status quo
Judaism
Monasticism

41. Which of the following Buddhist sects is credited with instilling the idea of nationalism among the Japanese?
Use of Latin for the Bible and for church services; One of the changes of the Reformation was the translation of the Bible into vernacular languages and their use in church services. The Roman Catholic Church continued to use Latin for church service
Respect that one person shows another; 'Li' is defined as correct behavior - or etiquette - between individuals.
Nichiren
What Allah said to Muhammad

42. Janmashtami
Shinto
Roman Catholicism; Roman Catholics have a special devotion to the Virgin Mary that is a major difference with other Christian denominations.
Martin Luther
Celebrates the birth of Krishna - the incarnation of the god Vishnu - the protector and preserver.

43. Emphasis on the proper relations between individuals as a means to perfection is the central element of...
Zoroastrianism
Confucianism
A person who is not sure whether there is a supreme being or not
Veneration of the saints

44. What was the main reason for the centuries-long mutual hatred between Christians and Muslims?
Invasion of the Holy Land by the Crusaders
Moksha
Roman Catholics
Used in Zen Buddhism to help a believer reach sudden insight.

45. The Baha'i movement believes that...

46. The Christian Science movement believes that...

47. Gnosticism's influence on Christianity can be seen in Christianity's...
Fourth Commandment; The Fourth Commandment - Honor thy Father and thy Mother - applies not only to relationships within the family unit - but to the relationship between civil authority and members of the civil society.
Reverence toward family and tradition
Emphasis on the goodness of the spirit over the evilness of the flesh.
Its members pray together without priests and with little ritual

48. What was adopted as the state religion in Japan in the Meiji Restoration of 1868?
The Christian belief that Jesus was the messiah
Hasidic Jews
The Talmud is the word of Yahweh
Shinto; The Japanese government set up national shrines - mandated the teaching of Shinto in schools - and used State Shinto to further its military aims. It was banned after World War II.

49. According to Confucianism - what is the most important virtue a ruler can possess?
Benevolence
To show their humility before Allah
Fourth Commandment; The Fourth Commandment - Honor thy Father and thy Mother - applies not only to relationships within the family unit - but to the relationship between civil authority and members of the civil society.
Does not include worship of spirits or divine beings

50. A major difference between Buddhism and Hinduism is Buddhism's rejection of...
Yahweh's covenant with Abraham. In the covenant - Yahweh declared that the descendants of Abraham would have a special relationship with him.
The caste system
Episcopalianism
Yom Kippur; Yom Kippur is the holiest and most solemn day in the Jewish calendar.