Ch11 Test Questions & Answers Chinese And Korean Traditions

Chapter 11

Chinese and Korean Traditions

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following is NOT considered a mythical founder/hero in China or Korea?
   1. Yao
   2. Shun
   3. Yu
   4. Ming
   5. Dangun
2. Which of the following best describes ancient Chinese attitudes and approaches to religious traditions?
   1. Sectarianism
   2. Syncretism
   3. Orthodoxy
   4. Skepticism
   5. Agnosticism
3. What are the sanjiao, or “three teachings,” of Chinese tradition?
   1. Daoism, Buddhism, and Christianity
   2. Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto
   3. Yin, Yang, and Yi
   4. Confucianism, Daoism, and Folk
   5. Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism
4. Which of the following is an alternative name for Confucius?
   1. Zhuangzi
   2. Laozi
   3. Xunzi
   4. Mengzi
   5. Kongzi
5. Around what time did Confucius live?
   1. First century BCE
   2. Second to third century CE
   3. Sixth to fifth century BCE
   4. First century CE
   5. Tenth to ninth century BCE
6. Which of the following is NOT one of the Five Classics in Confucian tradition?
   1. Book of Poetry
   2. Classic of Changes
   3. Book of Rites
   4. Spring and Autumn Annals
   5. Classic of the Way and Power
7. Who, along with Confucius himself, are considered China’s three foremost philosophers of the Confucian tradition?
   1. Laozi and Zuangzi
   2. Mencius and Dong Zhongshu
   3. Mencius and Xunzi
   4. Laozi and Mencius
   5. Zuangzi and Xunzi
8. During what dynasty in China did the Five Classics of Confucianism originate?
   1. Ming
   2. Zhou
   3. Shang
   4. Tang
   5. Han
9. Which term refers to the exemplary Confucian?
   1. Zhong
   2. Junzi
   3. Taiji
   4. Fengshui
   5. Mudang
10. In the Confucian tradition, what idea did the Mandate of Heaven establish?
    1. That for people to reach Heaven, they must sacrifice animals regularly
    2. That the ruler himself was a god
    3. That rulers are given the right to rule from Heaven through moral character and good governance
    4. That rulers have the right to govern with an iron fist when necessary for the good of the people
    5. That the Supreme Being has established laws that must be communicated to the people
11. What change in religious concepts and in understanding of the universe occurred between the Shang and Zhou dynasties in ancient China?
    1. A shift toward ethical monotheism, with emphasis on one all-powerful supreme being
    2. A shift in emphasis from this-worldly concerns to focus on achieving rewards in the afterlife
    3. A shift toward secularism, where religious concepts played little to no role
    4. The addition of several new and important deities that were worshipped regularly
    5. A shift in emphasis from the more personal “Lord on High” to the concept of Heaven
12. Which of the following was NOT one of the elements in ancient Chinese cosmology (particularly emphasised in the Naturalist or yin-yang school)?
    1. Earth
    2. Fire
    3. Water
    4. Air
    5. Metal
13. In Confucian tradition, what does the term li primarily refer to?
    1. Rites or ritual
    2. Filial piety
    3. Power
    4. Way
    5. Goodness
14. In Confucian tradition, li refers not only to religious ritual but also to which of the following?
    1. Compassion
    2. Filial piety
    3. Breath or life
    4. The Mandate of Heaven
    5. The rules of social etiquette and everyday courtesy
15. What is the primary source of Confucius’ sayings and teachings on how to govern in the period of Lesser Prosperity?
    1. Classic of Documents
    2. Analects
    3. Classic of Changes
    4. Spring and Autumn Annals
    5. Book of Mencius
16. The Confucian hierarchy of character was all about the mastery of xin, which means which of the following?
    1. Soul-body
    2. Spirit-flesh
    3. Will-virtue
    4. Love-humility
    5. Heart-mind
17. Which central Confucian term denotes the practical value of humaneness?
    1. Dao
    2. Qi
    3. Jiao
    4. Ren
    5. Li
18. In the Confucian tradition, what did the word de come to mean?
    1. Social etiquette
    2. “Way”
    3. Moral power rooted in ethical behaviour
    4. Filial piety
    5. Goodness or humaneness
19. What is “filial piety” as emphasized by Confucius?
    1. Worshipping ancestors
    2. Caring for animals
    3. Ritual propriety and etiquette
    4. Caring for one’s parents
    5. Loyalty to one’s king
20. What is the “silver rule” in the Confucian tradition?
    1. “Look at nothing contrary to ritual; listen to nothing contrary to ritual; say nothing contrary to ritual; do nothing contrary to ritual.”
    2. “What you would not want for yourself, do not do to others.”
    3. “Do unto others what you would have done unto you.”
    4. “The virtue of the exemplary person is like the wind.”
    5. “Respect without ritual becomes tiresome, circumspection without ritual becomes timidity, bold fortitude without ritual becomes unruly, and directness without ritual becomes twisted.”
21. What did the Confucian scholar Mencius believe about human nature?
    1. People are born corrupt and must be forced to act properly.
    2. With a moral leader, people can be left alone and will automatically emulate the ruler’s behaviour.
    3. People are either born good or evil, and this nature is unchangeable.
    4. Other than a few elite, for the most part people are stupid and ignorant.
    5. People’s sensitivity to others’ suffering is innate, but must be cultivated.
22. Which of the following did Mencius emphasize, calling it the “flood-like vital force, energy or ether.”
    1. Dao
    2. Li
    3. Ren
    4. Qi
    5. Xin
23. What did Xunzi, the famous Confucian scholar, believe about human nature?
    1. It was neither good nor evil at birth, but only became so with social influence.
    2. It was good and that evil was the result of insufficient moral cultivation.
    3. It was evil and that goodness was the result of conscious activity.
    4. It was essentially ignorant, with few exceptions, so there was no point in cultivating learning.
    5. It was essentially compassionate, though the degree of compassion varied strongly.
24. Which Confucian believed we need to be “straightened out” from “warped” innate desires?
    1. Ban Zhao
    2. Confucius
    3. Xunzi
    4. Wan Yangming
    5. Mencius
25. What does the Chinese term Dao mean?
    1. Virtue
    2. Way
    3. Power
    4. Breath
    5. Religion
26. What two branches has Daoism historically been understood to have?
    1. Theist and atheist
    2. Monotheistic and polytheistic
    3. Philosophical and religious
    4. Religious and secular
    5. Philosophical and mystical
27. Who is the “old master” who traditionally is believed to have written Daodejing (Classic of the Way and Power)?
    1. Laozi
    2. Zhuangzi
    3. Confucius
    4. Zou Yan
    5. Mencius
28. Next to the Daodejing, what is considered the main source of philosophical Daoism?
    1. The Analects
    2. The Huang-Lao Silk Manuscripts
    3. The Yijing
    4. The Zhuangzi
    5. The Guanzi
29. What is the collection of texts, traditionally attributed to Guan Zhong of the seventh century BCE, that is useful for reconstructing early development of philosophical Daoism?
    1. The Daodejing
    2. The Yijing
    3. The Guanzi
    4. The Analects
    5. The Zhuangzi
30. “Guiding and stretching exercises” similar to modern-day taiji (Tai Chi) are mentioned in early texts of what tradition?
    1. Confucianism
    2. Daoism
    3. Mohism
    4. Shinto
    5. Buddhism
31. What does the notion of wuwei, found in both philosophical and religious Daoism, mean?
    1. Filial piety
    2. Power
    3. Nonaction
    4. Ritual
    5. Heart-mind
32. Into what three streams can the concerns of the classical texts of philosophical Daoism be classified?
    1. Individualist, Pluralist, Monist
    2. Earth, Water, Fire
    3. Heaven, Earth, Hell
    4. Individualist, Primitivist, Syncretist
    5. Political. Ethical, Mystical
33. What important section of the Guanzi on cultivation of the heart-mind is an important bridge between religious and philosophical Daoism?
    1. Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor
    2. Songs of the South
    3. Zhuangzi
    4. Techniques of the Mind I
    5. Inward Training
34. In what famous Chinese text do we find the first line “The way that can be spoken of / Is not the constant way”?
    1. The Zhuangzi
    2. The Analects
    3. The Daodejing
    4. The Inward Training
    5. The Yijing
35. What topic addressed in the Laozi (or Daodejing) is shunned in the Zhuangzi?
    1. Politics
    2. Simplicity
    3. God
    4. The art of warfare
    5. Harmony
36. What does the conceptual term ziran denote in the context of Zhuangzi?
    1. Stillness
    2. Quietness
    3. Nonaction
    4. Spontaneity
    5. Engagement
37. Neither Inward Training or Daodejing discuss which of the following?
    1. Mystical efficacy
    2. Women
    3. Meditation
    4. Vital essence (jing)
    5. Vital energy or breath (qi)
38. Both Confucians and Daoists seek to control the heart-mind to attain which of the following?
    1. Etiquette
    2. Power
    3. Strength
    4. Intelligence
    5. Tranquility
39. During what period was political or state Confucianism established in China?
    1. Shang
    2. Tang
    3. Han
    4. Communist
    5. Qin
40. What is the name of the classic Chinese manual of divination, based on 64 hexagrams?
    1. Book of Poetry
    2. Changes
    3. Spring and Autumn Annals
    4. Zhuangzi
    5. Classic of Rites
41. Which influential Confucian at the court of Emperor Wu promoted a “natural model” of the way the world works?
    1. Dong Zhongshu
    2. Wang Yangming
    3. Xunzi
    4. Mencius
    5. Ban Zhao
42. Which group established a theocracy in the state of Shu (Sichuan) and at one point was the state religion of the Wei kingdom?
    1. The Highest Clarity
    2. The Celestial Masters
    3. The Yellow Kerchiefs
    4. New Text Confucians
    5. Neo-Confucians
43. The fall of the Han Dynasty marked the beginning of which of the following?
    1. Four centuries of instability during the Six Dynasties period
    2. Six centuries of peace and prosperity under the Three Kingdoms
    3. Immediate and steady decline of Buddhism in China
    4. Eradication of the Neo-Confucian schools
    5. The weakening of the Celestial Masters
44. Which first-century Confucian wrote Admonitions for Women about the proper cultivation of virtues for women?
    1. Lu Xiang
    2. Dong Zhongshu
    3. Kong Anguo
    4. Mencius
    5. Ban Zhao
45. During what dynasty was Buddhism introduced into China?
    1. Han
    2. Song
    3. Shang
    4. Six Dynasties
    5. Old Joseon
46. Which of the following aspects of Buddhism was NOT a criticized by Confucians and Daoists in the Six Dynasties period?
    1. Its veneration of texts
    2. The seemingly irrational nature of its teachings
    3. The monastic tradition of begging for food
    4. The renunciation of worldly pleasures
    5. Shaving one’s head
47. Why did Confucians criticize Buddhist monasticism?
    1. Ascetic withdrawal from productive work was considered a shirking of responsibility, and an abandonment of the duties of filial piety.
    2. Monastics were unaccustomed to social interaction and tended to be rude.
    3. Monasteries grew very wealthy and upset the economic balance of society.
    4. Monks trained in the martial arts and posed a threat to political security.
    5. Monks could read and write, and thus threatened the governmental positions of authority held by Confucians.
48. During what period did Daoists reinterpret their doctrine in Buddhist terms of karma and rebirth coinciding with building the first Daoist temples?
    1. Qin
    2. Song
    3. Ming
    4. Han
    5. Six Dynasties
49. During which period were Confucian temples for sacrifices built, and the title “King of Manifest Culture” bestowed on Confucius?
    1. Ming
    2. Tang
    3. Zhou
    4. Han
    5. Six Dynasties
50. Who, during the Tang dynasty, wrote the Classic of Filiality for Women, and set out to create a female Confucian tradition?
    1. Wang Yangming
    2. Madame Zheng
    3. Ban Zhao
    4. Xunzi
    5. Dong Zhongshu
51. Who is usually credited with the writing of the Analects for Women?
    1. Madame Zheng
    2. Song Rouzhao
    3. Sun Buer
    4. Ban Zhao
    5. Empress Xu
52. What became the state religion under Li Yuan, the founder of the Tang Dynasty?
    1. Buddhism
    2. Confucianism
    3. Neo-Confucianism
    4. Daoism
    5. Zen Buddhism
53. What was integrated in Zongmi’s Treatise on the Original Nature of Man?
    1. Daoism and Confucianism into a Zen framework
    2. Daoism and Confucianism into a Buddhist framework
    3. Buddhism and Confucianism into a Daoist framework
    4. Buddhism and Daoism into a Zen framework
    5. Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism into a Korean framework
54. What Daoist school is distinctive in its monasticism modelled after the Buddhist tradition?
    1. The Celestial Masters
    2. The Highest Clarity
    3. The Complete Truth School
    4. The New Text
    5. The Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace
55. During what period was there a renewal of Confucianism, which is often referred to as neo-Confucianism?
    1. Zhou
    2. Shang
    3. Communist
    4. Han
    5. Song
56. Who was the founder of the School of Principle and main contributor to neo-Confucianism?
    1. Zhu Xi
    2. Ban Zhao
    3. Dong Zhongshu
    4. Sun Yatsen
    5. Song Ruozhao
57. Which neo-Confucian argued that the moral sense or intuition of the good is innate in the heart-mind of every human and the cultivation of it is more important than external learning?
    1. Mencius
    2. Madame Zheng
    3. Ban Zhao
    4. Wang Yangming
    5. Zhu Xi
58. What practice is associated with the Daoist concept of qigong?
    1. The ceremony of preparing and pouring tea
    2. Ingesting poisonous substances such as cinnabar to achieve immortality
    3. Repeatedly chanting Daoist mantras in the evening
    4. Slow-motion movements that encourage tranquility
    5. Breathing exercises that help the movement of vital energy through the body
59. What are the two goals or streams that guide practitioners of popular religion in China?
    1. Health and wealth
    2. Prosperity and longevity
    3. Meditation and divination
    4. Immortality and this-worldly benefits
    5. Personal religiosity and political activism
60. On the elite level, traditional Korean religiosity could theoretically be described as which of the following?
    1. Nontheistic
    2. Atheistic
    3. Agnostic
    4. Monotheistic
    5. Polytheistic
61. What earliest Korean proto-state preceded the Three Kingdoms in South Korea?
    1. Goguryeo (Koguryo)
    2. Son
    3. Silla
    4. Baekje (Paekche)
    5. Old Joseon (Choson)
62. What are the mudang within the Korean tradition?
    1. Monastics
    2. Temple priests
    3. Ancestor spirits
    4. Shamans
    5. Sage-hermits
63. Today, Korea has the largest network of what kind of shrines?
    1. Confucian
    2. Buddhist
    3. Ancestor
    4. Daoist
    5. Christian saints
64. What tradition was associated with Japanese imperialism in Korea in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
    1. Shinto
    2. Confucianism
    3. Buddhism
    4. Daoism
    5. Christianity
65. In the early 2000s in South Korea, of those who claimed institutional affiliation, which two religions claim nearly all membership in that country?
    1. Christianity and Buddhism
    2. Buddhism and Daoism
    3. Daoism and Confucianism
    4. Christianity and Daoism
    5. Buddhism and Confucianism

True or False Questions

Most East Asians do not consider Confucianism a religion, so it is impossible to gauge exactly how many adherents there are.

Religion in East Asia has, from the beginning, rarely mixed with politics.

Animism and shamanism has little if any traces in modern East Asian religions.

Sanjiao refers to the three teachings in China of Confucianism, Daoism, and folk religions.

Chinese religions emphasize the importance of actions that bring stability and security.

Everything we now call “Confucianism” traces back to the Chinese sage Kongzi.

Some of the seminal ideas of Confucianism can be found in the Seven Classics.

The Classic (or Book) of Changes is one of the Confucian Five Classics.

Mencius is one of the three most revered figures in the Daoist tradition.

The exemplary Confucian is known as the Shangdi.

The prototypes of the Confucian sage are mythical “sage kings” named Yao, Shun, and Yu.

The fall of the ancient Shang dynasty to the Zhou was explained as a withdrawal of the Mandate of Heaven.

From the Zhou dynasty onward, the notion of a personal “Lord on High” became important in China.

The basis of the Classic of Changes or Yijing is a set of sixty-four hexagrams.

The term wuxing in the Yin–Yang school refers to the processes, that is, metal, wood, earth, water and fire.

The Confucian concept of qi refers to the practical value of humaneness.

The Confucian concept of yi refers to what is right in the moral sense.

Mencius traced many of the problems of his day to the xin.

Mencius taught that sensitivity to the suffering of others’ was unnatural.

Mencius rejected the idea that filial piety demanded blind obedience.

According to Xunzi, humans are evil by nature and need “straightening out.”

Daoists countered the Confucian focus on political involvement.

The Daodejing and the Zhuangzi are the two central texts or early philosophical Daoism.

The Daoist notion of “nonaction” is known as wuwei.

Inward Training recommends a type of meditation known as “holding fast to the One.”

Techniques of the Mind I explains how restraining from desire can help a ruler attain tranquility.

Daodejng discusses women’s responsibilities to assist men in their spiritual lives.

The Queen Mother of the West became a head deity in the Latter Han dynasty.

Liu Xiang (79–8 CE) is credited with writing the Biographies of Exemplary Women.

Baochang’s Lives of the Nuns recounts the stories of three famous nuns of the fourth century CE.

The Lotus Sutra favors Hinayana Buddhism over Mahayana Buddhism.

The Buddhist concept of mofa refers to the end times.

The Contemplation Sutra is part of Pure Land Buddhism in China.

The Daoist school Numinous Treasure was founded in the fourth century CE.

Ban Zhao wrote the Analects for Women.

In 845, Emperor Wuzong issued an edict against Buddhism.

The Platform Sutra is one of the five existing “canonical” non-Indian Buddhist texts.

Zhu Xi (1130–1200) is recognized as the founder of the School of Principle.

Wang Yangming (1472–1529) argued that our moral sense is innate in our heart-minds.

Neo-Confucianism significantly diminished during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

There was a set of “Seven Books for Women” compiled in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

The First Opium War was the British response to the appeals made by Emperor Lin Zexu.

Neo-Confucianism became entrenched as a state ideology during the Qing dynasty.

In 1949, the People’s Republic of China guaranteed freedom of religion.

The first two generations of Neo Confucians wrote from and belonged to the cultural centers of China.

Theoretically, traditional Korean religiosity can be classified as nontheistic at the popular level.

Korea’s foundation myths contain elements similar to the shamanist stream in Daoism.

Today Korea has the largest network of Confucian shrines in the world.

The thirty five years of Japanese occupation in Korea was beneficial for Korean Buddhists.

There are few established new religions in Korea due to the entrenchment of organized, universalist traditions such as Christianity and Buddhism.

Short Answer Questions

What are the Five Classics of Confucianism and what concerns do they address?

What are the five types of human relationships guided by ren in Confucianism?

Who are the three Confucian mythical “sage kings” and what virtues do they embody? For what purpose do they embody these virtues?

Why is the Mandate of Heaven a significant concept for understanding the shifts between the Shang and Zhou dynasty, which began in 1046 BCE?

What is the difference between the Confucian thinkers Mencius (a.k.a. Mengzi) and Xunzi in their attitudes toward human nature? How did this affect how they believed people should be trained?

What do philosophical and religious Daoism have in common? What are the textual sources for these common ideas?

What are the three groupings or streams of concerns found in the classical Daoist texts? Briefly explain each.

How does Laozi describe the Daoist sage with the use of metaphors and imagery?

What are the main characteristics of the classical Daoist text of the Zhuangzi?

What are the seven chapters of Ban Zhao’s Admonitions for Women? Why was this book written?

During the Six Dynasties era, which two distinctive streams of Chinese Buddhism emerged, and what did they focus on?

What were some of the reasons for the popularity of Buddhism in China? Discuss at least three.

How did Neo-Confucian thinking reflect Buddhist and Daoist influences?

What are the main elements and contexts behind the myth of Dangun, that is, the legendary founder of Korea?

15. What was the demographic breakdown in terms of the religious landscape in South Korea in the early 2000s?

Essay Questions

1. What are the differences and commonalities between philosophical and religious Daoism? Explain using specific examples.
2. From the Naturalists (a.k.a. Yin-Yang) school onwards, how was the concept of yin-yang used within Confucianism and Daoism? After recounting the teachings of the Naturalists school, cite two examples to illustrate the various ways the yin-yang concept was employed within Chinese traditions.
3. After its introduction into China, what aspects of Buddhism did both Confucians and Daoists criticize?
4. How have women and the feminine been understood in the Daoist and Confucian traditions? What differences are there between the two?
5. Do you think Confucianism constitutes a religion? Why, or why not? Explain with specific examples.
6. In what ways has Buddhism and Daoism shaped Neo-Confucianism? Cite two examples to demonstrate the ways that Neo-Confucianism has embraced and framed other traditions.
7. What does it mean to say that Chinese and Korean religions are syncretic?
8. What are some the new religion in South Korea? Explain with examples.