Ch16 | Exam Prep – War And Capital Punishment—Society And

Chapter Sixteen: War and Capital Punishment—Society and Violence

In this test bank for World Religions, Fourth Edition, there is a new system for identifying the difficulty of the questions. Questions are now tagged according to four levels of learning. Think of these four levels as moving from lower-level to higher-level cognitive reasoning. The four levels are:

REMEMBER: A question involving recall of key terms or factual material.

UNDERSTAND: A question testing comprehension of more complex ideas.

APPLY: A question applying anthropological knowledge to some new situation.

ANALYZE: A question requiring identifying elements of an argument and their interrelationship.

Types of Questions

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. Approximately __________ many people were killed in wars during the twentieth century.
   1. 50 million
   2. 100 million
   3. 500 million
   4. 1 billion
   5. 5 billion

(REMEMBER; p. 338)

1. According to the Hindu worldview, wars are an inevitable reality because __________.
   1. humans are sinful by nature
   2. Satan causes them
   3. the warrior class needs work
   4. we live in a cosmic age in which hostility and tension are high
   5. the world will end soon and the Kingdom of God will begin

(UNDERSTAND; p. 339)

1. __________ used non-violent resistance rather than armed conflict to end British rule in India.
   1. Mahatma Gandhi
   2. Nanak
   3. Jawaharlal Nehru
   4. Siddartha Gautama
   5. Winston Churchill

(UNDERSTAND; p. 339)

1. The two nuclear powers in South Asia today are ___________.
   1. Bangladesh and India
   2. India and China
   3. India and Pakistan
   4. India and Sri Lanka
   5. Pakistan and Tibet

(UNDERSTAND; p. 339)

1. Aung San Suu Kyi has won the Nobel Peace Prize for the use of Buddhist ideals in her struggle against the military government of __________.
   1. Burma (Myanmar)
   2. India
   3. Sri Lanka
   4. Tibet
   5. Vietnam

(REMEMBER: p. 339)

1. __________ teaches that the best strategy in war is to draw on the power exerted by the enemy rather than trying to overwhelm the foe with your own force.
   1. Daoism
   2. Hinduism
   3. Islam
   4. Jainism
   5. Judaism

(UNDERSTAND; p. 340)

1. __________ has the broadest support for the concept of “just war,” with criteria for the when and how war may be waged.
   1. Christianity
   2. Confucianism
   3. Daoism
   4. Hinduism
   5. Islam

(REMEMBER; p. 340)

1. Some Mahayana Buddhist texts contain passages that allow killing in constrained circumstances provided it is motivated by __________ and carried out with “skillful means.”
   1. commerce
   2. compassion
   3. expediency
   4. revenge
   5. self-defense

(UNDERSTAND; p. 340)

1. __________ was the religious leader who, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, warned that a “war on terrorism” would contribute to a cycle of attacks and counterattacks and would not solve the basic problems.
   1. the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
   2. the Dalai Lama
   3. the Grand Shi’ite Ayatollah of Iraq
   4. Jerry Falwell
   5. Pope John Paul II

(UNDERSTAND; p. 340)

1. For decades, renowned Zen master __________of Vietnam has advocated an “engaged Buddhism” that works nonviolently and with compassion for peace and justice, even in response to terrorism in the world.
   1. the Dalai Lama
   2. Gautama Siddhartha
   3. Indira Gandhi
   4. Thich Nhat Hanh
   5. Yohanan ben Zakkai

(REMEMBER; p. 340–41)

1. In __________,war heroes sometimes elevated to the status of kami, with shrines to honor them.
   1. Daoism
   2. Hinduism
   3. Islam
   4. Shinto
   5. Theravada Buddhism

(UNDERSTAND; p. 341)

1. First-century C.E. Jewish defenders of the fortress at __________ committed suicide rather than surrender to the Roman attackers.
   1. Damascus
   2. Jericho
   3. Jerusalem
   4. Masada
   5. Nazareth

(REMEMBER; p. 341)

1. Since the fifth century C.E. Christian teaching on war has been dominated by the theory of __________.
   1. just war
   2. non-resistance
   3. pacifism
   4. preventive war
   5. “turn the other cheek”

(REMEMBER; p. 342)

1. The teaching that a great conflict between God and the forces of evil will occur at the end of history is found most clearly in the biblical books of __________.
   1. Daniel and the Acts of the Apostles
   2. Daniel and Revelation
   3. Exodus and Hebrews
   4. Genesis and Revelation
   5. Psalms and the Letter of Paul to the Philippians

(REMEMBER; p. 343)

1. According to the teachings of Islam, the “greater jihad” is the __________.
   1. individual Muslim’s responsibility to struggle against evil in his or her life
   2. promise that Allah will destroy the forces of evil at the end of history
   3. promise that anyone who dies in a holy war will go directly to paradise at the time of death
   4. responsibility of Muslims to fight aggressors who threaten Islam
   5. slaughter of the unbelievers of Medina by an army led by the Prophet Muhammad

(REMEMBER; p. 343)

1. In 2000, the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, issued a fatwa calling for all Muslims to attack the historic enemies of Islam, __________.
   1. Buddhism and Judaism
   2. Christianity and Communism
   3. Hinduism and Buddhism
   4. Hinduism and Sikhism
   5. Judaism and Christianity

(REMEMBER; p. 344)

1. __________, known as the “African Gandhi,” created an Islamic movement in Sudan to resist colonialism with the same strategy Gandhi used in India.
   1. Dalai Lama
   2. Gautama Siddhartha
   3. Indira Gandhi
   4. Thich Nhat Hanh
   5. Uztaz Mahmoud Mohamed Taha

(REMEMBER; p. 344)

1. __________ began with a commitment to end religious violence in India but eventually turned to warfare after suffering persecution?
   1. Hinduism
   2. Islam
   3. Jainism
   4. Sikhism
   5. Theravada Buddhism

(UNDERSTAND; p. 345)

1. A leader of __________ said that world peace would be established when equality is established between men and women.
   1. the Baha’i Faith
   2. the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
   3. Islam
   4. Judaism
   5. Sikhism

(REMEMBER; p. 345)

1. __________ is one of the last democracies in the world to impose capital punishment.
   1. Greece
   2. Iran
   3. Saudi Arabia
   4. Syria
   5. The United States

(REMEMBER; p. 346)

1. Most indigenous people in the United States oppose capital punishment because __________.
   1. Indigenous cultures do not practice capital punishment
   2. People of color have been disproportionately sentenced to death in the United States
   3. they are Christians
   4. they are more liberal than the rest of the population
   5. Tribal governments are not allowed to impose the penalty

(REMEMBER; p. 347)

1. __________ justifies capital punishment on the grounds that those who deny their human nature by committing a murder should be removed from the human world?
   1. Confucianism
   2. Daoism
   3. Hinduism
   4. Islam
   5. Theravada Buddhism

(UNDERSTAND; p. 347)

1. The association of American __________ Jews has invited others to join them in opposing capital punishment?
   1. Conservative
   2. Hasidism
   3. Orthodox
   4. Reconstructionist
   5. Reform

(REMEMBER; p. 348)

1. The __________ significantly limits the conditions under which capital punishment may be imposed, substituting financial payment for literal application of the principle of “an eye for an eye.”
   1. Bhagavad Gita
   2. Bible
   3. Lotus Sutra
   4. Talmud
   5. Tao te Ching

(REMEMBER; p. 348)

1. __________ said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also”?
   1. Jesus
   2. Mahatma Gandhi
   3. Moses
   4. Muhammad
   5. Siddartha Gautama

(REMEMBER; p. 348)

Essay Questions

1. Compare and contrast the teachings on whether and when war is justified in two of the following religions: Hinduism, Theravada Buddhism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
   (ANALYZE)
2. On balance, which of the following positions best characterizes the teachings of the world’s religions on war? Support your position with examples from at least five religions: pacifism, nonresistance, just war, or holy (preventive) war.
   (ANALYZE)
3. Compare and contrast Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim teachings about war.
   (ANALYZE)
4. Compare and contrast Daoist, Jewish, and Christian teachings about war.
   (ANALYZE)
5. Take and defend a position on the question of whether, given the modern technology of war, it is possible for nations to wage “just wars” today.
   (APPLY)
6. Make a religious case for (or against) capital punishment, drawing on at least five of the world’s religions.
   (APPLY)
7. Discuss and evaluate the International Society for Krishna Consciousness view of capital punishment as merciful, freeing the criminal from the experience of even more violent karmic reactions in the next life.
   (APPLY)
8. What do you think are the best religious reasons in favor of capital punishment? Why so?
   (APPLY)
9. What do you think are the best religious reasons in opposition to capital punishment? Why so?
   (APPLY)
10. Identify the differences between the Christian and Muslim understandings of a “just war.” Choose an example of a recent or contemporary war to illustrate the significance of those differences.
    (APPLY)