- 1. Eastern philosophy encompasses a wide range of philosophical traditions originating from Asia, including but not limited to Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen. One of the key principles in Eastern philosophy is the concept of interconnectedness and harmony with nature. It emphasizes practices such as meditation, mindfulness, compassion, and self-awareness as paths to enlightenment and spiritual growth. Eastern philosophy often focuses on the impermanence of life, the concept of karma, and the importance of finding inner peace and balance in a constantly changing world.
Who founded the philosophy of Taoism?
A) Lao Tzu
B) Sun Tzu
C) Confucius
D) Buddha
- 2. Which ancient Indian text is the foundation of Hindu philosophy?
A) The Ramayana
B) The Vedas
C) The Upanishads
D) The Bhagavad Gita
- 3. What does the term 'yin and yang' represent in Chinese philosophy?
A) Order and chaos
B) Creation and destruction
C) Good and evil
D) Dual forces that are complementary and interconnected
- 4. Who is considered the founder of Zen Buddhism in China?
A) Eihei Dogen
B) Dogen
C) Huineng
D) Bodhidharma
- 5. Who was the ancient Chinese philosopher known for his teachings in Confucianism?
A) Confucius
B) Mencius
C) Xunzi
D) Zhuangzi
- 6. What does the concept of 'Samsara' represent in Hinduism and Buddhism?
A) The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth
B) The eternal soul
C) The path to liberation
D) The ultimate reality
- 7. What is the ultimate goal in Buddhism?
A) Enlightenment
B) Nirvana
C) Rebirth
D) Heaven
- 8. What is the term for 'impermanence' in Buddhism?
A) Dukkha
B) Anicca
C) Samadhi
D) Prajna
- 9. What is the Sanskrit term for 'non-attachment' in Eastern philosophies?
A) Prajna
B) Moksha
C) Vairagya
D) Samsara
- 10. Which term is used to refer to ancient philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent?
A) Hindu synthesis
B) Sanskrit: dárśana
C) Vedic teachings
D) Brahmanical synthesis
- 11. What is Hinduism traditionally called, meaning 'the eternal law' or 'the eternal way'?
A) Vedanta
B) Sanātana Dharma
C) Brahmanic Path
D) Dharmashastra
- 12. Which of the following is NOT one of the major traditions within Hinduism?
A) Jainism
B) Shaktism
C) Vaishnavism
D) Shaivism
- 13. Which philosophical texts are considered some of the earliest surviving from India?
A) Upanishads
B) Ramayana
C) Vedas
D) Mahabharata
- 14. Which concept refers to the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Indian philosophy?
A) Moksha
B) Samsara
C) Karma
D) Dharma
- 15. What does 'dharma' signify in the context of Hinduism?
A) Liberation from rebirth
B) Duty or righteousness
C) Non-violence
D) Cycle of birth and death
- 16. Which Indian philosophical concept emphasizes non-violence?
A) Samsara
B) Dharma
C) Ahimsa
D) Karma
- 17. What is the term for reliable means of knowledge in Indian philosophy?
A) Pramana
B) Atman
C) Sunyata
D) Brahman
- 18. Which school of thought flourished during the early modern period under philosophers like Raghunatha Siromani?
A) Vedanta
B) Yoga
C) Samkhya
D) Navya-Nyāya
- 19. Which empire did Hindu thought spread to in Southeast Asia?
A) Maurya Empire
B) Gupta Empire
C) Srivijaya Empire
D) Mughal Empire
- 20. Which text is associated with the philosophy of love in Indian literature?
A) Ramayana
B) Upanishads
C) Arthashastra
D) Kama Sutra
- 21. Who was a philosopher that formulated a Jain response during the early modern period?
A) Mahadeva Punatamakara
B) Yashovijaya
C) Raghunatha Siromani
D) Jayarama Pancanana
- 22. Which philosophical concept involves the investigation of metaphysics, including Brahman-Atman?
A) Ontology
B) Axiology
C) Epistemology
D) Political philosophy
- 23. Which text is associated with political philosophy in Indian literature?
A) Upanishads
B) Arthashastra
C) Kama Sutra
D) Ramayana
- 24. How many major schools of orthodox Indian Hindu philosophy are there?
A) Six
B) Seven
C) Four
D) Five
- 25. Which school is known for its emphasis on meditation and liberation?
A) Yoga
B) Nyaya
C) Vaisheshika
D) Mīmāṃsā
- 26. Which text is the major work of the Yoga school?
A) Nyaya Sutras
B) Samkhyakarika
C) Vedanta Sutras
D) Yoga sutras
- 27. Which pramana is not accepted by Sāmkhya epistemology?
A) Anumāṇa (inference)
B) Pratyakṣa (perception)
C) Śabda (word/testimony)
D) Upamāṇa (comparison)
- 28. During which period was the distinction of the six orthodox schools current?
A) Gupta period
B) Maurya period
C) Medieval period
D) Vedic period
- 29. Which school survived into the 17th century as Navya Nyaya?
A) Nyaya
B) Mīmāṃsā
C) Samkhya
D) Vaisheshika
- 30. Which text is associated with the development of Sāmkhya during the medieval period?
A) Upanishads
B) Sāṁkhyapravacana Sūtra
C) Bhagavad Gita
D) Rigveda
- 31. Which school's tenets were absorbed into Yoga and Vedanta?
A) Nyaya
B) Mīmāṃsā
C) Vaisheshika
D) Samkhya
- 32. Which of the following is a heterodox school of Indian philosophy?
A) Nyaya
B) Yoga
C) Buddhist
D) Vedanta
- 33. What does the Nyāya school argue against in its philosophical debates?
A) A creator God (Ishvara)
B) The existence of atoms
C) The authority of the Vedas
D) The concept of karma
- 34. Which school of philosophy is known for its naturalist approach and atomism?
A) Vaiśeṣika
B) Yoga
C) Nyāya
D) Mīmāṃsā
- 35. Which additional category did later Vaiśeṣikas add to the original six padārthas?
A) Karma (action)
B) Buddhi (intellect)
C) Abhava (non-existence)
D) Chitta (mind-stuff)
- 36. Which Mīmāṃsā scholar is known for his work in the 7th century?
A) Prabhākara
B) Kumārila Bhaṭṭa
C) Udayana
D) Śrīdhara
- 37. Which school did Mīmāṃsā influence, known as Uttara-Mīmāṃsā?
A) Vaiśeṣika
B) Vedānta
C) Yoga
D) Nyāya
- 38. Which Vedānta sub-tradition emphasizes qualified non-dualism?
A) Bhedabheda
B) Dvaita
C) Vishishtadvaita
D) Advaita
- 39. Which Vedānta sub-tradition is associated with the bhakti movement?
A) Bhedabheda
B) Vishishtadvaita, due to its emphasis on devotion
C) Dvaita
D) Advaita
- 40. Who was a key figure in the Brahmo Samaj movement?
A) Swami Vivekananda
B) Guru Nanak
C) Ram Mohan Roy
D) Mahatma Gandhi
- 41. Who is considered a significant figure in the development of Jain philosophical discourse?
A) Mahavira
B) Lakulisha
C) Pāṇini
D) Utpaladeva
- 42. What is another name for Confucianism?
A) Ruism
B) Legalism
C) Buddhism
D) Daoism
- 43. What is the term for 'filial piety' in Confucianism?
A) Rén (仁)
B) Xiào (孝)
C) Tiān (天)
D) Lǐ (禮/礼)
- 44. What is the original term for 'zhexue'?
A) Tetsugaku
B) Dharma
C) Dao
D) Ziran
- 45. Which movement was initiated by Ram Mohan Roy?
A) Brahmo Samaj
B) Theosophical Society
C) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
D) Arya Samaj
- 46. Which key Buddhist concept critiques a fixed personal identity?
A) Vijnapti-matra
B) Dukkha
C) Shunyata
D) Anatta (not-self)
- 47. What is the name of the Chinese philosophical school that emphasizes harmony with the Tao?
A) Mohism
B) Legalism
C) Confucianism
D) Daoism
- 48. Which school of Pramāṇa promoted a complex form of epistemology and Buddhist logic?
A) The Vedanta school.
B) The Nyaya school.
C) The Samkhya school.
D) The Dignāga school
- 49. Which state did Shang Yang transform into the dominant power that eventually conquered China in 221 BCE?
A) Qin
B) Han
C) Wei
D) Chu
- 50. Which philosopher is reported to have said that only Greek and German languages are suitable for philosophizing?
A) Carine Defoort
B) Victoria S. Harrison
C) Rein Raud
D) Martin Heidegger
- 51. Who argues against the 'family' view of philosophy and offers a more flexible definition?
A) Rein Raud
B) Carine Defoort
C) Ouyang Min
D) Victoria S. Harrison
- 52. Which concept in Sikh philosophy emphasizes constant spiritual meditation of God's name?
A) Dharma
B) Advaita Vedanta
C) Simran
D) Seva
- 53. Jain philosophy is part of which tradition?
A) Shaivism
B) Buddhism
C) Śramaṇa
D) Vedic
- 54. Which Chinese philosophical school is known for its focus on strict laws and state control?
A) Mohism
B) Legalism
C) Confucianism
D) Daoism
- 55. What intellectual society during the Meiji period promoted European enlightenment thought?
A) Kokugaku
B) Kyoto School
C) New Confucianism
D) Meirokusha
- 56. According to the text, why is there no single unified philosophical tradition in Asia?
A) Due to a lack of historical documentation.
B) Because various autonomous traditions have come into contact with each other over time.
C) As a result of geographical isolation.
D) Because Asian philosophies were suppressed by Western influences.
- 57. Who was a modern interpreter and defender of Jainism?
A) Mahatma Gandhi
B) Swami Vivekananda
C) Virchand Gandhi
D) Ram Mohan Roy
- 58. What is the main concern of Buddhist philosophy?
A) Achieving material wealth.
B) Understanding metaphysical truths.
C) Freedom from dukkha (unease).
D) Establishing a fixed personal identity.
- 59. Which text is NOT part of the Prasthanatrayi?
A) The Bhagavad Gita
B) The Principal Upanishads
C) The Brahma Sutras
D) The Ramayana
- 60. Which form of modern Buddhism is known as 'Buddhism for Human Life'?
A) Theravada Buddhism
B) Chinese humanistic Buddhism
C) Japanese Zen Buddhism
D) Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism
- 61. Which dynasty saw the arrival of Buddhism in China?
A) Zhou dynasty
B) Mughal Empire
C) Maurya Empire
D) Han dynasty
- 62. Who is considered the founder of Sikhism?
A) Ram Mohan Roy
B) Guru Nanak
C) Swami Vivekananda
D) Mahatma Gandhi
- 63. What does Prakriti refer to in Vedānta?
A) The empirical world
B) Ultimate reality
C) Cycle of rebirth
D) Individual soul
- 64. Which term refers to the individual soul in Vedānta?
A) Brahman
B) Samsara
C) Prakriti
D) Ātman
- 65. Who was a key figure in the Kokugaku movement during Japan's Edo period?
A) Motoori Norinaga
B) Kitaro Nishida
C) Fukuzawa Yukichi
D) Nishi Amane
- 66. Which Chinese revolutionary leader's philosophy is known as Maoism?
A) Mao Zedong
B) Zhang Zhidong
C) Hu Shih
D) Sun Yat-Sen
- 67. Which philosophy arose from the Śramaṇic movement and denies the concept of atman?
A) Cārvāka
B) Śaiva Siddhānta
C) Buddhism
D) Jainism
- 68. What term did He Yan and Wang Bi focus on to describe the deep nature of Tao?
A) "Ziran" (naturalness)
B) "Pu" (simplicity)
C) "Yin-yang"
D) "Wu" (nothingness, non-being, negativity)
- 69. Which principle is believed to be the basis for Confucian values?
A) Dao
B) Karma
C) Nirvana
D) Heaven (Tiān)
- 70. Which East Asian Yogacara thinker contributed to new developments in Buddhism?
A) Sakya Pandita.
B) Nagarjuna.
C) Dharmakirti.
D) Xuanzang
- 71. Which scholar supports a 'family' view of philosophy that includes both Western and Asian thought?
A) Victoria S. Harrison
B) Carine Defoort
C) Ouyang Min
D) Rein Raud
- 72. Which philosopher anticipated that the Upanishads would influence Western thought?
A) Watsuji Tetsurô
B) Jean Gebser
C) Carl Jung
D) Arthur Schopenhauer
- 73. Which school is known for its focus on mercury?
A) Śaiva Siddhānta
B) Raseśvara
C) Pratyabhijña
D) Pāṇini Darśana
- 74. What concept is Mohism best known for, emphasizing care for all individuals equally?
A) Taoist spontaneity
B) Impartial care
C) Legalist pragmatism
D) Confucian ritualism
- 75. What was the main philosophical influence on New Confucianism in China?
A) Daoism
B) Western Marxism
C) Buddhism
D) Traditional Confucian thought
- 76. Which of these is not one of the Three Pillars of Sikhism?
A) Monasticism
B) Vand Chakko
C) Kirat Karo
D) Naam Japna
- 77. Which movement in China sought to incorporate Western democracy and republicanism?
A) Critical Buddhism
B) Kyoto School
C) May Fourth Movement
D) New Confucianism
- 78. What does the term 'Seva' in Sikhism refer to?
A) Ritual sacrifice
B) Selfless service
C) Monastic life
D) Meditation
- 79. Which virtue in Taoism emphasizes effortless action?
A) Wu wei
B) Ziran
C) Spontaneity
D) Pu
- 80. Which Chinese modernist was influential in the development of Buddhist modernism?
A) Confucius
B) Laozi
C) Mencius
D) Taixu
- 81. Which school of thought was founded by Mozi and his students?
A) Legalism
B) Taoism
C) Mohism
D) Confucianism
- 82. Which philosophy did Swami Vivekananda help popularize in the West?
A) Mohism
B) Advaita Vedanta
C) Legalism
D) Confucianism
- 83. What is the main sacred text of Sikhism?
A) The Guru Granth Sahib
B) Tripitaka
C) Upanishads
D) Bhagavad Gita
- 84. What philosophical tradition did Dignāga contribute to in Indian philosophy?
A) A spiritual awakening.
B) A logical decline.
C) A metaphysical revolution.
D) An 'epistemological turn'.
- 85. What is the official political ideology of North Korea known as?
A) Marxism-Leninism
B) Confucianism
C) Juche
D) Legalism
- 86. Who coined the term 'zhexue' in 1873?
A) Carine Defoort
B) Martin Heidegger
C) Victoria S. Harrison
D) Nishi Amane
- 87. What does the Vipassana movement focus on?
A) Rejection of all forms of Buddhism
B) Insight meditation practices
C) Ritualistic ceremonies
D) Supernatural beliefs
- 88. What was the main text of the Mohist school called?
A) Han Feizi
B) Daodejing
C) Mozi
D) Analects
- 89. When did early forms of Taoism begin to develop?
A) During the Tang dynasty
B) During the Han dynasty
C) In the 4th century BCE
D) In the 1st century CE
- 90. In which country did Confucianism become dominant during the Joseon dynasty?
A) Korea
B) Vietnam
C) Taiwan
D) Japan
- 91. Who was a key figure in the Legalist school known for his work as an administrator and political philosopher?
A) Mozi
B) Confucius
C) Han Fei
D) Shen Buhai
- 92. Which of the following is a concept shared by Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism?
A) Karma
B) Pratyabhijña
C) Raseśvara
D) Pāṇini Darśana
- 93. Which German philosopher's works were translated by Yan Fu into Chinese?
A) Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
B) Immanuel Kant
C) John Stuart Mill
D) Friedrich Nietzsche
- 94. Who is considered the founder of the School of Naturalists or Yin-yang?
A) Mozi
B) Laozi
C) Confucius
D) Zou Yan
- 95. The Pratyabhijña school is associated with which form of Shaivism?
A) non-dual Shaiva tantra
B) ascetic Shaivism
C) dualistic Shaivism
D) mercurial Shaivism
- 96. Which school of Shaivism was founded by Lakulisha around the 2nd century CE?
A) Paśupata
B) Pratyabhijña
C) Śaiva Siddhānta
D) Raseśvara
- 97. Which Chinese philosopher was influenced by John Dewey's pragmatism?
A) Hu Shih
B) Mao Zedong
C) Zhang Zhidong
D) Xu Fuguan
- 98. Which form of Buddhism was influenced by Western psychology?
A) Zen Buddhism
B) Western Buddhism
C) Pure Land Buddhism
D) Theravada Buddhism
- 99. What is the term for Confucianism's recent revival?
A) Classical Confucianism
B) Neo-Confucianism
C) Modern Confucianism
D) New Confucianism
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