Name Date Assessment: Learning About Religions: Buddhism Mastering the Content Circle the letter next to the best answer. 1. The name Buddha meant one who was A. sorrowful. B. awakened. C. everlasting. D. all-powerful. 2. Which of these events took place at about the same time as the Buddha lived? A. A cave wall was painted in southern France about 15,000 B.C.E. B. Hammurabi began writing his code in Babylon in 1792 B.C.E. C. The Persians conquered Babylon and let Jews return home in 539 B.C.E. D. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. 3. Which of these beliefs did Hinduism and Buddhism have in common? A. many gods B. caste system C. ritual bathing D. many lifetimes 4. Which goal did Buddhism teach people to move toward? A. converting everybody B. reaching enlightenment C. making elaborate sacrifices D. completing a big pilgrimage 5. Who was Siddhartha Gautama? A. the prince who became the Buddha B. the priest who taught about the Buddha C. the enemy who was defeated by the Buddha D. the leader who organized the Buddha's followers 6. According to Buddhist tradition, what happened to the Buddha s mother before he was born? A. She gave up all her wealth. B. She received a visit from an angel. C. She dreamed about a white elephant. D. She married against her parents' wishes. 7. Why had the Buddha not learned about suffering as a child? A. His father protected him. B. He was not interested in others. C. He understood that pain is not real. D. The gods granted him special favors.
8. Which of these events happened first in the Buddha s life? A. He left the palace. B. He became an ascetic. C. He gained enlightenment. D. He and his wife had a son. 9. What troubled the Buddha on his first few trips out into the world? A. inequality of wealth B. aging, sickness, and death C. prejudice against lower castes D. cruelty, evil, and lack of caring 10. If you decided to live as an ascetic, what would you do? A. abandon your religion B. become ruler of a kingdom C. give up most of what you own D. become a parent of a large family 11. Why did the Buddha become thin from lack of food? A. Nobody would give him alms. B. He fasted for spiritual reasons. C. He was locked away in a tower. D. Famine spread over the country. 12. Why did the Buddha decide to follow a middle way? A. Neither riches nor being an ascetic led to nirvana. B. Neither struggle nor acceptance summed up all of life. C. Neither life on Earth nor life after death seemed most important. D. Neither the Four Truths nor the Eightfold Path worked without the other. 13. What did the Buddha discover under the Bodhi tree? A. basic truths for living B. a chest filled with jewels C. the entrance to a deep cave D. a wise man who guided him 14. Why did the Buddha decide not to escape into enlightenment right away? A. He preferred to follow a middle way. B. He forgot his dream when he woke up. C. He wanted to teach people the path he had found. D. He did not want to leave his wife and child behind. 15. Which of the following is one of the Four Noble Truths? A. Study leads to wisdom. B. Joy is achieved by praying. C. Only death can end cravings. D. Suffering is caused by desires.
16. The Eightfold Path of Buddhism is most similar to which of these Hindu beliefs? A. castes B. karma C. deities D. dharma Applying Social Studies Skills Use the passage and your knowledge of history to answer the questions. Write the word or phrase in the space provided. Friends, just as the footprints of all legged animals are encompassed by the footprint of the elephant, and the elephant's footprint is reckoned the foremost among them in terms of size; in the same way, all skillful qualities are gathered under the four noble truths. Under which four? Under the noble truth of stress, under the noble truth of the origination of stress, under the noble truth of the cessation of stress, and under the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress. - Sariputta, a disciple of the Buddha 17. Instead of using the word suffering, as in the Four Noble Truths, what word does this translation use? 18. Sariputta says that all skillful qualities fit within the Four Noble Truths in the same way that the footprints of smaller animals fit within the footprint of what animal? 19. What does Sariputta likely mean by all skillful qualities?
Exploring the Essential Question What are the main beliefs and teachings of Buddhism? Follow the directions to complete the item below. 20. In each box on the path below, write one sentence to illustrate that principle. Two of the boxes have been completed as examples.