3.3: Art of India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia
Match the site with the country in which it is located:
a. Japan c. China
b. India d. Cambodia
1. Taj Mahal
2. tomb of Lady Dai
3. Taian teahouse
4. Angkor Wat
5. Great Stupa
6. Ajanta Caves
7. Kandariya Mahadeva temple
8. tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi
9. Syncretism is the altering of an old artwork with modern techniques.
10. The Great Stupa ________.
a. contains the bones of Ashoka’s enemies
b. holds the Buddha’s remains
c. is the only stupa in the world
d. resembles the form of a snake
e. none of the other answers
11. What is not true about the Great Stupa?
a. pilgrims enter through the east torana
b. pilgrims circle the stupa in a clockwise direction
c. Buddha’s portrait appears in artworks throughout
d. all of the other answers
e. none of the other answers
12. What can be said about the toranas that surround the Great Stupa?
a. there are four
b. they are about 8 ft. tall, just a bit taller than a person
c. they do not contain any female figures
d. only one is an entrance; the others are all exit-only
e. all of the other answers
13. The Gupta Seated Buddha (3.3.4) is portrayed as:
a. a teacher d. an artist
b. a doctor e. none of the other answers
c. an athlete
14. Buddha is always represented as a seated figure with a raised hand and one finger pointing up
toward the sky.
15. The Ajanta caves, filled with paintings and sculptures, are located in ________.
a. China d. Tibet
b. India e. none of the other answers
c. Japan
16. In the Ajanta cave painting of Padmapani the bodhisattva (3.3.5), he is shown as a cruel individual
who was punished for his actions by having to live as a poor gardener.
17. Artworks based on which of these religions can be found in India?
a. Buddhism d. Buddhism and Hinduism
b. Hinduism e. all of the other answers
c. Islam
18. The Kandariya Mahadeva is the only Hindu temple in India.
19. The Kandariya Mahadeva is dedicated to Vishnu, the god who preserves the universe.
20. Which of the following is not true about the Kandariya Mahadeva?
a. it is seen as a “cosmic mountain,” a link between heaven and earth
b. it contains a sculpture of the god Shiva in a central room
c. it is aligned with the rising and setting of the sun
d. the exterior is very simple with few sculptures
e. it was intended to encourage Hindu worship
21. In Islamic faith, gardens are symbolic of Paradise on Earth.
22. The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir to celebrate the birth of his son Shah
Jahan.
23. The gardens at the Taj Mahal were heavily influenced by the royal palaces and gardens of the
Christian French monarchy.
24. The Taj Mahal ________.
a. is asymmetrical when viewed from above
b. is covered with smooth white marble and lacks any writing
c. is surrounded by gardens that represent Paradise
d. stands alone, and is not part of a larger complex
e. none of the other answers
25. The Chinese have great respect for their ancestors and often make artworks for the dead to enjoy.
26. What process was used to make the Shang dynasty ritual wine vessel (3.3.10)?
a. piece mold casting d. subtractive carving
b. raku e. none of the other answers
c. lost-wax casting
27. The design on the side of the Shang dynasty ritual wine vessel (3.3.10) features a t’ao t’ieh, a
realistic depiction of the owner’s face.
28. What is not true about Lady Dai’s silk funeral banner?
a. it was buried with her
b. it is made of silk
c. it features two crossing dragons that symbolize hell and judgment
d. it features both animal and human figures
e. none of the other answers
29. The attention to detail and craftsmanship in Lady Dai’s silk funeral banner shows that the Chinese
probably did not believe in the idea of the afterlife.
30. What is not true about the soldiers in Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi’s tomb?
a. they are exactly identical
b. there are thousands of them
c. they were made to protect the Emperor in the afterlife
d. they are accompanied by chariots and horses
e. they date from c. 210 BCE
31. What is the medium of the soldiers in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi?
a. skeletons d. bronze
b. terra-cotta e. wood
c. marble
32. Calligraphy, painting, and poetry were three entirely separate artforms for the Chinese.
33. A Chinese scroll is likely to comprise only illustrations and not include any writing.
34. A colophon is a kind of:
a. instrument d. stone
b. writing e. none of the other answers
c. colored pigment
35. Which of these is not shown in Wang Meng’s scroll painting of Ge Zhichuan Moving His
Dwelling?
a. people d. gods
b. mountains e. houses
c. waterfalls
36. What is not true about Wang Meng’s scroll painting of Ge Zhichuan Moving His Dwelling?
a. it is symbolic of one’s spiritual journey through life
b. Ge Zhichuan travels from the top to the bottom of the scene
c. the landscape is challenging and treacherous for the traveler
d. at any one time, we cannot see the entire scroll
e. Ge Zhichuan was an alchemist
37. Mount Fuji, the Japanese mountain that features in Hokusai’s famous print “The Great Wave off
Shore at Kanagawa,” is sacred to followers of ________.
a. Islam d. Hinduism
b. Christianity e. Scientology
c. Shinto
38. In “The Great Wave off Shore at Kanagawa,” the curl of the wave intertwines with the sky to
create an abstract ________.
a. yin and yang d. human face
b. t’ao t’ieh e. temple
c. ice-cream cone
39. Describe in detail the role that Mount Fuji plays in Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Shore at
Kanagawa.” Consider formal elements, such as the size, shape, and placement of the mountain, as
well as meaning and symbolism.
40. Select one artwork from India, one from China, and one from Japan. Explain how each artwork
reflects the values of the culture in which it was made. Discuss the differences between the
artworks from these three cultures.
41. The traditional Japanese textile art of tsumugi-ori has been lost and forgotten over time.
42. Textile artist Sonoko Sasaki values ________ in her work.
a. a sense of the seasons d. influences from other cultures
b. modern materials e. none of the other answers
c. the influence of new technology
43. The Japanese tea ceremony has its roots in Zen Buddhism.
ANS: T DIF: Level 1 REF: Japan: The Japanese Tea Ceremony
Match the term with its meaning or definition:
a. floor mats
b. “way of the tea”
c. handmade and fired ceramic, used in the tea ceremony
d. a niche that holds a simple scroll or floral arrangement
44. chanoyu
45. tatami
46. tokonoma
47. raku
48. Japanese tearooms are designed ________.
a. for contemplation
b. with elegant and ornate furniture
c. for efficient and speedy service
d. to be in competition with one another
e. none of the other answers
49. What event is portrayed in the “Hungry Tigress” panel from the shrine in the Horyu-ji Temple in
Nara, Japan?
a. a tigress fighting off a mate to defend her dinner
b. a tigress sacrificing her life to feed her cubs
c. Buddha sacrificing his life to feed a tigress and her cubs
d. Buddha killing some wildfowl for a hungry tigress
e. none of the other answers
50. A continuous narrative shows multiple scenes of a story in one pictorial space.
51. The scene illustrated in an early scroll of the Tale of Genji (3.3.21) shows a prince holding a baby.
What is taking place?
a. the prince is mourning the death of his firstborn
b. the prince is sad because he knows the baby he is holding is not his own
c. the prince is falling asleep holding his nephew
d. the prince is stealing the baby from his sister
e. none of the other answers
52. The term Ukiyo-e means “pictures of the floating world.”
53. Japanese woodblock printer Kitagawa Utamaro was most famous for his depictions of ________.
a. his imaginings of other countries d. beautiful women
b.historical scenes e. animals
c. battle scenes
54. In the nineteenth century, there was so little trade between Asia and the West that Japanese art had
no real influence on what artists in Europe were doing.
55. Find another artwork, from the textbook or elsewhere, that you think has been influenced by the art
of Japan. What elements of Japonisme can you identify in the work? Do you think that the artist
worked intentionally in a Japanese style? Why might a Western artist want to use elements from
another culture in their artwork?
56. The religious complex Angkor Wat is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.
57. The Angkor Wat temple complex features bas-relief sculpture.
58. The relief Vishnu Churning of Sea of Milk at Angkor Wat depicts:
a. a story of creation d. gods and demons
b. the mixing of a potion e. all of the other answers
c. a struggle between good and evil
59. Compare and contrast Angkor Wat and Kandariya Mahadeva. Consider their design, religious use,
and sculptural decoration.
60. Research the use of symbols in the arts of Asia. Find at least three symbols that recur often in
Asian artworks, such as the lotus flower in Buddhist art, or Mount Fuji in Japanese art. Why are
these symbols significant to those that create or view them?