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Chapter 10: Confucius and Confucianism
Fill in the Blank
1. Zhong-ni and Teacher Kong are both names used to refer to _________.
2. After mourning his mother’s death, Confucius became a _________.
3. Confucius’s primary purpose was to _________.
4. The Confucian law of human relationships is sometimes interpreted as being similar to
_________.
5. Confucius’s emphasis on the importance of the relationship between rulers and their subjects
merged _________ and _________.
6. The Legalist Shang Yang advised rulers to confine their people to these two activities:
__________ and _________.
7. Mencius believed that virtues such as compassion are _________ within all people, ready to
grow.
8. Zi-si was the scholarly son of Confucius who devoted himself to _________.
9. In the orthodoxy of Zhu Xi, _________ is another name for Tai Ji?
10. In the modern period, “Confucian” has come to mean _________.
11. Confucius could be described as a _________.
a. Communist
b. Daoist
c. Humanist
d. Marxist
12. What are the Analects?
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a. a collection of the sayings of Confucius
b. a collection of chants prescribed by Confucius
c. a biographical account of the life of Confucius
d. a collection of Shandong lute music
13. The autobiographical information in the Analects purport that Confucius expected to become
a _________.
a. farmer
b. priest
c. philosopher
d. scholar
14. Which of the five Confucian Classics is believed to have been composed by Confucius?
a. Annals of Spring and Autumn
b. Book of Changes
c. Book of History
d. Book of Poetry
15. The Great Learning was initially designed as the basis of the education of _________.
a. government officials
b. princes
c. scholars
d. women
16. The Book of Mencius dates from the __________ century BCE.
a. first
b. second
c. third
d. fourth
17. What did Confucius say was the greatest of the five cardinal virtues?
a. li
b. ren
c. xin
d. yi
18. Li is of vital importance in ordering and regulating the five principal human relationships.
Which of the following is NOT one of the five principal human relationships?
a. father and son
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b. husband and wife
c. mother and daughter
d. ruler and subject
19. Why did Confucius think social practices in China had become corrupt?
a. Human nature was more inclined to evil intentions than good.
b. People failed from moral causes to live by ren.
c. The moral condition of China was beyond redemption.
d. Their ancestors were not devoted to the common good.
20. Filial piety refers to the Chinese tradition of _________.
a. loyalty to the emporer
b. loyalty to family
c. the scholars loyalty to truth
d. the son’s loyalty to the wife’s father
21. The zheng-ming principle called for defining ideal _________ and then shaping people to fit
them.
a. intellectual goals
b. moral codes
c. philosophies
d. social roles
22. Which of the following is NOT one of the Five Constant Virtues displayed by the Superior
Man?
a. benevolence
b. piety
c. self-respect
d. sincerity
23. What does the term “jun–zi” mean?
a. a father
b. a government official
c. a nobleman
d. a servant
24. According to Confucius, how does one do the will of heaven?
a. by following the laws of nature
b. by practicing moral law
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c. by praying to the gods
d. by worshipping the rulers of China
26. Which of the following is a factor that impeded the spread of Confucian thought during the
Warring States Period?
a. admiration for scholarly pursuits
b. government corruption
c. the final decay of the Zhou feudal system
d. the prolongation of the feudal order
27. Which of the following reflects a tenet of Confucianism to which the Daoists objected?
Confucianism?
a. lack of loyalty to family
b. lack of support for a managed economy
c. nature worship
d. pursuit of social discipline
28. Which of the following reflects a Mohist belief that separates Mohism from Confucianism?
a. no expense should be spared on funerals
b. government should operate strictly under religious sanctions
c. social discipline is of primary importance
d. Zhou institutions should be supported and built up
29. The Han Emporer _________ put the Confucians in charge of a government-sponsored
system of education designed to train officials.
a. Dong Shong-shu
b. Shi Huang Di
c. Wang Chong
d. Wu Di
30. Wang Chong, a left-wing rationalist of the Confucian school, tried to reverse the tendency to
view Confucius as a/an _________ man.
a. divine
b. fallible
c. infallible
d. scholarly
31. When Buddhism came to China, orthodox Confucians especially condemned the Buddhists
for diverting people to _________ and away from the service of society.
a. begging for food
b. self-salvation
c. temples
d. the priesthood
32. What was an important factor in the rise of Neo-Confucianism?
a. the defeat of barbarian tribes at China’s borders
b. the military and political failures of the Song dynasty
c. the purity of the Tang dynasty
d. the strengthening of the central governing body.
33. In 1906 the Manchus issued an edict making sacrifices to Confucius equal with those offered
to _________ and _________.
a. Buddha, Dao
b. emperors, feudal lords
c. heaven, earth
d. sea, sky
34. Mao Zedong’s basic purposes excluded _________.
a. cultural activities
b. dispersion of goods throughout China
c. education of any kind
d. religion and otherworldly philosophies
35. In what year was Falun Gong officially banned in China?
a. 1987
b. 1989
c. 1997
d. 1999