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Ch 9: Native Chinese Religion and Daoism
Fill in the Blank
1. __________ was the serpent-bodied emperor and originator extraordinaire who was an
important mythic ancestor in the accounts of Chinese origins.
2. A cosmic man, __________, who grew ten feet a day is part of the early stories of creation in
that parts of his body became the surrounding mountains and his breathe became the winds
and clouds.
3. The two interacting energy modes of the Chinese were the __________, the lower energy yet
fertile energy form and the __________ or expansive, warm energy form.
4. The harmony and orderliness displayed in the heaven and earth were the result of the cosmic
presence of the __________.
5. The __________ or Eight Trigrams was important in the interpretation of various types of
divination
6. The two classes of nature spirits were the __________ (yang in character) and the
__________ (yin in character).
7. The decay of the feudal system finally culminated in a two-hundred year period of violent
civil disorders, called the __________ period.
8. __________ is the purported originator of Daoism
9. __________ is the practice of nonaggression and nonmeddlesome action.
10. The most famous of the Daoist philosophers who elaborated the doctrine of “transformations
of the Dao” was __________.
Multiple Choice
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11. Which of the following is not true of the Dao?
a. It is eternal
b. It refers to the correct method of operation
c. It is a way of harmony and cooperation
d. It is the animating soul of the body
12. The Bagua or Eight Trigrams is most closely associated with __________.
a. divination
b. worship of localized spirits
c. ancestor veneration
d. funerary customs
13. The most fearsome of the demonic spirits were the __________.
a. crowing cocks
b. dragons
c. vampires
d. werewolves
14. Items are transmitted to the dead in the form of __________.
a. human sacrifice
b. prayers
c. smoke
d. spirit money
15. A number of schools of thought arose during the transition from the old order to the new. The
one with the greatest distain for a political system with a high degree of centralization was
the __________.
a. Confucianism
b. Daoism
c. Legalism
d. Mohism
16. The legendary __________ is thought to be the father of the Daoist philosophy.
a. Lao-zi
b. Lao–mi
c. Shen Dao
d. Yang Zhu
17. The embodiment of the Daoist philosophy is found in the __________.
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a. Dao De Jing
b. Dao Dong Jen
c. Shen Dao
d. Tao Wu-Wei
18. The __________ was the mound of earth in each village that symbolized the fertility of the
soil.
a. Dao
b. Shang Di
c. she
d. Tian
19. What was the ultimate determiner of human affairs and dominated the entire course of
Chinese religion to the 20th century?
a. heaven
b. imperial ancestors
c. supernatural forces
d. the emperor
20. What Chinese school of thought found the key to the meaning of things in human relations?
a. Confucianism
b. Daoism
c. Legalism
d. Mohism
21. What is “Xian?”
a. alchemy
b. the balance of yin and yang
c. the manifestation of Dao
d. persons who seek to attain immortality
22. According to myth which emperor invented bricks, the calendar, and money?
a. Fu-xi
b. Gong Gong
c. Huang Di
d. Huang Lo
23. The po corresponds to what?
a. earthly spirits
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b. heavenly spirits
c. the animating soul
d. the spiritual soul
24. Law and order among people and even the crops in the field were dependent on what?
a. a pre-ordained plan
b. harmony among living beings
c. the sacrifices of the emperor
d. the Zhoung
25. The yin-yang symbol in the middle of the Eight Trigrams octagon represents __________.
a. creation
b. Dao
c. Jain
d. Tian
26. According to Lao-zi the search for knowledge was vain because __________.
a. it only led to a perversion of the simplicity in which people are meant to live
b. it only led to widespread Confucian beliefs that led people astray in their personal
spiritual search
c. it was only for government leaders to allow them to lead the people wisely
d. it was only for the emperor to discern
27. The theory that the Dao De Jing accepts unquestioningly is __________.
a. harmony and perfection occur when things take their natural course
b. the definition of Dao is possible to discern.
c. the eternal Dao can be expressed in words and deeds.
d. the eternal Dao is always hindered in its smooth operation.
28. The process of reversion includes all but which of the following?
a. coming into being
b. reaching maturity
c. realizing uniqueness
d. reverting to nonbeing
29. Scholarly opinion posits that the Dao De Jing was initially written for __________.
a. all individuals
b. male heads of households
c. priests
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d. the governing elites
30. On Peng-lai, the Blessed Isle, “magicians” searched for __________, that was/were believed
to grant immortality?
a. cinnabar
b. gold
c. mushrooms
d. peach petals
31. In modern times Daoism is flourishing primarily in __________.
a. Laos
b. Malaysia
c. Singapore
d. Taiwan
32. __________ is reputed to have taught the early inhabitants of China to forecast with the
Eight Trigrams.
a. Fu-xi
b. Huang Di
c. Lao-zi
d. Nu Gua
33. Which of the following objects exemplifies predominantly yang energy modes?
a. a burnt log
b. earth
c. shadowed bank of a river
d. the sun
34. The Yi Jing is a __________.
a. a book of divination
b. a creation myth
c. an almanac
d. an epic on the eternal struggle between yin and yang
35. The political principle most consistent with the Dao De Jing’s philosophy is __________.
a. communism
b. democracy
c. laissez-faire capitalism
d. socialism