48) What is the second most widely spoken language in South Asia?
A) Punjabi
B) Urdu
C) Nepali
D) Tamil
E) Bengali
49) As an example of the success of South Asian film production, what film made 47m USD in
eight days?
A) Baahubali: The Beginning
B) Sivaji The Boss
C) Anaganaga O Dheerudu
D) Dhoom 3
E) Ishq
50) A thousand years ago, what was the major unifying force in South Asia?
A) Islam
B) Buddhism
C) syncretism
D) caste system
E) language
51) What is the name for India’s secluded or untouchable caste?
A) Brahmins
B) Kshatriyas
C) Sudras
D) Dalits
E) Vaishyas
52) The Buddha
A) was born into a wealthy family in northern India.
B) promised his followers an afterlife.
C) supported the caste system.
D) eventually converted to Hinduism.
E) founded Islam.
53) What group of people is at the top of the Hindu caste (varna) system?
A) Kshatriyas (princes and warriors)
B) Shudras (farmers, craft occupations)
C) Dalits (untouchables)
D) Brahmins (priestly class)
E) Vaishyas (merchant class)
54) Approximately how many Muslims are there in South Asia?
A) 2 million
B) 20 million
C) 150 million
D) 500 million
E) 750 million
55) In which of the following countries of South Asia is Hinduism the majority religion?
A) Bangladesh
B) Nepal
C) Pakistan
D) Sri Lanka
E) Bhutan
56) Which of the following best describes the geography of religion in India?
A) Most of the people are Muslim, but about 15% are Hindu.
B) Most of the people are Hindu, but about 15% are Sikh.
C) Most of the people are Hindu, but about 15% are Muslim.
D) Most of the people are Muslim, but about 15% are Sikh.
E) About 50% are Hindu, about 40% are Muslim, and about 10% are Sikh.
57) What trend is threatening the survival of the Zoroastrian community?
A) intermarriage and low fertility
B) persecution by Sikhs
C) environmental devastation in their homeland of Bhutan
D) the abandonment of the belief system for Hinduism
E) emigration from the region in search of economic opportunity
58) In what part of India are Dravidian languages most likely to be spoken?
A) north
B) east
C) west
D) south
E) center
59) What is the correct declining order of ritual purity varna?
A) priests, warriors, merchants, farmers
B) warriors, merchants, priests, farmers
C) priests, merchants, warriors, farmers
D) priests, warriors, farmers, merchants
E) warriors, priests, merchants, farmers
60) Who is the father-figure of Indian independence?
A) Mohandas Gandhi
B) Koose Veerappan
C) Raj Kumar
D) Siddhartha Guatama
E) Aasif Mandviwala
61) What two countries in South Asia have nuclear weapons?
A) India and Pakistan
B) Pakistan and Bangladesh
C) Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
D) Sri Lanka and Bhutan
E) Bhutan and India
62) What territory in South Asia is claimed by both India and Pakistan?
A) Sri Lanka
B) the Indian State of Goa
C) Kashmir
D) Madhya Pradesh
E) Punjab
63) With which religion was the Mughal Empire of South Asia identified?
A) Hinduism
B) Islam
C) Jainism
D) Bahai
E) Christianity
64) After the partitioning of India in the late 1940s and the subsequent formation of Bangladesh
in 1971, what was Pakistan’s policy toward the Pashtun tribes in the country?
A) to make them citizens of Pakistan
B) to expel them from the country
C) to retain the British policy, and allow them to maintain nearly full autonomy
D) to move the population to a location near the Indian border
E) ethnic cleansing
65) Why did the Bengalis in the former East Pakistan fight for independence?
A) The government of India encouraged them to rebel.
B) They did not like the Islamic fundamentalism of Pakistan.
C) They did not share the Muslim religion of the Pakistanis.
D) They felt they were treated as second–class citizens.
E) They did not want to share their oil wealth with Pakistan.
66) What are the sources of ethnic violence in Sri Lanka?
A) religious and linguistic differences
B) linguistic and cultural differences
C) cultural and political differences
D) political and economic differences
E) economic and religious differences
67) What are the Tamil Tigers?
A) a sub-species of large felines in Nepal
B) a rebel force in Sri Lanka
C) an international soccer team from one of the states of India
D) a politically oriented singing group in Bangladesh
E) a group of environmental activists in Pakistan
68) Which statement is TRUE regarding the partition of South Asia into India and Pakistan?
A) It led to the deaths of over 1 million people.
B) It occurred after the British withdrew in 1947.
C) It displaced 14 million people.
D) It eventually led to the creation of Bangladesh years later.
E) All of the answer choices are true statements.
69) What is the area in northwestern India controlled by China but claimed by India?
A) Jammu
B) Kashmir
C) Punjab
D) Khyber
E) Aksai Chin
70) Which of the following is TRUE about the conflict in Sri Lanka?
A) The Sri Lankan military won in 2007.
B) The Hindus of the south waged war against the Buddhists.
C) Both the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan military engaged in war crimes.
D) The Tamil Tigers want a unified country.
E) The Christians argued for a centralized government.
71) Maoism in South Asia is primarily concerned with?
A) urban growth
B) agricultural collectivization
C) colonialism
D) industrial workers
E) constitutional monarchy
72) India’s economy is most advanced in what economic activity?
A) engineering technology
B) automobile production
C) electrical appliances
D) software development
E) consumer electronics
73) Which Indian state has the highest GDP?
A) Rajasthan
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Karnataka
D) Maharashtra
E) Punjab
74) Sexual discrimination in South Asia is being combated by
A) catching doctors who perform sex-selective abortions.
B) giving gifts to parents of newborn girls.
C) women’s empowerment movements such as the Gulabi Gang.
D) social protests over sexual violence.
E) all of the above.
75) Despite widespread poverty in the country of India, approximately how many Indians are
able to purchase modern consumer goods such as televisions?
A) 50 million
B) 100 million
C) 300 million
D) 600 million
E) 450 million
76) What is the most isolated country in South Asia?
A) India
B) Bhutan
C) Bangladesh
D) Pakistan
E) Sri Lanka
77) Which of the following is one of the main reasons that Pakistan has had a difficult time
achieving economic growth?
A) Its landlocked position makes it difficult for the nation to engage in trade.
B) Its economy is almost solely dependent on the information-technology industry.
C) It is burdened by high levels of defense spending.
D) Its ongoing war with Afghanistan has sapped the nation’s economy.
E) Its “bubble” economy has collapsed.
78) Why is Bangladesh internationally competitive in textile and clothing manufacture?
A) It has abundant natural resources.
B) It has a cheap source of energy.
C) It is located near its markets.
D) Its wages are low.
E) All of these answer choices are correct.
79) What role does the Grameen Bank play in Bangladesh?
A) It regulates interest rates in the country.
B) It provides low-interest credit to fund small–scale enterprise.
C) It is the largest commercial bank.
D) It facilitates international financial activities.
E) all of the above
80) Which country of South Asia has the region’s overall highest level of social development, in
terms of favorable social indicators?
A) India
B) Pakistan
C) Sri Lanka
D) Bhutan
E) Nepal
81) What country of South Asia has the region’s highest adult literacy rate?
A) Bangladesh
B) Pakistan
C) Sri Lanka
D) Nepal
E) India
82) Why do some of the poorest regions of India have relatively high literacy rates despite their
poverty?
A) because of the educational efforts of Christian missionaries
B) because of investment in education by the provincial government
C) because of foreign direct investment in schools in these areas
D) because of Peace Corps efforts of the United States
E) all of the above
83) Describe the formation and typical climate patterns associated with monsoons in South Asia.
84) Write an essay in which you discuss the patterns of urbanization in three South Asian cities.
What accounts for regional differences in such characteristics as population, function, and
location of these urban areas?
85) Describe and analyze the reasons for high population growth in South Asia. Include an
examination of family planning in your discussion.
86) There are several significant ethnic conflicts in South Asia. Write an essay in which you
examine the history and current status of three of these disputes.
87) Discuss and analyze the impact of religion on the history and current nature and structure of
South Asia.
88) Briefly discuss the following religions in South Asia:
Jainism
Sikhism
Buddhism
89) Describe the major languages of South Asia and explain why their use has been a source of
tension.
90) How have the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States had an effect on India-
Pakistan relations?
91) Write an essay in which you examine and explain the nature and extent of poverty in South
Asia, as well as the region’s level of economic development, including which sectors are strong,
which are weak, and what overall growth trends have been.
92) What is the status of women in South Asia? How much of this is due to historical traditions?
Have there been any recent positive changes?