SAT II World History : SAT Subject Test in World History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II World History

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Example Questions

Example Question #3 : Hinduism

Which of the following are two religions that share the belief in reincarnation?

Possible Answers:

Judaism and Christianity

Christianity and Buddhism

Confucianism and Hinduism

Hinduism and Buddhism

Confucianism and Daoism

Correct answer:

Hinduism and Buddhism

Explanation:

The idea of reincarnation—that people are reborn into different bodies after they die—is part of both Hinduism and Buddhism. All of the other answer choices are incorrect because they contain at least one religion that did not include the idea of reincarnation.

Example Question #4 : Hinduism

Rama and Krishna are religious figures in what religion?

Possible Answers:

Zoroastrianism

Hinduism

Islam

Buddhism

Christianity

Correct answer:

Hinduism

Explanation:

Rama and Krishna are avatars in the Hindu religion.

Example Question #741 : Sat Subject Test In World History

Mahabharata and Ramayana are two famous __________

Possible Answers:

epic poems in the Indian Hindu tradiation 

gods in the Hindu pantheon said to keep the world in constant balance between good and evil 

Hindu temples along the Ganges River

rulers of India who converted much of the population to Hinduism. 

Hindu spiritual figures of the third century B.C.E. credited with spreading Hinduism to South East Asia

Correct answer:

epic poems in the Indian Hindu tradiation 

Explanation:

Mahabharata and Ramayana are two very famous Indian Epic Poems written in approximately the fourth century B.C.E. that form an important part of Hindu religious and culutral tradition. The Epic of Rama remains particularly important in Indian society where Rama is often employed for political or economic motivations. 

Example Question #5 : Hinduism

What name is given to the four sacred books of Hinduism that provide guides for living ones life and for performing religious ceremonies? 

Possible Answers:

The Abbasids

The Brahman

The Sanskrits

The Bhagavad Gita

The Vedas

Correct answer:

The Vedas

Explanation:

The Vedas are four books that collectively serve as a guide for life and a manual for performing spiritual rituals in the Hindu religion. They were originally written in Sanskrit, the language of Ancient and Classical India. They remain widely influential to this day. 

Example Question #6 : Hinduism

The belief in reincarnation is central to which of these religions?

Possible Answers:

Hinduism

NONE of these religions

Judaism

Islam

Christianity

Correct answer:

Hinduism

Explanation:

Reincarnation is the belief that after you die your soul will move on to a new form, usually depending on what kind of life you have led. So in the Hindu tradition a very virtuous and righteous man might go to heaven, a good and honest man might return to Earth in the form of a new human, a dishonest and sinful man might return to Earth in the form of a plant or an animal, and a wicked and depraved man might be condemned to hell. All of the Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - do not believe in the tenet of reincarnation. But, it is central to many other religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. 

Example Question #742 : Sat Subject Test In World History

Confucianism was a powerful ideology for Chinese Emperors to promote because it encouraged

Possible Answers:

the apocalypse.

democratic representation.

social equality.

religious piety.

adherence to authority.

Correct answer:

adherence to authority.

Explanation:

Confucianism, originated by the Chinese philosopher Kung Fu Tzu in the sixth century BCE, is largely an ethical teaching that preaches devotion to family, order, and authority. While immensely popular on its own, it became the state philosophy and quasi-religion under the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). Confucianism's devotion to order and authority became important teaching tools for the Emperor.

Example Question #742 : Sat Subject Test In World History

The four noble truths are components of which of the following religions?

Possible Answers:

Hinduism

Confucianism

Islam

Daoism

Buddhism

Correct answer:

Buddhism

Explanation:

The four noble truths were taught by Buddha and are an important part of Buddhism. None of the religions listed in the other answer choices includes the four noble truths.

Example Question #2 : Buddhism And Confucianism

Filial piety is an important tenet of which of the following religions?

Possible Answers:

Sikhism

Judaism

Confucianism

Buddhism

Jainism

Correct answer:

Confucianism

Explanation:

Filial piety is the complete obedience to one's parents, ancestors, and elders in society. It was a central tenet of the Chinese religion/philosophy of Confucianism.

Example Question #741 : Sat Subject Test In World History

Siddhartha Gautama __________.

Possible Answers:

fought against the Emperor Asoka 

established the first extensive trading system between the Middle East and India

was defeated by Alexander the Great in the Indo-Gangetic Plain

is credited with founding modern Buddhism 

settled the island of Sri Lanka

Correct answer:

is credited with founding modern Buddhism 

Explanation:

Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha Gautama, or just the Buddha, was a spiritual and somewhat legendary figure on whose teachings the religion of Buddhism was founded. Siddhartha preached a Middle Way between sensory indulgence and the harsh asceticism common in the religions of the time; in doing so, he founded modern Buddhism.

Example Question #743 : Sat Subject Test In World History

Confucianism developed __________.

Possible Answers:

out of the belief that good (light) and evil (dark) were fighting throughout history

after the prophet Confucius began receiving messages from God 

as a response to the political turmoil under the Zhou dynasty

None of the answers are correct.

as a way to limit bureaucracy within China

Correct answer:

as a response to the political turmoil under the Zhou dynasty

Explanation:

Although Confucian values were part of a Chinese bureaucrat's training, it wasn't developed to limit bureaucracy. It was, however, a response to the political turmoil of the Zhou dynasty that Confucius lived through. 

Confucius was a philosopher, not a prophet, and the battle between good and evil has more in common with Manichaeism than with Confucianism.

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