Grade VI

Lesson 6. New questions and Ideas

Objective Type Questions

I. Multiple choice questions

1. The religion founded by Gautama (Siddhartha)

a. Jainism b. Buddhism c. Hinduism d. Shaivism

2. Buddha has referred to our actions as:

a. Viharas b. Tanha c. Karma d. Vyavhara

3. Jainism was founded by:

a. Zoroaster b. Mahavira c. Buddha d. Tao

4. The universal soul has been referred to as:

a. Tanha b. Karma c. Atman d. All of these

5. A woman Upanishad thinker was:

a. Urmila b. Jabali c. Bhairavi d. Gargi

1. b 2. c 3. b 4. c 5. d

I. Fill in the blanks

1. _____ also known as Gautama, the founder of Buddhism was born about 2500 ago.

2. Buddhism finally decided to find his own path to ______ and meditated for days

on end under a peepal tree at _______in Bihar.

3. Buddha went to _________near Varanasi, where he preached his first Sermon.

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 4. Buddha went to ________ near Varanasi, where he preached his first Sermon.

5. Buddha also taught people to be _____ And to respect the lives of others,

including ___________ .

6. ________ literally mean ________and ________ the texts contain

conversations between teachers and students.

7. Most upanishadic thinkers were men, especially ________ and _________ .

8. Many of the ideas of the unpanishads were later developed by the famous thinker

___________.

9. The most famous thinker of the Jains,__________ also spread his message

around this time, i.e., ___________ years ago.

10. Ahimsa means not hurting or killing living beings _________ said Mahavira

“_________” To all things life is dear.

11. Followers of Mahavira, were known as __________ .

12. Over hundreds of years, Jainism spread to different parts of north and to

_________, __________ and ____________ .

13. The rulers made for the __________, _________ were written down in a book

called the __________ .

14. The earliest __________ were made of wood, and then of brick.

15. Around the time when Jainism and Buddhism were becoming popular, brahmins

developed the system of ____________.

1. Siddartha 2. Realization, Bodh Gaya 3. Sarnath 4. Teaching, 5. Kind,

Kusinara animals

6. Upanishads, 7. Brahmins, Raja 8. Shankaracharya 9. Vardhamana 10. All being,

approaching, Mahavira, long to
sitting near 2500 live

11. Jains 12. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, 13. Buddhist 14. Viharas 15. Ashramas
Karnataka Sangha, Vinaya
Pitaka

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 I. Match the following

1. Mahavira i. Vinaya Pitaka

2. Enlightenment of Buddha ii. Sarnath
3. First sermon of Buddha iii. Lichchhavis
4. Rules of Sangha iv. Kushinara
5. Death of Buddha v. Bodh Gaya

1. iii 2. v 3. ii 4. i 5. iv

I. True or False

1. Mahavira was a prince in the Sakya ‘gana’.

2. Both Jain and Buddhist monks went from place to place throughout the year and
taught people.
3. The original name of the Buddha was Siddhartha.
4. The Jains were supposed to lead luxurious lives.
5. The Buddha believed ‘tanha’ could be removed by following moderation in
everything.
1. False 2. True 3. True 4. False 5. True

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. What was the original name of Lord Buddha?

Siddartha was the original name of Lord Buddha.
2. What was the language used to compose the Vedas?
Prakrit language or Vedic Sanskrit.
3. What is the literal meaning of Upanishad?
It mean “approaching and sitting near”.
4. Who are Jains?
The followers of Mahavira are known as Jains.

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5. Who were Bhikkhus?
Bhikkhus were followers of the Buddha who begged for food.
6. Who was Panini?
Panini was a great grammarian. He prepared the grammar for Sanskrit. He
arranged the vowels and consonants in a special order and then used these to
create formulae like those found in algebra.
7. Who was the founder of Buddhism?
Siddhartha was the founder of Buddhism.
8. Where did Buddha gain enlightenment?
Buddha gained enlightenment under a people tree at Bodh Gaya in Bihar.
9. Where did Buddha teach for the first time?
At Sarnath, newr Varanasi.

10. Where did Buddha rest in peace?

Buddha passed away at Kusinara.

11. Name the book where rules made for the Buddhist Sanghas were written
down.
The rules made for the Buddhist Sangha were written down in a book
called the Vinaya Pitaka.

12.What are Viharas?

Many monks and nuns in the later years felt the need for more permanent
shelters, and so, monasteries were built. These are known as Viharas.
13. Name the places to which Jainism spread.
Over hundreds of years, Jainism spread to different parts of north India
and to Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What was considered permanent in the universe by the thinkers?

Many of the thinkers felt that there was something permanent in the
universe that would last even after death. They described this as the atman or
the individual soul and the brahmin or the universal soul. They believed that
ultimately, both the atman and the brahmin were one.

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2. Who was SatyakamaJabala?
SatyakamaJabala was named after his mother, the slave woman Jabali. He
had a deep desire to learn about reality and was accepted as a student by a
brahmin teacher named Gautama, and eventually, he became one of the best-
known thinkers of that time.
3. Why did Buddha use Prakrit language for teaching?
The Buddha taught in the language of the ordinary people, Prakrit, so that
everybody could understand him message.
4. Why was it difficult for farmers to follow Jainism?
It was difficult for farmers to follow Jainism because they had to kill
insects to protect their crops which was not allowed in Jainism.
5. What is a Sangha?
Sangha was an association of these who left the homes. As both Mahavira
and Buddha felt that only those who left their homes could gain true knowledge,
they arranged for them to stay together in the Sangha.
6. Who could join the Sanghas?
Sangha could be joined by brahmins, kshatriyas, merchants, labourers,
barbers, courtesans and slaves.
7. How were the earlier Viharas build?
The earlier viharas were made of wood and then of bricks. Some of them
were even built in caves that were dug out in hills, especially in western India.
8. Who were Bhikshus? What were their functions?
Men and women who joined the Sangha led simple lives. They meditated for
most of the time, and went to cities and villages to beg for food during fixed
hours. That is why, they were known as bhikshus (the Prakrit word for beggar)
and bhikshunis. They performed the following functions:
(i) They taught others and helped one another.
(ii) They also held meetings to settle any quarrels that took place within
the Sangha.
9. What are Upanishads? Who were the Upanishadic thinkers?
Upanishad were part of the later Vedic texts. Upanishad literally means
‘approaching and sitting near’ and the texts contain conversations between
teachers and students. Often, ideas were presented through simple dialogues.
Most Upanishadic thinkers were men, especially brahmins and Rajas. Occasionally,
there is the mention of women thinkers also.

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10. Who was Mahavira?

Vardhamana Mahavira was the most famous thinkers of the Jains, who
spread his message around 2500 years ago. He was a kshatriya prince of the
Lichchhavis, a group that was a part of the Vajji Sangha.
At the age of thirty, he left home and went to live in a forest. For twelve years,
he led a hard and lonely life, at the end of which he attained enlightenment.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. Who are Jains? State some features of their lives.

The followers of Mahavira are known as Jains.
Some of the features of the Jains are:
(i) They had to lead very simple lives, begging for food.
(ii) They have to be absolutely honest and are especially asked not to steal.
(iii) They have to observe celibacy.
(iv) Men had to give up everything, including their clothes.
2. What were the teaching of Buddha?
Buddha taught that:
(i) Life is full of sufferings and unhappiness. This is caused because we
have cravings and desires (which often cannot be fulfilled).
(ii) Sometimes, even if we get what we want, we are not satisfied and want
even more (or want other things). Buddha described it as ‘thirst’ or
‘tanha’. He taught that this constant craving could be removed by
following moderation in everything.
(iii) He also taught people to be kind and to respect the lives of others,
including animals.
(iv) He believed that the results of our actions (called karma), whether
good or bad, affect us both in this life and the next.
(v) He also encouraged people to think for themselves rather than to
simply accept what he said.
3. What were the teachings of Mahavira?
Mahavira taught the following:
(i) He taught a simple doctrine: men and women who wished to know the
truth must leave their homes.

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 (ii) They must follow very strictly the rule of ahimsa, which not hurting or
killing living beings. “All beings,” said Mahavira, “long to live. To all
things, life is dear”.
(iii) Followers of Mahavira, who were known as Jains had to lead very simple
lives by begging for food.
(iv) They had to be absolutely honest and were specially asked not to steal.
(v) They had to observe celibacy and men had to give up everything,
including their clothes.
4. Explain the system of Ashrama.
(i) Around the time when Jainism and Buddhism were becoming popular,
Brahmins developed the system of Ashramas. The word ‘ashrama’ means
‘a stage of life’.
(ii) Four Ashramas were recognised-brahnacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha
and sanyasa.
(iii) Brahmacharya: Brahmin, kshatriya and Vaishya men were expected to
lead simple lives and study the Vedas during the early years of their
lives.
(iv) Grihastha: Then they had to live as householders.
(v) Vanaprastha: Then they had to live in the forest and meditate. Finally,
they had to give up everything and become Sanyasis. The system of
Ashramas allowed men to spend some part of their lives in meditation.
Generally, women were not allowed to study the Vedas and they had to
follow the Ashramas chosen by their husbands.

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