Quiz on Hinduism

Please circle the correct answer

1. Hinduism is

A. A religion

B. A culture

C. A lifestyle (dharma)

D. All of the above

2. To be a Hindu, one has to

A. Be born a Hindu

B. Be certified as one by a priest

C. Be of the Indian race

D. Just call oneself a Hindu

3. All Hindus believe in

A. Caste

B. Reincarnation

C. Idol worship

D. Respect for all life (and tolerance)

4. All Hindus have in common

A. One sacred book

B. One founder

C. One guru

D. None of the above

5. For those Hindus who believe in reincarnation, what a human being or animal or plant one reincarnates as depends on

A. How good one has been in this life

B. Random assignment by the gods and goddesses

C. The priests’ recommendation

D. One’s learning needs

6. The animal sacred to all Hindus is

A. The cow

B. The snake

C. The elephant

D. All animals without exception

7. The dot on a Hindu woman’s forehead signifies

A. Whether the woman is married or not

B. Whether the woman is religious or not

C. Whether the woman has good taste or not

D. Any of the above, according to what she wants it to be

8. Sexism in Hinduism originated

A. With the religion itself

B. As a result of other, non-goddess-based religions

C. As a result of erotic books like the Kamasutra and the Anangaranga

D. Nobody knows when

9. Hindu goddesses are . . .

A. Violent like Kali

B. For the most part, markedly non-violent

C. The reason why the ratio of women to men in the Indian Parliament is three time that of the ratio in the US Congress

D. Less in number than Hindu gods, but in ancient times outnumbered gods

10. Castes in Hinduism were originally based on

A. Tribes

B. Geographical regions

C. Professions

D. Skin color (race)

11. Name a major religion (with more than 1 billion believers) in the world that did not originate in Asia

A. Islam

B. Hinduism

C. Christianity

D. None

12. Hindus who marry outside their religion are

A. Ostracized

B. Admired

C. Excommunicated

D. Excluded from certain deeply religious events

(for answers, please contact Ray)