Week 2: Jataka Tales (Birth Stories of the Buddha)

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Background Quiz

The following is a list of statements which are either True or False. When you take the quiz, you will have 10 of these statements, chosen at random. You can take the quiz up to 5 times, and your average score will be recorded.

Apply the 80% RULE when you are taking quizzes for these classes. In other words: don't stress about trying to get 100% on these quizzes. The quizzes are here to make sure you are ready to go on to the next activity. If you get 80% or better, you are ready to proceed. If you get less than 80% you need to go back and do the reading again (read more slowly, take notes) and take the quiz again, aiming for at least 80%.

  1. T or F ? The jataka stories are all very serious, and must contain a useful moral.
  2. T or F ? "Boddhisattva" in Sanskrit and "Bodhisatta" in Pali mean the same thing: "Enlightened Being."
  3. T or F ? Ananda and Moggallana were devoted followers of the Buddha.
  4. T or F ? The term "jataka tales" means "birth stories."
  5. T or F ? "Dukha" or "release from suffering" is one of the four noble truths of Buddhism.
  6. T or F ? The Buddha used the jataka tales to teach lessons to his monks about problems and disputes at the monastery.
  7. T or F ? The Buddhist scriptures are written in Pali, a form of Sanskrit.
  8. T or F ? "Nirvana" is the Buddhist term meaning "rebirth."
  9. T or F ? Buddhism is one of the largest religions of the world, with the majority of Buddhists living in India.
  10. T or F ? Buddhism originated in India and then spread throughout Asia.
  11. T or F ? Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is probably the most famous example of a frametale in European literature.
  12. T or F ? Siddhartha Gautama, the founding figure of Buddhism, was born in India around the year 1000 B.C.E.
  13. T or F ? "Buddha" means the one who is "awake."
  14. T or F ? A "frametale" is a story that contains another story, wrapped around it like a picture frame.
  15. T or F ? The Buddha lived in Jetavana, a park in Savatthi, which is the capital of the Himalaya region of India.
  16. T or F ? Most of the Buddha's teachings and sermons were written down during his lifetime.
  17. T or F ? Frametales are often "didactic", meaning that they are used for teaching purposes.
  18. T or F ? In order to achieve nirvana, Buddhists follow the eightfold path, which includes right action and right thinking.
  19. T or F ? Most of the Buddhists living in India are Tibetans, who fled to India after earthquakes destroyed their homes in Tibet.
  20. T or F ? Devadatta, Sariputta, and Kokalika became enemies of the Buddha.
  21. T or F ? Gautama was born into poverty but later gained great riches and power throughout India.
  22. T or F ? The "frametale" of a jataka story shows the Buddha in his present life, telling a story about one of his past lives.
  23. T or F ? Nagas are divine birds resembling swans who are associated with fertility, water, and wealth.
  24. T or F ? Each jataka tale contains a bit of poetry, which provides a kind of moral to the story.
  25. T or F ? Scheherazade was the wife of the Buddha, and the mother of his son Rahula.

Modern Languages MLLL-2003. World Literature: Frametales. Laura Gibbs, Ph.D. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. You must give the original author credit. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.
Page last updated: October 9, 2004 12:48 PM