CHAPTER 8 EXAM
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. Japanese people lived on coastal plains because most of Japan
a. has mountainous slopes that are difficult to live on and farm.
b. is desert.
c. has volcanoes.
d. has rivers and lakes that often cause floods.
____ 2. Why was Japan isolated from Korea and China in ancient times?
a. Trade between these nations was forbidden.
b. Japan is separated by the Great Wall.
c. Japan is thousands of miles away from Korea and China.
d. Japan’s island location separated it from other people in Asia.
____ 3. Because of the geography of their country, the diet of Japanese people consists
mainly of
a. beef.
c. seafood.
b. wheat.
d. fruit.
____ 4. Which of the following statements is true about the Ainu?
a. The Ainu people are the ancestors of modern Japanese.
b. The Ainu people looked the same as other people of Japan.
c. The Ainu people practiced a traditional religion called Shinto.
d. The Ainu people spoke a unique language that was eventually lost.
____ 5. The traditional religion of Japan is
a. Buddhism.
c. Hinduism.
b. Shinto.
d. Taoism.
____ 6. What did the Yamato rulers govern before they called themselves emperors of
Japan?
a. a clan
c. all of Japan
b. a monastery
d. a port city
____ 7. Contact with China and Korea influenced Japan by
a. leading to different farming and trade practices in Japan.
b. sharing written language, philosophy, and a new religion.
c. changing traditional art forms and musical performances in Japan.
d. spreading Chinese and Korean weapons and fighting styles.
____ 8. The efforts of Prince Shotoku led to the spread of
a. Noh.
c. Buddhism.
b. Shinto.
d. feudalism.
CHAPTER 8 EXAM
____ 9. Why did Japanese nobles in the city of Heian call themselves “dwellers among the
clouds”?
a. They chose to live in very tall buildings.
b. Their court was located in a foggy valley.
c. They thought of themselves as gods and goddesses.
d. Their lives were easy and removed from the rest of Japan.
____ 10. Who wrote many of the great works of early Japanese literature?
a. emperors
c. noble women
b. peasant boys
d. Buddhist monks
____ 11. Which of the following best describes Heian paintings?
a. scenes from nature or court life, bright and bold colors
b. scenes from battles, bright and bold colors
c. scenes from religious stories, bright and bold colors
d. scenes from nature, scenes from court life, soft colors
____ 12. How did Noh differ from earlier forms of Japanese drama?
a. It was more humorous.
c. It was more serious.
b. It included acrobatics.
d. It did not include music.
____ 13.
“They danced very briefly and withdrew under the autumn trees, and the
guests regretted the approach of sunset. The formal concert, brief and
unassuming, was followed by impromptu music in the halls above,
instruments having been brought from the palace collections. As it grew
livelier a koto was brought for each of the emperors and a third for
Genji.”
According to this excerpt from The Tale of Genji, Japanese nobles
a. practiced their religion with
c. practiced many religious rituals.
dancing.
b. enjoyed music.
d. focused on their education.
____ 14. Why was The Tale of Genji so influential?
a. It was an accurate depiction of the lives of nobles. It also influenced
religious leaders.
b. It was an accurate depiction of the lives of nobles. It also influenced
painters of the period.
c. It was considered the first great religious guide. It described
important rituals.
d. It was the only piece of literature written by a Japanese woman. It
also influenced poets.
CHAPTER 8 EXAM
____ 15.
“The lieutenants of the inner guards advanced from the east and knelt to
the left and right of the stairs before the royal seats, one presenting the
take from the pond and the other a brace of fowl taken by the royal
falcons in the northern hills. Tò no Chùjò received the royal command to
prepare and serve these delicacies.”
~From The Tale of Genji
What conclusion can you draw about Japanese court life based on the excerpt
above?
a. It was luxurious.
c. It was stressful.
b. It was full of obligations.
d. It was similar to peasant life.
____ 16. Which list is in the order of most power to least power?
a. samurai, shogun, daimyo,
c. shogun, samurai, daimyo,
peasant
peasant
b. samurai, shogun, peasant,
d. shogun, daimyo, samurai,
daimyo
peasant
____ 17. What did samurai warriors receive in return for their military services?
a. money
c. land
b. noble titles
d. servants
____ 18. What was the main reason the emperor lost control of Japan to the Minamoto
shogun?
a. The shogun defeated the emperor in battle.
b. The emperor was too busy with courtly life in Heian.
c. The emperors did not have an army equipped with gunpowder.
d. The peasants of Japan were unhappy with the emperor and refused
to recognize him.
____ 19. Which of the following is a true statement about life as a samurai?
a. Samurai could trade.
c. Samurai could attend the
theater.
b. Samurai could get married.
d. Samurai could take part in
commerce.
____ 20. What would happen if a robber attacked the home of a samurai family while the
men were at war?
a. The thief would successfully steal goods.
b. The home would be defended by young boys.
c. The home would be protected by female samurai.
d. The thief would be stopped by the local shogun leader.
CHAPTER 8 EXAM
____ 21. Bushido, “the way of the warrior,” represents
a. the rules of daily behavior followed by samurai.
b. the particular fighting style of the samurai.
c. the code of loyalty sworn to a daimyo.
d. the religious rituals performed by samurai.
____ 22. Samurai warriors fought with
a. knives.
b. their hands.
c. two swords.
d. firearms.
____ 23. Samurai warriors improved their discipline with flower arranging, tea ceremonies,
and
a. musical instruments.
c. fishing expeditions.
b. Zen Buddhist meditation.
d. intricate dances.
____ 24.
If one were to say in a word what the
condition
of being a samurai is, its basis lies first in
seriously
devoting one’s body and soul to his
master.
~From The Book of the
Samurai
What can you conclude about the life of a samurai from this extract?
a. Family life was the priority of a samurai.
b. Samurai were not free to do as they pleased.
c. Samurai warriors were loyal only to themselves.
d. Samurai warriors had the most power of anyone in society.
____ 25. Losing a fight, disobeying an order, or failing to protect his lord were all ways in
which a samurai could
a. be expelled from his position.
c. lose his honor.
b. earn imprisonment.
d. lose land.
____ 26. Which of the following is not a way the samurai tradition survives in Japan?
a. showing disloyalty to family
b. showing loyalty to companies and sports teams
c. practicing self-discipline and sacrifice
d. working hard
____ 27. Japanese nobles put aside their differences and united in 1274 to
a. fight a common enemy, the invading Mongols.
b. rebuild after a hurricane.
c. overthrow a corrupt emperor in Heian.
d. fight the outbreak of disease.
CHAPTER 8 EXAM
____ 28. What did the two Mongol attacks on Japan have in common?
a. The Japanese had superior weapons in both attacks.
b. The Japanese were helped by Korean allies in both attacks.
c. The Japanese were aided by the weather in both attacks.
d. The Japanese had bigger armies in both attacks.
____ 29. During the 1400s, Japan was
a. ruled by one powerful emperor.
b. split into two factions, ruled by two shoguns.
c. run by one shogun with an emperor figurehead.
d. divided, with many daimyo controlling different territories.
____ 30. The samurai period in Japan lasted until the 1800s for all of the following reasons
except
a. Japanese believed samurai were chosen by gods.
b. Japan was isolated from the rest of the world.
c. Japan’s rulers limited technology.
d. Japan’s rulers banned guns.
____ 31. Which of the following events happened after the royal court became a center for
art and culture?
a. Villages were ruled by clans.
b. Prince Shotoku ruled Japan and spread Chinese ideas.
c. Shoguns took control of Japan, creating a military society.
d. The Shinto religion began.
____ 32. Which of the following is a characteristic of Pure Land Buddhism?
a. an elaborate tea ceremony
c. raked gravel gardens
b. daily communal rituals
d. chanting Buddha’s name
____ 33. According to Confucius, which family sequence is in order from most power to
least?
a. Father Mother Older brother Younger brother
b. Mother Father Older brother Younger brother
c. Father Older brother Younger brother Mother
d. Mother Father Younger brother Older brother
____ 34. Why did nobles move to Heian during the 800s?
a. It was a center of trade and commerce.
b. They wanted to be close to the emperor to win his favor.
c. It was a walled city, safe from invaders and angry peasants.
d. It was a popular port from which to travel abroad.
____ 35. The raked rock garden helped Zen Buddhists to
a. pray.
c. meditate.
b. make sacrifices.
d. predict the future.