Chapter 10 “The Sermon at Benares” and the poem “For Anne Gregory”.
Part I: The Sermon at Benares
1. What was Gautama Buddha’s original name before he became the Enlightened One?
A) Sakyamuni
B) Siddhartha Gautama
C) Mahavira
D) Ashoka
2. At what age was Siddhartha sent away for schooling in the Hindu sacred scriptures?
A) Twelve
B) Sixteen
C) Twenty
D) Twenty-five
3. Which of the following was the last sight Siddhartha saw while out hunting that moved him to seek enlightenment?
A) A sick man
B) An aged man
C) A funeral procession
D) A monk begging for alms
4. Under which tree did Siddhartha vow to stay until enlightenment came?
A) A banyan tree
B) A peepal tree
C) A mango tree
D) A neem tree
5. Where did the Buddha preach his first sermon?
A) Bodh Gaya
B) Benares
C) Lumbini
D) Kushinagar
6. When Kisa Gotami’s son died, what did she initially ask her neighbours for?
A) Money for a funeral
B) Mustard seeds
C) Medicine
D) Food
7. Who advised Kisa Gotami to go to Sakyamuni, the Buddha?
A) A neighbour
B) A physician
C) A man she met
D) Her husband
8. What specific condition did the Buddha place on the handful of mustard seeds Kisa Gotami needed to find?
A) It must be from a wealthy house.
B) It must be from a house where no one has lost a loved one.
C) It must be harvested by a monk.
D) It must be given freely without payment.
9. What did Kisa Gotami watch while sitting at the wayside that made her realize the nature of human life?
A) The flowing river
B) The stars in the sky
C) The flickering lights of the city
D) The funeral pyres
10. In the sermon, the Buddha compares the life of mortals to which object that breaks easily?
A) A glass mirror
B) An earthen vessel
C) A wooden toy
D) A flower stem
11. According to the sermon, how can a father save his son from death?
A) By praying to the gods
B) By giving medicine
C) By sacrificing wealth
D) He cannot save him
12. What physical effect does grieving and weeping have on a person, according to the Buddha?
A) It makes them wise.
B) It makes them sick and pale.
C) It brings them peace.
D) It helps them forget the pain.
13. To obtain peace of mind, what “arrow” must one draw out?
A) The arrow of anger
B) The arrow of lamentation, complaint, and grief
C) The arrow of desire
D) The arrow of ignorance
14. What does the word “lamentation” mean?
A) A state of high spiritual knowledge
B) An expression of sorrow
C) A feeling of joy
D) A type of medicine
15. What does the phrase “valley of desolation” refer to?
A) A place filled with deep sorrow
B) A river valley in Benares
C) A burial ground
D) A forest where Buddha meditated
Part II: For Anne Gregory (Poem)
16. In the poem “For Anne Gregory,” what part of the young woman’s appearance throws young men into despair?
A) Her blue eyes
B) Her honey-coloured hair
C) Her smile
D) Her voice
17. The poet refers to the hair around the woman’s ear as:
A) Waves
B) Ramparts
C) Curtains
D) Veils
18. What solution does the young woman suggest to make men love her for herself alone?
A) She will cut her hair short.
B) She will cover her hair.
C) She will dye her hair brown, black, or carrot.
D) She will ignore the men.
19. According to the “old religious man” mentioned in the poem, who is the only one capable of loving the woman for herself alone?
A) The poet
B) Her lover
C) God
D) Her parents
20. Who is the poet of “For Anne Gregory”?
A) Robert Frost
B) William Butler Yeats
C) Carl Sandburg
D) Walt Whitman