REL 101: INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION

MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Time Allowed: 75 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS: The exam is in two parts. Answer ALL the questions in Part A and only
TWO in Part B. Some questions in Part A ask you to choose the option that best correctly answers the
question, while other questions either ask you to supply the answers, or for a True or False answer. Each
question in this part has a 2-point value.

REMINDER: Answer only two of the short-essay questions in Part B. Each of these questions
is worth 10 points. BE SURE TO ADDRESS ALL PARTS OF THE QUESTION.

PART A: MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Buddha’s teachings are also called the __________.

a. dharma
b. karma
c. path
d. way

2. Christianity, by virtue of its belief in Jesus’ incarnation, also presents the sacred as
__________.
a. divine
b. faithful
c. immanent
d. transcendent

3. An example of human efforts to influence the sacred is __________.

a. mysticism
b. prayer
c. scripture reading
d. telling others about your faith

4. The problem of evil occurs when people perceive a conflict between the facts of ordinary
experience and __________.
a. church worship
b. religious teaching
c. sacred reality
d. the spirit world

5. Some disagree about whether __________ is a religion or a philosophy.

a. Buddhism
b. Christianity
c. Hinduism
d. Judaism

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6. Muhammad experienced a manifestation of the sacred in __________.
a. battle
b. educating himself
c. nature
d. the angel Gabriel

7. Moses is a central sacred person in __________.

a. Hinduism
b. Islam
c. Judaism
d. Shinto

8. Some religions, such as those that believe in reincarnation, assert that time is __________.
a. an illusion
b. cyclical
c. everything
d. unimportant

9. __________ is the process by which texts are explained and explicated.

a. Canonization
b. Exegesis
c. Scriptural evaluation
d. Testing

10. A Christian’s attempts to support his or her faith to non-believers is __________ discussion.
a. allegorical
b. apologetic
c. mythological
d. sacred

11. __________ has been defined as “faith seeking understanding.”

a. cosmology
b. religion
c. spirituality
d. theology

12. Even religions that are __________ have a visual quality linked to the sacred.
a. aniconic
b. austere
c. conservative
d. fundamental

13. In many religions, temporal rites are related to the __________.

a. harvest
b. people
c. seasons

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d. weather

14. A wedding, because it symbolizes a transition from childhood to adulthood, is a rite of

__________.
a. aging
b. initiation
c. life
d. the sacred

15. Washing prior to prayer is also called __________.

a. ablution
b. anointing
c. cleansing
d. sacred washing

16. An example of an American-born cult that is now widely accepted is the __________.
a. Amish
b. Church of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons Church)
c. Jehovah’s Witnesses
d. Unification Movement

17. __________ theology asserts that you cannot be on God’s side without also siding with the
poor.
a. Charity
b. Grace
c. Liberation
d. Poverty

18. Saying grace before a meal is an example of __________.

a. deontology
b. penance
c. petition
d. thanksgiving

19. Clashes between fundamentalist and modern Muslims are an example of problems relating to
__________.
a. intolerance
b. isolation
c. orthodoxy
d. religious debate

20. A __________ is a divide related to authority.

a. Division
b. Heresy
c. Schism
d. Sect

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21. __________, at least at the beginning, are viewed with suspicion by other faiths.
a. Churches
b. Cults
c. Sects
d. Schisms

22. __________ means illegitimate or false teaching.

a. Fundamental
b. Heresy
c. Orthodoxy
d. Dualism

23. For Buddhists, bad karma can be related to __________.

a. a mistake of ritual
b. a prior existence
c. a well-intentioned act
d. sins of the father being placed on the child

24. The consolation of promise asserts that at some future point evil will be __________.
a. extinct
b. irrelevant
c. punished
d. the norm

25. Evaluation of the events of the Holocaust raises questions about whether God has
__________.
a. a plan
b. a presence
c. benevolence
d. power

26. According to Plato, __________, or absolute reason, allows one to shed attachments to the
material world.
a. dharma
b. grace
c. karma
d. logos

27. When participation in the continuing life of the people is central, it becomes important to
have __________.
a. children
b. confessions
c. faith
d. grace

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28. Many Muslims follow the path of __________ by observing Shari’a law.
a. action
b. aesthetics
c. knowledge
d. submission

29. Which of the following are true of the phenomenological approach?

a. It resists all types of reductionism;
b. It does not seek to understand religious thought and behavior from the point of
view of religious persons;
c. It encourages gathering of religious data;
d. It refuses to search for patterns;
e. It analyzes the structure of patterns;
f. It disregards suggestion of generalizations.
i. A & D only
ii. B, C, D, & E only
iii. A, C, & E only
iv. C, E, & F only
v. B, D & F only
vi. None of the Above

30. Identify four misconceptions about studying religion:

a. …… …………………
b. ………………………
c. ………………………
d. ………………………

31. Moksha is the belief in a final release from __________, or the cycle of life.
a. incarnation
b. dharma
c. karma
d. samsara

32. For Zen Buddhists, the most important sacred object is __________.
a. Buddha’s image
b. emptiness
c. prayer
d. the temple

33. Through the ritual of __________, a Jewish boy becomes an adult in his faith community.
a. baptism
b. bar mitzvah
c. confirmation
d. evaluation

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34. A __________ tends to demand conformity from its members, is exclusive in its
membership, and distances itself from society.

35. Some scholars assert that the definition of sacred is that it is the opposite of __________.

Questions 36-40: Indicate whether the following statements are True or False:

36. Myths are stories in which the characters and incidents represent figures and events not a part
of the story as such.

37. Holy Communion in Christianity functions ritualistically in ways that are analogous to
dharma in Judaism.

38. In scholarly discussion of the problem of evil, anthropodicy is understood as the justice of
humanity.

39. The ideal of completion in Buddhism is attaining enlightenment.

40. Reincarnation occurs when the eternal soul may be reborn into a human or nonhuman form.

PART B: Short Essay Questions. Answer only two questions in this part

1. How do patterns of the appearance of the sacred cross-over in religious traditions?

2. How does mythology aid humanity in understanding their own lives?
3. Evaluate why rituals are important markers in human life.
4. Explain the social importance of communal worship.
5. Discuss the concept of dualism. How does dualism help us to understand good and evil?
6. Compare the role of salvation in eastern and western religions.

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