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Quiz: Family, Names, and Life Events

Test your understanding of Chapter 13. Choose the best answer, then click Show Answer to check.

Question 1

In Hindi-Urdu, Bangla and Punjabi, what relative do many families call "mama"?

  1. Mother
  2. Father's younger brother
  3. Mother's brother
  4. Mother's mother
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. In all five languages in the Kinship Explorer, mama is the word many families use for the mother's brother. It does not mean "mother," which is the misunderstanding Ben has in the chapter's opening scene.

Concept Tested: Kinship Terms Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 2

Which article of India's Constitution abolished "untouchability" and forbade its practice in any form?

  1. Article 15
  2. Article 17
  3. Article 16
  4. Article 370
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Article 17 abolished untouchability and made enforcing any disability arising from it a crime. Article 15 is related, since it bans the state from discriminating on grounds such as caste, but it is not the article that abolished untouchability.

Concept Tested: Caste Discrimination Laws Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 3

What is at the center of the Sikh Anand Karaj wedding ceremony?

  1. Seven steps around a sacred fire
  2. Signing a contract with a mahr before witnesses
  3. Standing on a decorated wooden platform called a poruwa
  4. Four hymns (laavan) sung as the couple walks around the Guru Granth Sahib
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. In the Anand Karaj, four laavan composed by Guru Ram Das are sung, and the couple circles the Guru Granth Sahib once for each hymn. Seven steps around a fire (saptapadi) belong to many Hindu weddings, not the Anand Karaj.

Concept Tested: Anand Karaj Bloom's Level: Remember

Question 4

Which statement best describes the difference between varna and jati?

  1. Varna is a fourfold scheme in old Sanskrit texts; jati is the local birth group people actually belong to, and there are thousands of them.
  2. Varna is the modern legal term for caste; jati is the ancient religious term.
  3. Varna applies only to Muslims and jati only to Hindus.
  4. They are two names for exactly the same four groups.
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Varna is the four-part classification described in Brahmanical texts, while jatis are the thousands of local birth groups that shape marriage and community life. Treating them as the same four groups is a common mistake.

Concept Tested: Varna and Jati Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 5

Why do Tamil and Sinhala call a father's older brother "big father"?

  1. Because he is always the head of the household by law
  2. Because the languages have no word for uncle at all
  3. Because in the Dravidian kinship pattern, relatives linked through same-sex siblings are treated almost like parents
  4. Because he is usually physically taller than the father
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. In the Dravidian pattern, a father's brother or a mother's sister is grouped with the parents ("big father," "big mother"), while a father's sister and a mother's brother get separate words. Tamil and Sinhala do have separate uncle words, such as mama, so option B is wrong.

Concept Tested: Kinship Terms Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 6

What makes an arranged marriage different from a forced marriage?

  1. Arranged marriages happen only in villages.
  2. In an arranged marriage, families suggest a partner but both people freely consent and can refuse.
  3. Forced marriages are legal if the families agree.
  4. Arranged marriages never involve the couple meeting before the wedding.
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Consent is the dividing line: in an arranged marriage the couple decides, while a forced marriage happens without real consent and is a human rights abuse. Many arranged matches today involve long conversations and meetings, so option D is wrong.

Concept Tested: Arranged Marriage Bloom's Level: Understand

Question 7

Nima, a Sherpa student whose family is from Solukhumbu, Nepal, tells the club that her cousin was born on a Monday. Based on Sherpa naming traditions, which name might the cousin have?

  1. Pemba
  2. Nima
  3. Phurba
  4. Dawa
Show Answer

The correct answer is D. Sherpa children are traditionally named for the day they were born, and Dawa is the Monday name. Nima (Nyima) is the Sunday name, so a child born on Monday would not usually get it.

Concept Tested: Naming Traditions Bloom's Level: Apply

Question 8

A teacher is setting up a class roster. A student from Bhutan has two given names and no family name. What is the best way for the teacher to respond?

  1. Ask the student how they'd like their name written and said, since many Bhutanese people have no family surname.
  2. Use the second name as the surname, since every name has one.
  3. Ask the student to choose a new surname for school.
  4. Use the student's father's name as the surname.
Show Answer

The correct answer is A. Many Bhutanese people have no family name, and names are often chosen by a lama. Assuming the second name is a surname (option B) is the most common mistake, so asking the student is the respectful choice.

Concept Tested: Surnames Bloom's Level: Apply

Question 9

The 2021 Pew survey of India found that only about one in five Indians said there was a lot of discrimination against Scheduled Castes, yet 64% said it was very important to stop women marrying outside their caste. What does this comparison suggest?

  1. Caste no longer matters in India.
  2. Caste matters only to people who say there is a lot of discrimination.
  3. Caste still shapes choices like marriage, even when many people don't see it as discrimination.
  4. The survey only asked about people living in the diaspora.
Show Answer

The correct answer is C. Many people did not describe caste discrimination as widespread, but most still wanted to keep marriage within caste, which shows caste continues to shape social life. Option A ignores the marriage finding entirely.

Concept Tested: Caste System Bloom's Level: Analyze

Question 10

Compare a Hindu cremation, a Muslim burial and a Sri Lankan Buddhist almsgiving. Which statement correctly analyzes them?

  1. All three require burial within 24 hours.
  2. Muslim tradition calls for prompt burial and forbids cremation, while many Hindu families cremate, and Sri Lankan Buddhist families often offer food to monks at set times after a death.
  3. All three forbid any ritual after the funeral day.
  4. Hindu and Muslim families both scatter ashes in a river.
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Islam calls for burial as soon as possible and does not allow cremation. Many Hindu families cremate and place ashes in a river, and Sri Lankan Buddhist families often give dana to monks after seven days, about three months and a year. Option D is wrong because Muslims do not cremate.

Concept Tested: Funeral Customs Bloom's Level: Analyze