Download Study Guide: Unit 2 Exam (Advent of Human Belief Systems

Study Guide: Unit 2 Exam (Advent of Human Belief Systems & Organized Religions)
Directions: Complete the study/review guide in its entirety in order to help you prepare for the Unit 2 Exam.
Here is a list of some of the key terms/concepts that you may need to know for the exam (this list is by no
means exclusive; it is only meant to provide you with a foundation for beginning to study for the exam).
1. Belief System/
Religion
2. Christianity
3. Animism
4. Hinduism
5. Zoroastrianism
6. Islam
7. Buddhism
8. Judaism
9. People of the
book
10. Aryans
11. God/Deity
12. Sharia Law
13. Prophet
14. Monotheism
15. Polytheism
16. Henotheism
17. Siddhartha
Gautama
18. Mohammad
19. Jesus of
Nazareth
20. Abraham
21. Zoroaster
22. Moses
23. The Ten
Commandments
24. The Trinity
25. Bible
26. Torah
27. Koran
28. 4 Noble Truths
29. 8 Fold Path
30. Nirvana/Enlight
enment
31. Reincarnation
(Samsara)
32. Daoism/Taoism
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
Confucianism
Shintoism
Jerusalem
Pilgrimage
5 Pillars of
Islam
Hebrews
Karma
Dharma
Mecca/Medina
Angra Manu
Ahura Mazda
Caste System
Babylonian
Captivity
Mosque
Synagogue
Church
Brahma
Covenant
Here is a list of some possible questions that you may need to know for the exam (this list is by no
means exclusive; it is only meant to provide you with a foundation for beginning to study for the
exam).
1. What is reincarnation (samsara)? How do the concepts of dharma and karma relate to the concept
of reincarnation (samsara)? Explain.
2. What are the seven dimensions of a religion? How do the seven dimensions of religion help to
explain the effect/influence that belief systems/religions have on human societies? Explain.
3. Why were the earliest of human religions centered on nature/the natural environment? Explain.
4. What is the caste system? Explain how the religion of Hinduism perpetuated and reinforced the
caste system.
5. What are the core beliefs of Confucianism and Daoism? Both of these belief systems developed
during the warring states period of Chinese history. Explain how the core beliefs of these belief
systems responded to their environment in different ways.
6. What is animism? How can Shintoism be classified as an animistic belief system/religion? Explain.
7. How does religion influence/affect the society in which it is practiced?
8. How did the Jewish religion change in response to the Babylonian captivity/exile? Explain.
9. What are the key principles/beliefs held by those who practice/practiced the 10 different belief
systems/religions studied?
10. What happened within the Roman Empire that aided/contributed to the survival and spreading of
the Christian faith/religion after the death of Jesus?
11. Even though there are limits on the usefulness of religious texts (Torah, Bible, Qur’an) as historical
sources, why do historians continue to use these texts as a source of information about early
followers of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths/religions? Explain.
12. How did Islam spread throughout the world? Explain.
13. How did the Buddha prescribe that an individual end suffering and reach enlightenment (also known
as nirvana)? Explain.
14. How does religion influence/affect the society in which it is practiced?
15. What does it mean if a religion is classified as being monotheistic, polytheistic, or henotheistic?
Provide an example of each of a belief system/religion that is classified as being monotheistic,
polytheistic, or henotheistic.