Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions — UPSC Prelims practice questions

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PrelimsAI currently has 80+ Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions MCQs under History & Culture. This page shows 12 sample questions in full.

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Question 1

Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on: (A) Prajnaparamita Sutra (B) Visuddhimagga (C) Sarvastivada Vinaya (D) Lalitavistara

Accepted Answer

(C) Sarvastivada Vinaya — Correct. Sanghabhuti was associated with the Sarvastivada tradition and worked on the Vinaya (monastic disciplinary code) literature of that school. He travelled to China and contributed to the translation and commentary of Sarvastivada Vinaya texts.

Question 2

Which of the following are epithets of Gautama Buddha?
1. Nayaputta
2. Shakyamuni
3. Tathagata
Select the correct answer using the code given below: (A) 1 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 1, 2 and 3 (D) None of the above are epithets of Gautama Buddha

Accepted Answer

(B) 2 and 3 only — Correct. Shakyamuni ('Sage of the Shakyas') refers to the Buddha's origin from the Shakya clan. Tathagata ('one who has thus come/gone') is a title the Buddha used for himself. Nayaputta is linked to Mahavira.

Question 3

Consider the following:
1. Nettipakarana
2. Parishishtaparvan
3. Avadanashataka
4. Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana
Which of the above are Jaina texts? (A) 1, 2 and 3 (B) 2 and 4 only (C) 1, 3 and 4 (D) 2, 3 and 4

Accepted Answer

(B) 2 and 4 only — Correct. Parishishtaparvan (by Hemachandra) is a Jain biographical work on Jain teachers, and Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana (by Jinasena and Gunabhadra) is a major Digambara Jain text narrating the lives of the 63 Shalakapurushas.

Question 4

With reference to Indian history, consider the following pairs:
Historical person — Known as
1. Aryadeva — Jaina Scholar
2. Dignaga — Buddhist Scholar
3. Nathamuni — Vaishnava scholar
How many pairs given above are correctly matched? (A) None of the pairs (B) Only one pair (C) Only two pairs (D) All three pairs

Accepted Answer

(C) Only two pairs — Correct. Dignaga was a major Buddhist logician of the Yogachara school (pair 2 correct), and Nathamuni was an important early Vaishnava theologian and compiler of the Divya Prabandham (pair 3 correct). However, Aryadeva was a Buddhist philosopher of the Madhyamaka school, not a Jaina scholar (pair 1 incorrect).

Question 5

With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:
1. Sthaviravadins belong to Mahayana Buddhism.
2. Lokottaravadin sect was an offshoot of Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism.
3. The deification of Buddha by Mahasanghikas fostered Mahayana Buddhism.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(B) 2 and 3 only — Correct. The Lokottaravadins ('Transcendentalists') were indeed an offshoot of the Mahasanghika school (2), and the Mahasanghika tendency to deify the Buddha and view him as supramundane did contribute to the development of Mahayana Buddhism (3).

Question 6

With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following pairs:
1. Parivrajaka — Renunciant and Wanderer
2. Shramana — Priest with a high status
3. Upasaka — Lay follower of Buddhism
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched? (A) 1 and 2 only (B) 1 and 3 only (C) 2 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(B) 1 and 3 only — Correct. A Parivrajaka was indeed a wandering renunciant (1), and an Upasaka was a lay follower of Buddhism (3). However, Shramana means an ascetic or striver, not a high-status priest.

Question 7

With reference to the cultural history of India, which one of the following is the correct description of the term 'paramitas'? (A) The earliest Dharmashastra texts written in aphoristic (sutra) style (B) Philosophical schools that did not accept the authority of Vedas (C) Perfections whose attainment led to the Bodhisattva path (D) Powerful merchant guilds of early medieval South India

Accepted Answer

(C) Perfections whose attainment led to the Bodhisattva path — Correct. In Mahayana Buddhism, the paramitas are the 'perfections' or 'transcendent virtues' that a Bodhisattva cultivates on the path to enlightenment. The six paramitas are: generosity (dana), morality (sila), patience (kshanti), vigour (virya), meditation (dhyana), and wisdom (prajna).

Question 8

Consider the following:
1. Deification of the Buddha
2. Treading the path of Bodhisattvas
3. Image worship and rituals
Which of the above is/are the feature/features of Mahayana Buddhism? (A) 1 only (B) 1 and 2 only (C) 2 and 3 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(D) 1, 2 and 3 — Correct. All three are features of Mahayana Buddhism: the Buddha was elevated to a transcendent divine figure (1), the Bodhisattva ideal became central (2), and elaborate image worship and devotional rituals developed (3).

Question 9

With reference to Indian history, who among the following is a future Buddha, yet to come to save the world? (A) Avalokiteshvara (B) Lokesvara (C) Maitreya (D) Padmapani

Accepted Answer

(C) Maitreya — Correct. Maitreya is identified in Buddhist tradition as the future Buddha who will appear on earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma when the current teachings have been forgotten.

Question 10

With reference to the religious practices in India, the 'Sthanakvasi' sect belongs to: (A) Buddhism (B) Jainism (C) Vaishnavism (D) Shaivism

Accepted Answer

(B) Jainism — Correct. Sthanakvasi is a reformist Jain sect within the Shvetambara tradition. Founded in the 15th century, they reject idol worship and perform their religious practices in simple halls (sthanak) rather than temples.

Question 11

With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:
1. Sautrantika and Sammitiya were the sects of Jainism.
2. Sarvastivadin held that the constituents of phenomena were not wholly momentary, but existed forever in a latent form.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) 1 only (B) 2 only (C) Both 1 and 2 (D) Neither 1 nor 2

Accepted Answer

(B) 2 only — Correct. Statement 1 is wrong because Sautrantika and Sammitiya were Buddhist schools. Statement 2 is correct because the Sarvastivadins (meaning 'those who hold that everything exists') believed that dharmas (constituents of phenomena) exist in past, present, and future.

Question 12

With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:
1. The concept of Bodhisattva is central to the Hinayana sect of Buddhism.
2. Bodhisattva is a compassionate one on his way to enlightenment.
3. Bodhisattva delays achieving his own salvation to help all sentient beings on their path to it.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (A) 1 only (B) 2 and 3 only (C) 2 only (D) 1, 2 and 3

Accepted Answer

(B) 2 and 3 only — Correct. The Bodhisattva is indeed a being who compassionately seeks enlightenment (statement 2) and deliberately delays personal nirvana to help all sentient beings achieve liberation (statement 3). However, this concept is central to Mahayana, not Hinayana.

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