Japanese History Quiz

Which sentence below describes cultural diffusion?

• Warships and armies from Japan attacked Korea.

• Practices and beliefs spread from Korea to Japan.

• Written languages developed separately in Japan and Korea.

• Korea and Japan grew different crops because of different climates.

What is one important way in which Prince Shotoku changed Japan?

• He turned it into an agricultural society.

• He divided power among the chiefs of clans.

• He increased contact with neighboring cultures.

• He introduced the craft of bronze and iron smithing.

When Korean workers settled in Japan, how did they change the lives of the Japanese?

• They set up a new government over the country.

• They worked as slaves for middle-class families.

• They brought knowledge and skills from the mainland.

• They became the customers who bought Japanese crafts.

The design of a Shinto temple would most likely draw attention to

• a code of moral rules.

• worship of foreign gods.

• the cycle of pain and suffering.

• respect for the beauty of nature.

In Buddhist teachings, how does meditation help lead to wisdom?

• By teaching the steps to a moral life

• By emptying the mind of distracting thoughts

• By providing a time to regret one's sins

• By encouraging the study of books by enlightened teachers

After they learned about Chinese writing, the Japanese

• changed their grammar to be more like Chinese.

• began speaking Chinese in everyday conversation.

• invented a new set of characters based on objects in Japan.

• used simplified Chinese characters for sounds in Japanese words.

How can one tell whether a Japanese poem is a tanka?

• by counting the syllables in each line

• by identifying the social class described

• by analyzing the symbols described

• by checking whether pairs of lines rhyme

How did gagaku, a form of Chinese court music, influence music in Japan?

• The Japanese hired Chinese musicians.

• Japanese chants became more popular.

• New musical instruments were used.

• The Japanese sang only Chinese songs.

The Heian period is called Japan’s golden age because of its?

• rich mines.

• foreign trade.

• military power.

• art and literature.

What action did the emperor Kammu take to reduce the political power of Buddhist priests?

• He taught a new religion.

• He introduced high taxes.

• He moved the capital city.

• He tore down old temples.