Quiz on the Old Man and the Archives

By what year had the old man been the Keeper of the Archives for the Chou dynasty?

• By the year 58 BCE

• By the year 516 BCE

• By the year 88 BCE

• By the year 100 BCE

What position did the old man hold in the Chou dynasty?

• He was a feudal lord

• He was a military general

• He was the Keeper of the Archives

• He was a scholar

What had the old man witnessed over the years?

• The dynasty's expansion and prosperity

• The dynasty's steady decline

• The peaceful transfer of power

• The unification of the empire

What did the old man think about the men of old who practiced such rites?

• He believed they were wise and their practices should be continued

• He thought they were good men, but their words remained

• He felt that their practices were now nothing but rotting bones

• He admired their ability to keep their wealth hidden

According to the text, what precipitated the war that would be the undoing of the Chou dynasty?

• The invasion of the old capital

• The defeat of the Shang

• The taking of King Wen hostage

• The loss of the ancient Chinese characters

How did the Chou people view the relationship between Heaven, Earth, and Man?

• They believed the relationship was unimportant.

• They believed the relationship was mutually influential.

• They believed the relationship was only a myth.

• They believed the relationship was governed by the Shang dynasty.

What was the role of the old Shang priests in the Chou society according to the text?

• They were to serve as soldiers.

• They were to engage in farming.

• They were to perform ceremonies and teach ethics and morality.

• They were to write down ancient Chinese characters.

What term did Chung-ni use to refer to the need for clear and correct use of words and titles?

• The "rectification of names"

• The "consolidation of terms"

• The "clarification of roles"

• The "standardization of language"

By the sixth century BCE, which aspect had clearly outstripped the other, leading to an imbalance that concerned the scholars?

• The cultural had outstripped the military

• The military had outstripped the cultural

• The political had outstripped the religious

• The religious had outstripped the political

Who was known as the Keeper of the Archives?

• The old man in the story

• Chung-ni

• The Chou prince

• Su-ma Ch'ien