Japanese History Quiz

Japanese people lived on coastal plains because most of Japan:

• Has mountainous slopes that are difficult to live on and farm

• Is desert

• Has volcanoes

• Has rivers and lakes that often cause floods

Why was Japan isolated from Korea and China in ancient Times?

• Trade between these nations was forbidden

• Japan is separated by the Great Wall

• Japan is thousands of miles away from Korea and China

• Japan’s island location separated from other people in Asia

What did the Yamato rulers govern before they called themselves emperors of Japan?

• Clans

• Monastery

• All of Japan

• A Port City

The efforts of Prince Shotoku led to the spread of:

• Nota

• Shinto

• Buddhism

• Feudalism

Zen Buddhists did not believe:

• That faith leads to wisdom

• In self-discipline

• That wisdom can be found in quiet thinking

• In regular meditation

The main duty of a samurai warrior was to:

• Defend peasants from bandits or thieves

• Conquer distant lands for the Japanese emperor

• Defend his daimyo and his daimyo’s property

• Manage large tracts of land for the nobles in Heian

Which of the following is a true statement about life as a samurai?

• Samurai could trade

• Samurai could get married

• Samurai could attend the theater

• Samurai could take part in commerce

Who unified Japan in the 1500s?

• Kublai Khan

• Oda Nobunaga

• Prince Shotoku

• Lady Murasaki Shikibu

If one were to say in a word what the condition of being a samurai is, its basis lies first in seriously devoting one’s body and soul to his master. -From the Book of the Samurai. What can you conclude about the life of a samurai from this extract?

• Family life was the priority of a samurai

• Samurai were not free to do as they pleased

• Samurai warriors were loyal only to themselves

• Samurai warriors had the most power of anyone in society

Which of the following statements is true about the Ainu?

• The Ainu people are the ancestors of modern Japanese

• The Ainu people looked the same as other people of Japan

• The Ainu people practiced a traditional religion called Shinto

• The Ainu people spoke a unique language that was eventually lost