The Journey to the West: Volume I

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which most accurately characterizes the Jade Emperor?

A) He is a benevolent ruler who accepts input from even his most lowly subjects and places their happiness above the need to enforce the law.

B) He is an ineffective leader who allows too much latitude for his subjects and is more interested in being liked than enforcing the rules.

C) He is an unreasonable tyrant who does not acknowledge individual circumstances and rules with an iron fist.

D) He is an understanding ruler who makes allowances for individuals, but ultimately his primary role is to maintain order in Heaven.

2. Which is the most reasonable interpretation of what Sun Wukong allegorically represents?

A) He represents the daring, questing, and restless nature of the human mind.

B) He represents the never-satisfied human craving for sensory experience and comfort.

C) He represents the egoless, “emptied” self that is able to achieve Nirvana.

D) He represents the attached self that grasps at material objects and clings to others.

3. Which of the following is not one of Sun Wukong’s names in The Journey to the West?

A) BanHorse Plague

B) Pilgrim

C) He Great Sage, Equal to Heaven

D) Three Baskets

4. Which of the following functions as a symbol of duality in this text?

A) Grass

B) Sunlight

C) Mountains

D) Wood

5. Which of the following best conveys the idea that sometimes external constraints are required in order to discipline and train the mind?

A) The spell that Guanyin uses to bind Sun Wukong to Tripitaka

B) When Tripitaka’s horse trips and causes them to fall into a pit

C) Sun Wukong’s failure to escape from the Buddha’s hand

D) Wujing’s imprisonment in the Flowing-Sand River

6. Which is the most reasonable interpretation of what Eight Rules allegorically represents?

A) He represents the daring, questing, and restless nature of the human mind.

B) He represents the never-satisfied human craving for sensory experience and comfort.

C) He represents the egoless, “emptied” self that is able to achieve Nirvana.

D) He represents the attached self that grasps at material objects and clings to others.

7. Which is the most reasonable statement of the text’s perspective on punishment?

A) Punishment is not as effective as education.

B) Punishment allows society to satisfy a desire for revenge.

C) Punishment is a tool to create growth and change.

D) Punishment creates corruption and alienation.

8. What failing of Sun Wukong’s is highlighted by his banishment by Patriarch, his encounter with Tathāgata, his reaction to his first job in Heaven, and the incident with Tripitaka’s cassock?

A) Dishonesty

B) Laziness

C) Greed

D) Pride

9. What is Sun Wukong’s motivation when he steals the peaches in Heaven and when he scratches his name from a certain divine list?

A) He wants to be worshiped.

B) He wants to be immortal.

C) He wants to be wealthy.

D) He wants to be powerful.

10. Which of the following is something that Sun Wukong, Eight Rules, Wujing, and the dragon-turned-horse have in common?

A) They struggle to contain their desire for recognition.

B) They are redeemed through service to Tripitaka.

C) They each symbolically represent a different natural element.

D) They are all former Taoists who convert to Buddhism.

11. Which most accurately summarizes the text’s position on Confucianism and Taoism?

A) They are an interesting but archaic part of China’s history.

B) They are neglected but important philosophical systems.

C) They conflict with important Buddhist teachings.

D) They contribute to living a moral and satisfying life.

12. Which virtue do Tathāgata, the Bodhisattvas, and Tripitaka most clearly model?

A) Generosity

B) Love

C) Humility

D) Determination

13. Which most accurately summarizes the text’s position on good and evil?

A) They are inextricably bound to one another; good contains evil, and evil contains good.

B) They are separate and opposite forces; what is good can never be evil, and vice versa.

C) They are locked in an eternal battle; eventually, good must vanquish evil.

D) They are balanced in equal amounts in all things and all people; one can never overcome the other.

14. Which character most clearly serves as a foil to Sun Wukong?

A) Eight Rules

B) The Patriarch

C) The Jade Emperor

D) Wujing

15. Which of the following most clearly reveals a Confucian influence?

A) The Jade Emperor’s decision to indulge Sun Wukong’s desire for an official title and wealth

B) Chen E’s explanation to his mother for why he wishes to take the test for a government position

C) The Patriarch’s plan to train Sun Wukong in secret, away from his other students

D) The case the Dragon King plans to make to Yama regarding his grievance against Tang Taizong

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. Explain how Guanyin functions as a model of compassion.

2. What do the repeated name changes some characters undergo demonstrate about the nature of the self?