Hinduism: Self, Death and the Afterlife | AQA A-Level Religious Studies (7062)
Hinduism: Self, Death and the Afterlife
- 77 questions
- 6 subtopics
- Component 2: Hinduism, one religion of five
- Component 2
Hinduism: the self, the purpose of life, and what is held to follow death.
Part of Component 2, sat only by students who take Hinduism as their chosen religion.
Sample questions from Hinduism: Self, Death and the Afterlife
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The Four Aims of Life
Define moksha.
Show the answer
Moksha is liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. -
The Four Aims of Life
How do the four aims map onto the stages of life?
Show the answer
The student learns dharma, the householder pursues wealth and pleasure within it, and the last two stages turn towards moksha. -
Moksha in the Different Traditions
How does Samkhya describe the goal?
Show the answer
It calls it kaivalya, the complete isolation of pure consciousness once it no longer identifies with matter. -
Moksha in the Different Traditions
How does svarga differ from moksha?
Show the answer
Svarga is a heavenly reward enjoyed while good karma lasts, after which the soul is reborn, whereas moksha ends the cycle altogether. -
Atman and Jiva
How does the atman differ from the mind and the senses?
Show the answer
Mind and senses belong to changing nature and can be observed, whereas the atman is the consciousness that does the observing. -
Atman and Jiva
Define maya.
Show the answer
Maya is the power by which the one reality appears as a world of many separate things. -
Samkhya and the Chariot Parable
How does Samkhya describe liberation?
Show the answer
Through discrimination the self recognises that it was never part of nature, and it stands free and untouched in its own consciousness. -
Samkhya and the Chariot Parable
Who rides in the chariot?
Show the answer
The atman, the lord of the chariot, who is carried but does not itself pull or drive.
The 6 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The Four Aims of Life | Recall questions on dharma, artha, kama and moksha, why dharma governs the others and moksha is highest, how the aims map onto the stages of life and what to do when wealth conflicts with dharma. | 13 |
| Moksha in the Different Traditions | Recall questions on why moksha should not be postponed, what to do when wealth conflicts with dharma, and the Advaita and Ramanuja accounts. | 11 |
| Atman and Jiva | Recall questions on the definition of atman, its characteristics, how its relation to the body is pictured and what the jiva is. | 12 |
| Samkhya and the Chariot Parable | Recall questions on Samkhya's two principles, the gunas, bondage and liberation, the Katha Upanishad's parable of the chariot, and how the atman differs from the Buddhist self. | 16 |
| Samsara and Karma in Hinduism | Recall questions on what samsara is, why it is to be escaped, what keeps a being within it and how Hindus understand karma. | 10 |
| Reincarnation and the Realms of Rebirth | Recall questions on the Hindu account of reincarnation, the teaching used to console the bereaved, the realms of rebirth and the value of human birth. | 15 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Religious Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 3,683 questions with their answers.