Hinduism: Sources of Wisdom and Authority | AQA A-Level Religious Studies (7062)
Hinduism: Sources of Wisdom and Authority
- 101 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Component 2: Hinduism, one religion of five
- Component 2
Hinduism: the texts, teachers and institutions that carry authority.
Part of Component 2, sat only by students who take Hinduism as their chosen religion.
Sample questions from Hinduism: Sources of Wisdom and Authority
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The Devas of the Rig Veda
Explain what is meant by describing the Rig Veda as henotheistic.
Show the answer
Each hymn addresses its own deity as though that god were supreme, without denying that the other gods exist. -
Shruti and the Four Vedas
Name the four Vedas.
Show the answer
The Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda. -
Preserving and Using the Vedas
Give one way Vedic material is still used in worship today.
Show the answer
Vedic mantras are chanted over the sacred fire in the havan ritual performed at homes and temples. -
The Upanishads
What does the name Upanishad suggest about how the teaching was given?
Show the answer
It suggests sitting down close to a teacher, indicating instruction passed privately to a pupil judged ready for it. -
The Purusha Sukta and Caste
According to the hymn, how did the four classes originate?
Show the answer
The Brahmin came from his mouth, the ruling warrior from his arms, the Vaishya from his thighs and the Shudra from his feet. -
The Smrti Texts: Ramayana, Gita and Manusmrti
What ideals is the Ramayana used to teach?
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It models the perfect son, ruler, brother, wife and devotee, showing duty upheld even when it costs personal happiness. -
The Guru and the Parampara
What is a parampara?
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An unbroken line of transmission in which teaching passes from guru to disciple across generations. -
Swami Sivananda
State the six-word formula that summarises Sivananda's teaching.
Show the answer
Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The Devas of the Rig Veda | Recall questions on how many devas the Rig Veda speaks of and on the roles of Agni, Indra and the other prominent deities. | 20 |
| Shruti and the Four Vedas | Recall questions on what shruti means and contains, why it outranks other writing, what apaurusheya claims and the names of the four Vedas. | 9 |
| Preserving and Using the Vedas | Recall questions on oral transmission, why the exact sound matters, how Vedic authority defines orthodoxy and how the Vedas are used in worship. | 9 |
| The Upanishads | Recall questions on the Upanishads as Vedanta, their literary form and central teaching on the self, the principal Upanishads, the schools that rest on them and why they matter today. | 10 |
| The Purusha Sukta and Caste | Recall questions on where the hymn is found, who Purusha is, how the four classes are said to originate and why the hymn matters in debates about caste. | 9 |
| The Smrti Texts: Ramayana, Gita and Manusmrti | Recall questions on smrti's authority beside shruti, the Ramayana and its ideals, Arjuna's dilemma and the three routes to liberation in the Gita, and the Manusmrti and the controversy over it. | 22 |
| The Guru and the Parampara | Recall questions on the meaning of guru, why a living teacher is needed alongside scripture, the guru-disciple relationship and what a parampara is. | 10 |
| Swami Sivananda | Recall questions on his profession before renunciation, how it shaped his teaching, where he settled and the organisation he founded. | 12 |
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.