Hinduism: Crime and Punishment | Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B (1RB0)
Hinduism: Crime and Punishment
- 89 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Hinduism, one religion of seven
- Paper 2
Hinduism: Crime and Punishment is examined in Paper 2, Area of Study 2: Religion, Peace and Conflict, if Hinduism is the religion studied for that area.
It covers Hindu attitudes to justice, Hindu attitudes to crime and its causes, Hindu teachings on good, evil and suffering, Hindu attitudes to punishment: danda and prayascitta, Hindu attitudes to the aims of punishment, Hindu teachings on forgiveness and restorative justice, Hindu teachings on the treatment of criminals and Hindu attitudes to the death penalty.
Sample questions from Hinduism: Crime and Punishment
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Hindu attitudes to justice
What story is told in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2?
Show the answer
The gods, humans and demons each asked Prajapati, the creator, for teaching. Prajapati answered each with the single syllable “Da”. -
Hindu attitudes to crime and its causes
What does Bhagavad Gita 14.18 say happens to people dominated by each guna?
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People ruled by sattva rise upwards, and people ruled by rajas stay in the middle. People ruled by tamas sink downwards. -
Hindu teachings on good, evil and suffering
How does the story of King Vena in Bhagavata Purana 4 show evil punished?
Show the answer
Vena was a proud, cruel king who banned worship and oppressed his people. The sages ended his life, and the good king Prithu came forth from his body. -
Hindu attitudes to punishment: danda and prayascitta
What is the difference between danda and prayascitta?
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Danda is punishment imposed from outside by the ruler. Prayascitta is penance the wrongdoer chooses to undertake. -
Hindu attitudes to the aims of punishment
How do Hindus view deterrence as an aim of punishment?
Show the answer
Many Hindus support deterrence, since the Manusmriti says fear of punishment keeps people from wrongdoing. Others doubt that fear changes a person's heart. -
Hindu teachings on forgiveness and restorative justice
Why does Yudhishthira reject anger in Mahabharata 3.29?
Show the answer
Yudhishthira says anger is the slayer of people and brings ruin even to the powerful. The wise conquer anger through understanding. -
Hindu teachings on the treatment of criminals
What are most Hindu attitudes to torture?
Show the answer
Most Hindus reject torture because it breaks ahimsa and degrades both victim and torturer. Torture also produces unreliable confessions. -
Hindu attitudes to the death penalty
Why do many Hindus oppose the death penalty?
Show the answer
Execution breaks ahimsa and ends the offender's chance to reform. Karma will punish the offender without the state killing anyone.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Hindu attitudes to justice | Rajadharma, the thunder's word Da in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2 and what gods, humans and demons made of it, justice for the victim, karma, and Humanist and atheist views of why justice matters. | 11 |
| Hindu attitudes to crime and its causes | Bhagavad Gita 14.16 to 14.18 on the three gunas, how an individual Hindu can tackle the causes of crime, BAPS Charities, Hindu prison chaplains in Britain, and crime as a harm to society. | 12 |
| Hindu teachings on good, evil and suffering | Dhruva, King Vena and Daksha's sacrifice in Bhagavata Purana 4, the role of Yama, Humanist and atheist accounts of suffering, whether religion causes it, and whether all suffering comes from past karma. | 11 |
| Hindu attitudes to punishment: danda and prayascitta | Punishment and atonement told apart, Manusmriti 7.14 to 7.26 on where danda comes from, how it must be given, life without it and the king fit to give it, and punishment as justice. | 11 |
| Hindu attitudes to the aims of punishment | The four aims Hindus debate, why reform is so often put first, Bhagavad Gita 4.35 to 4.37 on the worst sinner and the power of knowledge, Gandhi on wrongdoers, and balancing the aims. | 11 |
| Hindu teachings on forgiveness and restorative justice | Kshama, Yudhishthira's rejection of anger in Mahabharata 3.29 and Draupadi's challenge, community forgiveness of offenders, restorative justice and prayascitta, and why forgiving does not cancel punishment. | 11 |
| Hindu teachings on the treatment of criminals | Mahabharata 13.117 on ahimsa and respect for criminals, torture and the rare case for harsh interrogation, situation ethics, human rights, the law books on a fair trial, the traditional panchayat, and trial by jury. | 11 |
| Hindu attitudes to the death penalty | Whether India still uses it, Hindu arguments for and against, Padma Purana 1.31 read by supporters and opponents, Gandhi's influence, and Humanist, atheist and situation-ethics arguments. | 11 |
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
Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 5,266 questions with their answers.