The following questions for The Sermons at Benares have been taken from the CBSE Question Bank released for class 10 English. All the questions are available on the CBSE’s official website. Watch the video for a Hindi explanation. Feel free to ask in the comment section. It is a free service for class 10 Students. These questions are important for the class 10 Board exams.
The Sermons at Benares Questions Bank Class 10 Board Exam
Multiple Choice Questions MCQ The Sermon at Benaras
(A) Poor Kisa Gotami now went from house to house, and the people pitied her and said, “Here is the mustard seed; take it!” But when she asked, “Did a son or daughter, a father or mother, die in your family?” they answered her, “Alas! the living are few, but the dead are many. Do not remind us of our deepest grief.” And there was no house but some beloved one had died in it.
i The community’s response to Kisa in the above extract was somewhat different from before. Why do you think that was the case?
a) They had learnt from Buddha’s sermons.
b) They were able to help Kisa in some way this time.
c) They understood parental grief.
d) They liked Kisa and enjoyed talking to her.
ii Which of the following options represents the correct understanding of the word “poor” in the phrase “Poor Kisa Gotami”?
a) in need of money
b) weak
c) unfortunate
d) inferior
iii “Do not remind us of our deepest grief.” The tone of the speaker(s) is
a) disillusioned.
b) sceptical.
c) ironic.
d) solemn.
iv Pick the option that explains — ‘…the living few, but the dead many.’
a) It shows the high death rate and low birth rate in the city of Benares.
b) It highlights the holy status of Benares where many Hindus go to die.
c) It throws light on the numerous loved ones the villagers had lost over time.
d) It reflects that many children had died in the village for various reasons.
v Imagine you are a photojournalist visiting the city at the time Kisa Gotami went from house to house. You documented her experience in the above extract in a photo series.
Your publisher wants to publish the photo series in three parts wherein Part 1 shows Kisa’s visits to the houses; Part 2 depicts her conversations with people, and Part 3 captures Kisa’s reflections at the end of the day sitting by the wayside. The publisher would also like you to choose titles for the series and its three parts. Look at the titles given below, and choose the options that provide the most appropriate set of titles.
1) Series Title – From Darkness to Light.
Part I – Living in Loss; Part II – A Mother’s Journey; Part III – Mustard Seed
2) Series Title – Mustard Seed.
Part I – A Mother’s Journey; Part II – From Darkness to Light; Part III – Living in Loss
3) Series Title – A Mother’s Journey.
Part I – Mustard Seed; Part II – Living in Loss; Part III – From Darkness to Light
4) Series Title – Living in Loss.
Part I – From Darkness to Light; Part II – Mustard Seed; Part III – A Mother’s Journey
a) 1 and 2
b) 2 and 3
c) 3 and 4
d) 1 and 4
Answer Key for Q3 (A) The Sermons at Benares MCQ A
i. (b)
ii. (c)
iii. (d)
iv. (c)
v. (b)
Newly added 10 Questions for 2022-23 The Sermons at Benares
| MCQ (B) |
(B) Not from weeping nor from grieving will anyone obtain peace of mind; on the contrary, his pain will be the greater and his body will suffer… He who seeks peace should draw out the arrow of lamentation, complaint, and grief. He who has drawn out the arrow and has become composed will obtain peace of mind.”
i If the Buddha were a counsellor, which of the following options would you find in a brochure of his service?
a) Image (i)
b) Image (ii)
c) Image (iii)
d) Image (iv)
ii Which of the following statements cannot be attributed to the Buddha based on the given extract?
(i) Pain and grief are unavoidable and necessary.
(ii) The inevitability of death makes grieving futile.
(iii) The universality of grief and pain makes us sad.
(iv) Understanding that life is finite leads to wisdom.
a) (i) and (ii)
b) (i) and (iii)
c) (iii) and (iv)
d) (i) and (iv)
iii Chose the option that appropriately completes the following— lamentation: grief:: :
(a) laughter: joke
(b) discomfort: fear
(c) celebration: joy
(d) resignation: loss
iv According to the Buddha, peace of mind is attainable by those who
a) renounce worldly life like the Buddha
b) take out the arrow and become strong
c) grieve, suffer and then move on
d) recognise terms of life and let go of complaint
v The given extract is paraphrased below. Choose the option that includes the most appropriate solutions for the blanks.
(i) The act of __ is not only pointless but (ii) rather, causing pain and suffering. It only serves to (iii) _ peace of mind. (iv) __ without complaint is crucial to well-being and peace.
a) grief, harmful, destroy, accepting
b) grieving, counterproductive, take away, acceptance
c) weeping, productive, take away, lamentation
d) grieving, harmful, destroy, lamenting
Answer Key for Q3 (B) Sermon at Benares MCQ B
i. (c)
ii. (b)
iii. (c)
iv. (d)
v. (b)
| SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS |
The Sermons at Benares Question Bank Answers Class 10 Competency-Based Questions
Q10 Answer in 20-30 words
i Elucidate any one quality that Siddhartha demonstrated when he gave up his status and family. Explain your choice.
ANS: Siddhartha demonstrated his sacrificing nature when he gave up his status and princely home. He was disturbed to see people’s suffering and wanted to find out a solution to eradicate their suffering and diseases. This shows his empathetic nature.
ii Do you think being enlightened placed a far greater responsibility on the Buddha than being king would have? Justify your stance.
ANS: Yes, enlightenment added to his responsibilities. As a king, he was more concerned with the physical well-being of his countrymen but now he had an obligation to take care of their mental health also. Now he was a changed man who could help people with his spiritual lessons.
iii The Buddha renounced his worldly life to attain enlightenment. How might the sermon at Benares have helped Siddhartha Gautama’s wife if she had heard it?
ANS: On hearing Gautam’s lessons his wife might realise that every person was born into this world to fulfil a particular role in this world. She should stop lamenting her husband’s departure from her married life thinking it was the end of the role of a husband. Moreover, he was a different person altogether now.
iv How can death be considered an equaliser?
ANS: Death works as an equaliser in two ways. For an individual, it equalizes by ending his griefs, sorrows, wants and desires. Death is even a great equaliser for nature by eliminating old and sick people from the world and thereby creating a balance between deaths and births on the earth.
The Sermons at Benares Competency-Based Questions
Q11 Answer in 40-50 words
i Kisa understood the temporality of life as she sat at the wayside watching the city lights. Can you think of any other object or phenomenon, natural or man-made, that might similarly reflect the fragile nature of human life? Justify your choice.
ANS: We can think of an earthen pitcher, a flower’s blooming and drying, changing seasons and the daily occurrence and exit of a day and night to understand the fragile nature of human life. They depict that nothing is permanent in this world and no one waits for another. Everything is bound to leave after the expiration of its time period like the sun and moon coming and going at a particular time every day.
ii Grief is often seen as a measure of love. Do you think the Buddha’s sermon undermines a mother’s love? Justify your response.
ANS: Kisa Gotami was in grief because she had lost her son at an early age. Her motherhood was stopping her from accepting the reality of his son’s death. Buddha was a wise man who knew that death was inevitable. He did not undermine a mother’s love instead he made it easy for Kisa to accept the ultimate truth of life and stop lamenting her sorrows.
iii What message might the Buddha’s story hold for those who are in positions of power and privilege?
ANS: Buddha’s story illustrates that death is the ultimate reality of this world that can’t be delayed or avoided by positions of power and privilege. Power, position and relatives are left behind here in this world only after death. A man goes empty-handed in the same manner as he came at the time of his birth.
The Sermons at Benares Question Bank Solutions Class 10
Q12 Answer in 100-120 words (beyond text and across texts)
i Read the given quote by actor Jim Carrey. Can you relate this to the Buddha’s life before and after he attained enlightenment? Provide examples from the text to support your answer.
ANS: Yes, this quote directly applies to Buddha’s life. The quotation stresses that getting money and popularity should not be the only aim of a person. Prince Siddharth was born with a silver spoon and had not heard of money or a name. He had been living a happy married life. But one day his heart moved upon seeing an old and sick man. He realised that his power and position could not buy health and happiness. He renounced his worldly life in search of real power and peace. After getting enlightenment he got to know the truths of life and he decided to help people to come out of the darkness of ignorance. He explained this truth to a grieved mother by asking her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had died. Buddha’s wisdom helped the mother to reflect upon life and accept her son’s untimely death.
ii Sermon at Benares could just as well be considered another glimpse of India. If it were part of the story ‘Glimpses of India’, what ideas, values and/ or experiences would it highlight? How would you present this historical part of India?
ANS: If it were part of the story ‘Glimpses of India’ the spiritual teachings of Buddha can be included to give mental clarity to the people. The experience of Kisa Gotami can be added to impart a lesson to grieving people. Benares or Varanasi is one of the seven sacred cities of Hindusim due to the presence of the river Ganges there. Besides Ganga, Bodhgaya and Bodhi trees in Sarnath can be highlighted. Buddha delivered his first sermon there.
The fact that Varanasi or Benares is popular for its traditional silk sarees known as Benarasi saree worldwide is worth highlighting in the history of Benares. Varanasi is also called the city of Lord Shiva. Rare crystal and stone shiva lingas are available here. At last, Gulabi Minakari of Benares can’t be left behind in the lessons’ s highlights.
| Supplementary Reader: Footprints without Feet NCERT Class 10 English > Lesson 1 A Triumph of Surgery > Lesson 2 The Thief’s Story > Lesson 3 The Midnight Visitor > Lesson 4 A Question of Trust > Lesson 5 Footprints without Feet > Lesson 6 The Making of a Scientist > Lesson 7 The Necklace > Lesson 8 The Hack Driver > Lesson 9 Bholi CBSE > Lesson 10 The Book that Saved the Earth |
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