A QUICK RECAP

🪷 THE SERMON AT BENARES — 25 Short Answer Questions and Answers

1. Who is the author of “The Sermon at Benares”?

Answer: The lesson is written by Betty Renshaw.

2. Who was Gautama Buddha?

Answer: Gautama Buddha was a prince named Siddhartha Gautama, who later became a spiritual teacher and founded Buddhism.

3. Where and when was Buddha born?

Answer: Buddha was born in 563 B.C. at Lumbini, near Kapilavastu (in Nepal).

4. What was Buddha’s early life like?

Answer: He was born into luxury as a prince, shielded from all suffering, and lived in comfort and pleasure.

5. What event changed Siddhartha’s life completely?

Answer: When Siddhartha saw a sick man, an old man, a funeral, and a monk, he realized that suffering is a part of life, which changed him deeply.

6. What did Siddhartha do after witnessing human suffering?

Answer: He left his palace, wife, and son, and began a spiritual quest to understand the cause of suffering.

7. Where did Gautama Buddha attain enlightenment?

Answer: He attained enlightenment under a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya, in Bihar.

8. What did Gautama Buddha do after enlightenment?

Answer: He began to teach people about the truth of life, the cause of suffering, and the path to overcome it.

9. What is the meaning of the word “Buddha”?

Answer: “Buddha” means the enlightened one or the awakened one.

10. What is the setting of “The Sermon at Benares”?

Answer: The sermon was delivered at Benares (Varanasi), the most sacred place on the River Ganges.

11. Who was Kisa Gotami?

Answer: Kisa Gotami was a young mother whose only son had died and who went to Buddha for help.

12. What did Kisa Gotami ask Buddha to do?

Answer: She begged Buddha to bring her dead child back to life.

13. What did Buddha ask Kisa Gotami to bring?

Answer: Buddha asked her to bring a handful of mustard seeds from a house where no one had ever died.

14. Why did Buddha make such a strange request?

Answer: He wanted Kisa Gotami to realize the truth that death is common and comes to all.

15. What realization did Kisa Gotami come to after visiting many houses?

Answer: She realized that death had visited every family, and no one can escape it.

16. How did Kisa Gotami’s attitude change after this experience?

Answer: She understood the universality of death and gave up her selfish grief, becoming calm and wise.

17. What did Buddha teach about life and death?

Answer: Buddha taught that death is inevitable; wise people do not grieve, but accept it as a law of nature.

18. What is the main message of “The Sermon at Benares”?

Answer: The main message is that everything that is born must die, and peace can be found only through acceptance and detachment.

19. According to Buddha, what causes sorrow and suffering?

Answer: Attachment to worldly things and desire cause sorrow and suffering.

20. What is the remedy for human suffering according to Buddha?

Answer: The remedy is to remove attachment and desire, and follow the Middle Path of moderation.

21. What does Buddha mean by “the world is afflicted with death and decay”?

Answer: It means that everything in this world is temporary, and death and change are natural parts of life.

22. How can one attain peace, according to Buddha?

Answer: By accepting the truth of death, and by giving up selfish attachments and desires, one can attain peace.

23. Why did Buddha use the example of mustard seeds?

Answer: The mustard seed was a simple, familiar object, but it helped Kisa Gotami learn a great spiritual truth through her own experience.

24. What is the significance of the sermon being delivered at Benares?

Answer: Benares is considered a sacred place for learning and spirituality, symbolizing Buddha’s first teaching of truth to humanity.

25. What does the story of Kisa Gotami teach us?

Answer: It teaches that death is universal, grief is useless, and wisdom lies in accepting the inevitable with peace and understanding.

Here is a MODERATE AND DIFFICULT LEVEL 60-MCQ QUIZ on the Class X First Flight lesson “The Sermon at Benares” by Betty Renshaw.
The quiz is divided into three rounds — Comprehension, Grammar, and Vocabulary, with answers given after each round.
Perfect for classroom quiz, tests, or board exam prep.

🧘‍♀️ THE SERMON AT BENARES – 60 MCQ QUIZ

🌀 ROUND 1: COMPREHENSION (20 Questions)

1. Who was Siddhartha Gautama?
A) A monk from China
B) A prince of the Sakya family
C) A farmer in Lumbini
D) A hermit from Benares
Answer: B) A prince of the Sakya family

2. Where was Gautama Buddha born?
A) Kapilavastu
B) Lumbini
C) Gaya
D) Benares
Answer: B) Lumbini

3. What did Gautama see that changed his life?
A) A temple
B) A river
C) A sick man, an old man, a funeral, and a monk
D) A snake and a deer
Answer: C) A sick man, an old man, a funeral, and a monk

4. What realization did Siddhartha come to after seeing the suffering of people?
A) Wealth is power
B) Pleasure is permanent
C) Death and suffering are universal
D) Faith can overcome death
Answer: C) Death and suffering are universal

5. At what age did Siddhartha leave his palace?
A) 20
B) 25
C) 30
D) 35
Answer: C) 30

6. Where did Gautama attain enlightenment?
A) Under a Banyan tree
B) Under a Peepal tree in Bodh Gaya
C) In a forest near Benares
D) In a temple in Lumbini
Answer: B) Under a Peepal tree in Bodh Gaya

7. What does the word “Buddha” mean?
A) Enlightened one
B) Powerful one
C) Holy one
D) Peaceful one
Answer: A) Enlightened one

8. What was the first sermon of Buddha called?
A) The Peace Sermon
B) The Enlightened Path
C) The Sermon at Benares
D) The Four Noble Truths
Answer: C) The Sermon at Benares

9. Who was Kisa Gotami?
A) A queen
B) A farmer’s wife
C) A young mother who lost her child
D) A disciple of Buddha
Answer: C) A young mother who lost her child

10. What did Kisa Gotami request from Buddha?
A) Food for her child
B) A blessing
C) Medicine to bring her son back to life
D) Shelter in his monastery
Answer: C) Medicine to bring her son back to life

11. What task did Buddha give to Kisa Gotami?
A) To meditate for seven days
B) To find mustard seeds from a house untouched by death
C) To collect holy water
D) To chant a prayer 100 times
Answer: B) To find mustard seeds from a house untouched by death

12. What truth did Kisa Gotami realize?
A) Death is rare
B) Death comes to all beings
C) Buddha can perform miracles
D) Wealth can prevent sorrow
Answer: B) Death comes to all beings

13. How did Kisa Gotami’s perspective change after meeting Buddha?
A) She became angry
B) She understood the law of nature
C) She refused to accept his teachings
D) She left the village
Answer: B) She understood the law of nature

14. What was the main theme of Buddha’s sermon?
A) The value of charity
B) The importance of knowledge
C) The inevitability of death and the path to peace
D) The need for faith in God
Answer: C) The inevitability of death and the path to peace

15. What does Buddha say about wise people?
A) They weep loudly
B) They are calm in suffering
C) They isolate themselves
D) They avoid life’s challenges
Answer: B) They are calm in suffering

16. According to Buddha, what causes human sorrow?
A) Desires and attachments
B) Lack of education
C) Poverty
D) Anger
Answer: A) Desires and attachments

17. What is the “Middle Path”?
A) A way of moderation between extremes
B) A long pilgrimage route
C) The path to luxury
D) A religious ritual
Answer: A) A way of moderation between extremes

18. Why is Benares significant in this lesson?
A) It is Buddha’s birthplace
B) It is where Buddha preached his first sermon
C) It is a trade center
D) It is where Kisa lived
Answer: B) It is where Buddha preached his first sermon

19. What did Kisa Gotami finally understand about death?
A) It can be reversed
B) It is natural and unavoidable
C) It can be cured
D) It is caused by sin
Answer: B) It is natural and unavoidable

20. What does the story of Kisa Gotami symbolize?
A) The value of family
B) The illusion of immortality
C) The spiritual awakening through suffering
D) The wealth of nature
Answer: C) The spiritual awakening through suffering

✍️ ROUND 2: GRAMMAR (20 Questions)

21. Change to passive voice: Buddha taught people the truth of life.
A) The truth of life teaches Buddha.
B) People were taught the truth of life by Buddha.
C) The truth of life was taught to people by Buddha.
D) People are taught by Buddha.
Answer: C) The truth of life was taught to people by Buddha.

22. Choose the correct indirect speech:
Kisa said, “Please bring my child back to life.”
A) Kisa requested Buddha to bring her child back to life.
B) Kisa asked Buddha if he could bring her child back to life.
C) Kisa told Buddha to bring her child back to life.
D) Kisa prayed that her child might live.
Answer: A) Kisa requested Buddha to bring her child back to life.

23. Fill in the blank: Death _______ to all living beings.
A) come
B) came
C) comes
D) coming
Answer: C) comes

24. Choose the correct tense: Buddha _______ enlightenment under the tree.
A) attain
B) attained
C) attains
D) was attaining
Answer: B) attained

25. Identify the correct modal: We _______ accept death as natural.
A) must
B) can
C) could
D) might
Answer: A) must

26. Change into a complex sentence: Everyone must face death. It is unavoidable.
A) Since death is unavoidable, everyone must face it.
B) Death is unavoidable and everyone faces it.
C) Death is faced by everyone.
D) Everyone must face unavoidable death.
Answer: A) Since death is unavoidable, everyone must face it.

27. Choose the correct preposition: Buddha preached his sermon ______ Benares.
A) on
B) at
C) in
D) by
Answer: B) at

28. Identify the correct reported speech: Buddha said, “Desires cause sorrow.”
A) Buddha said desires cause sorrow.
B) Buddha said that desires caused sorrow.
C) Buddha said that desires cause sorrow.
D) Buddha told that desires caused sorrow.
Answer: B) Buddha said that desires caused sorrow.

29. Choose the correct form: Kisa Gotami _______ her son’s death.
A) could not bear
B) cannot bore
C) not bears
D) bearing
Answer: A) could not bear

30. Fill in the blank: Buddha advised her to learn a lesson ______ her experience.
A) with
B) from
C) of
D) by
Answer: B) from

31. Combine: She went to many houses. Everyone had lost someone.
A) She went to many houses because everyone had lost someone.
B) She went to many houses where everyone had lost someone.
C) She went and lost someone.
D) Many houses were lost.
Answer: B) She went to many houses where everyone had lost someone.

32. Choose the correct article: Buddha gave ______ sermon at Benares.
A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article
Answer: C) the

33. Identify the correct synonym for “sermon”:
A) Song
B) Lecture
C) Prayer
D) Poem
Answer: B) Lecture

34. Choose the correct form of adjective: Buddha was the ______ teacher of peace.
A) more wise
B) most wise
C) wiser
D) wisest
Answer: D) wisest

35. Change to negative: Everyone must die.
A) No one must die.
B) No one can escape death.
C) Everyone must not die.
D) None must die.
Answer: B) No one can escape death.

36. Identify the correct clause: “Whoever lives must die.”
A) Adjective clause
B) Adverb clause
C) Noun clause
D) Independent clause
Answer: C) Noun clause

37. Choose the correct question tag: Death is natural, ______?
A) is it
B) isn’t it
C) doesn’t it
D) wasn’t it
Answer: B) isn’t it

38. Fill in the blank: Buddha’s words still ______ millions.
A) inspire
B) inspires
C) inspired
D) inspiring
Answer: A) inspire

39. Correct the error: He learnt the truth of nature by Buddha.
A) He learnt the truth of nature from Buddha.
Answer: A

40. Choose the correct voice: People respect Buddha.
A) Buddha is respected by people.
B) Buddha was respected by people.
C) People were respected by Buddha.
D) Buddha respected people.
Answer: A) Buddha is respected by people.

🌸 ROUND 3: VOCABULARY & MEANING (20 Questions)

41. What is the meaning of “sermon”?
A) A religious or moral talk
B) A musical tune
C) A curse
D) A play
Answer: A) A religious or moral talk

42. The word “Benares” is also known as—
A) Delhi
B) Varanasi
C) Kathmandu
D) Bodh Gaya
Answer: B) Varanasi

43. What is the meaning of “enlightenment”?
A) Darkness
B) Spiritual knowledge or awakening
C) Ignorance
D) Celebration
Answer: B) Spiritual knowledge or awakening

44. “Afflicted” means—
A) Blessed
B) Affected or troubled
C) Protected
D) Freed
Answer: B) Affected or troubled

45. “Decay” refers to—
A) Growth
B) Death and destruction
C) Improvement
D) Peace
Answer: B) Death and destruction

46. Synonym of “sorrow”—
A) Grief
B) Joy
C) Calmness
D) Silence
Answer: A) Grief

47. Antonym of “wise”—
A) Foolish
B) Smart
C) Calm
D) Honest
Answer: A) Foolish

48. Synonym of “truth”—
A) Falsehood
B) Reality
C) Imagination
D) Trick
Answer: B) Reality

49. Meaning of “unavoidable”—
A) Escapeable
B) Inevitable
C) Optional
D) Irrelevant
Answer: B) Inevitable

50. Antonym of “peace”—
A) Harmony
B) Conflict
C) Calm
D) Silence
Answer: B) Conflict

51. The phrase “law of nature” means—
A) Human-made rules
B) Natural truth that cannot be changed
C) Police law
D) Divine punishment
Answer: B) Natural truth that cannot be changed

52. The word “detachment” in the lesson means—
A) Indifference to worldly things
B) Separation of body parts
C) Connection with people
D) Hatred
Answer: A) Indifference to worldly things

53. “Grief” is a feeling of—
A) Joy
B) Deep sorrow
C) Confidence
D) Surprise
Answer: B) Deep sorrow

54. “Afflicted” and “suffering” are—
A) Antonyms
B) Synonyms
C) Phrases
D) Verbs
Answer: B) Synonyms

55. The word “Buddhism” is derived from—
A) The word “Buddha”
B) The word “Bodhi”
C) Both A and B
D) None
Answer: C) Both A and B

56. “Attachment” means—
A) Disconnection
B) Emotional bonding
C) Hatred
D) Freedom
Answer: B) Emotional bonding

57. “Universal truth” means—
A) True for everyone
B) True for one person
C) Imaginary
D) False statement
Answer: A) True for everyone

58. Synonym of “meditation”—
A) Prayerful thinking
B) Talking
C) Eating
D) Sleeping
Answer: A) Prayerful thinking

59. Antonym of “death”—
A) Life
B) Pain
C) Silence
D) Peace
Answer: A) Life

60. “Buddha’s teachings bring peace” — The word “peace” here means—
A) War
B) Calmness and harmony
C) Death
D) Grief
Answer: B) Calmness and harmony

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CLASS -X UNIT 8 : THE SERMON AT BENARES