SSC CPO SI and ASI Model Paper 9

Directions (Q. 191–200): Read the following passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four given alternatives.
In China, from the 1st century CE, Buddhism became mingled with the already established religions of Confucianism and Taoism. Confucius’s philosophy, which was of little influence in his own lifetime (551–479 BCE), has been elaborated by subsequent generations of scholars both to provide a moral basis for the political structure of Imperial China and to embrace the hallowed forms of ancestor worship which have always been practiced in China.
Taoism, based on teachings attributed to Lao Tse in the 6th century BCE, is the quietest religion, which means living in the way (Tao) of nature.
In Japan, from the 6th century CE onwards, Buddhism became mingled with the ancient religion of Shinto, a nature worship of a multiplicity of deities honoured at shrines like that of Amaterasu, the Sun goddess, at Ise, and many Japanese still attend the places of worship of both faiths.
According to an estimate made by Britannica Book of the Year (1987), the total population of Buddhists was 307.6 million, out of which 306 million were in Asia, about half a million each in Europe, North and South America.
The sacred structure of Buddhists is known as pagoda. The pagoda is a prominent and visually attractive feature of the Buddhist and Shintoist landscapes. Many pagodas have an extremely elaborate and delicate appearance, with tall, manysided towers arranged in a series of tiers, balconies, and slanting roofs. Pagodas are not designed for congregational worship. Individual prayer may be undertaken in the pagoda but is more likely to take place in an adjacent temple or remote monastery, if not at home.
In China, families bury dead members on their land, thus removing as much as 10 per cent of the land from productive agriculture. The Communist government in China has discontinued the practice and has encouraged ploughing of old burial grounds. The Tibetan Buddhists practice exposure for some dead, with cremation reserved for the most exalted priests. Buddhism has suffered greatly in Asian lands that have come under Communist control. It has suffered in Mongolia, Tibet, North Korea, China, South Asia and parts of South-East Asia. The Communist governments have abolished the traditional rights and privileges of the monasteries; religious buildings have been taken over and converted by the government into museums and other secular uses, abandoned or destroyed.
Anti-religious campaigns have reduced open expression of religious observances, and the number of adherents of Buddhism can now be only roughly and uncertainly estimated.