Prominent Personalities
17 Grade 10 Religious Education (HRE) questions on Prominent Personalities, with worked marking schemes. 17 questions are available on this topic in full.
Question 1
6 marksYour school's HRE club plans a community service project inspired by one of the prominent personalities studied in this sub-strand (Ved Vyas, Adi Shankaracharya, Tulsidas, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Swaminarayan or Swami Dayanand Saraswati).
(a) Name the personality and state one of his teachings on which the project will be based. (2 marks)
(b) Outline two activities the club would carry out to put the teaching into practice. (2 marks)
(c) Explain one way in which the club could present the success of the project to the school community. (2 marks) Total: 6 marks
(6 marks)
Marking scheme
(a) 1 mark for naming a listed personality, 1 mark for an accurate teaching of that personality (2 marks). Examples: - Swami Vivekananda: service to people is worship of God. - Swami Dayanand Saraswati: education for all, including girls; equality regardless of caste. - Swaminarayan: ahimsa, care for the needy, avoiding addictions. - Ramakrishna Paramhansa: harmony among religions. - Tulsidas: devotion and good family values. - Adi Shankaracharya: unity and the oneness of all beings. - Ved Vyas: sharing knowledge so that all can learn. (b) Any two activities consistent with the teaching named in (a), 1 mark each (2 marks). Examples: - A book and sanitary-towel drive for girls in a nearby school (education for girls). - A free tutoring/reading club for younger pupils (sharing knowledge). - An anti-drug and alcohol awareness campaign (avoiding addictions). - An inter-faith clean-up or tree-planting day (religious harmony). - Visiting and supporting a children's home or home for the elderly (service as worship). (c) One way well explained (2 marks); 1 mark if only stated: - Preparing a written or digital report with photographs, numbers of people reached and items donated, and presenting it at assembly. - Producing a short video or slide presentation shown to classmates. - Writing an article for the school magazine/newsletter. - Displaying a poster exhibition on the HRE notice board. - Inviting beneficiaries or a resource person to share feedback with the school.
Question 2
4 marksVed Vyas is honoured as one of the greatest sages of Sanatan Dharma.
(a) Apart from the Vedas, state two scriptures traditionally credited to Ved Vyas as their author or compiler. (2 marks)
(b) Explain why it is important for learners today to study the life and work of Ved Vyas. (2 marks) Total: 4 marks
(4 marks)
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6 marksAnalyse three ways in which the works of Tulsidas have contributed to the welfare of society, both in his time and today. (6 marks)
(6 marks)
Marking scheme
Any three points well analysed, 2 marks each (6 marks); 1 mark for a point stated without analysis: - He made scripture accessible: writing the Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi allowed people of every caste and level of education to learn the teachings of the Ramayana. - He promoted good family values: characters such as Rama (obedient son), Lakshmana and Bharata (loyal brothers) and Sita (faithful wife) model respect, loyalty and sacrifice in the family. - He presented Ram Rajya as the ideal of just, caring leadership, encouraging rulers and leaders to serve the people with fairness. - He spread bhakti (devotion) open to all, teaching that sincere devotion matters more than social status, which encouraged equality. - His works inspired the Ramlila dramas and community recitals, which bring people together and strengthen social harmony (including Ramayan recitals in Hindu temples in Kenya). - Devotional works such as the Hanuman Chalisa give believers courage, hope and comfort in times of difficulty. - His teaching on truth, duty (dharma), humility and compassion guides moral behaviour in society.
Question 4
1 markTulsidas's Ramcharitmanas made the story of Lord Rama popular among ordinary people in northern India mainly because it was written in
A. Pali, the language of early Buddhist texts
B. Tamil, the language of southern Bhakti poets
C. Awadhi, a regional form of the Hindi language
D. Sanskrit, the classical language of the Vedic hymns
(1 mark)
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4 marksOutline four social reforms advocated by Swami Dayanand Saraswati through the Arya Samaj. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
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4 marksAdi Shankaracharya established four mathas (monastic centres) in the north, south, east and west of India. Explain two ways in which these mathas helped to preserve and spread Sanatan Dharma. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
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1 markWhich text did Swaminarayan (Sahajanand Swami) write in 1826 as a code of daily conduct for his followers?
A. Hanuman Chalisa
B. Shikshapatri
C. Brahma Sutras
D. Satyarth Prakash
(1 mark)
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6 marksSwami Vivekananda taught that serving human beings is a form of worshipping God.
(a) State two organisations or centres that Swami Vivekananda founded to carry out his work. (2 marks)
(b) A youth group in Kisumu wants to put this teaching into practice. Explain two activities they could carry out, showing how each reflects the teaching. (4 marks) Total: 6 marks
(6 marks)
Marking scheme
(a) Any two of the following, 1 mark each (2 marks): - The Ramakrishna Mission (founded 1897) - The Ramakrishna Math at Belur (Belur Math) - Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati (founded under his direction) - The Vedanta Society of New York (1894) (b) Any two activities well explained, 2 marks each (4 marks); 1 mark for the activity, 1 mark for linking it to the teaching that service to people is worship of God: - Organising a free medical camp or blood-donation drive, caring for the sick as one would serve God. - Collecting and distributing food, clothing or sanitary items to needy families or children's homes, seeing God in the poor. - Tutoring or mentoring younger learners, since Vivekananda valued education as a way to uplift people. - Visiting and helping the elderly or people with disabilities, treating them with dignity as bearers of the divine. - Cleaning the environment, e.g. clearing litter along Lake Victoria's shores, as service to the community. - Supporting flood or disaster victims with relief items, showing compassion in action.
Question 9
1 markAdi Shankaracharya taught the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism). Which statement best summarises the central teaching of Advaita?
A. God and the soul are forever separate realities
B. The material world is the only true reality
C. Liberation is gained only through Vedic sacrifices
D. The individual self is not different from Brahman
(1 mark)
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4 marksOutline four ways in which the teachings of Swaminarayan have been propagated beyond India, including in Kenya. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
Marking scheme
Any four of the following, 1 mark each (4 marks): - Migration of Gujarati followers to East Africa and other countries, who carried the faith with them. - Building temples (mandirs), e.g. in Nairobi and Mombasa, which serve as centres of worship and teaching. - Visits and discourses by sadhus (monks) and spiritual leaders to followers abroad. - Regular satsang assemblies, including children's and youth assemblies, where teachings are learned. - Celebrating festivals (e.g. Diwali, Annakut, Swaminarayan Jayanti) that draw in followers and the wider community. - Humanitarian service such as medical camps, blood donation, disaster relief and food distribution, which make the faith known. - Running schools and educational programmes, e.g. Swaminarayan-affiliated schools in Nairobi. - Publishing and translating texts such as the Shikshapatri and Vachanamrut, and using websites, social media and live-streamed worship. - Forming organised fellowships/organisations (e.g. BAPS and other Swaminarayan sansthas) that coordinate activities worldwide.
Question 11
3 marksSwami Dayanand Saraswati spoke out against practices that were widely accepted in his time, even when this made him unpopular. Outline three qualities he displayed that learners can emulate. (3 marks)
(3 marks)
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1 markA Grade 10 class in Nakuru has learners from Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Sikh families. They are planning a joint charity event. Which teaching of Ramakrishna Paramhansa best guides how they should relate to one another?
A. Only one religion holds the complete truth about God
B. Religion should be kept out of all school activities
C. Learners should adopt the faith of the majority group
D. Different faiths are different paths to the same God
(1 mark)
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Create a free account to see itQuestion 13
1 markThe sage Krishna Dvaipayana is honoured with the title Ved Vyas. According to Hindu tradition, he earned this title because he
A. built the first temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha
B. arranged the Vedic hymns into four collections
C. translated the Vedas into everyday Hindi verse
D. composed all the hymns of the Rig Veda himself
(1 mark)
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1 markWhich event first made Swami Vivekananda's message about Sanatan Dharma known around the world?
A. His leadership of the Salt March to Dandi
B. His 1893 speech at the Chicago Parliament of Religions
C. His English translation of the Vedas while at Oxford
D. His election as president of the Indian National Congress
(1 mark)
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4 marksExplain two social reforms that Swaminarayan promoted in nineteenth-century Gujarat. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
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4 marksRamakrishna Paramhansa served as a priest at the Kali temple at Dakshineswar near Kolkata, where a young man named Narendranath Datta, who later became Swami Vivekananda, came to him for guidance.
(a) State two qualities of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. (2 marks)
(b) Explain one way in which his guidance of Narendranath contributed to the spread of Sanatan Dharma. (2 marks) Total: 4 marks
(4 marks)
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4 marksAdi Shankaracharya left home as a young boy to become a sannyasi, walked across India to learn and teach, wrote commentaries on major scriptures, and is said to have done all this before the age of 32. He also returned home to perform his mother's funeral rites, even though custom discouraged a sannyasi from doing so. Outline four qualities shown by Adi Shankaracharya that a Grade 10 learner can emulate. (4 marks)
(4 marks)
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