Asian Culture Quiz

1. Which major South Asian celebration is widely known as the Festival of Lights?

2. Which writing system was created in 15th-century Korea under King Sejong?

3. A museum display shows silk, glassware, Buddhist art, and musical instruments moving between distant societies along old trade routes. What broader effect of the Silk Roads does this best illustrate?

4. A table prepared for Nowruz displays seven symbolic items whose Persian names begin with the letter “S.” What is this arrangement called?

5. An Indonesian performance uses carved leather figures, a lamp, a screen, and a puppeteer known as a dalang. Which art form is being presented?

6. A host in Japan indicates a raised area where outdoor shoes should be removed before entering the main living space. What is the most appropriate response?

7. Which description most closely matches the traditional structural pattern associated with Japanese haiku?

8. What is the common Japanese term for the traditional practice often translated as “the way of tea”?

9. A family observes Qingming in China by visiting an ancestral burial site. Which activity would most closely fit the tradition?

10. During Ramadan, a visitor is invited to join a meal just after sunset. What is this meal called?

11. On the Mongolian steppe, a family uses a circular, portable dwelling built around a wooden frame and commonly covered with felt. What is it called?

12. In Mandarin Chinese, what are the red envelopes commonly given during Lunar New Year called?

13. In an Indian classical dance performance, a dancer uses codified hand gestures to help convey characters, objects, or ideas. What are these gestures commonly called?

14. Which action best fits a common Vietnamese family custom during Tết?

15. A textile has intricate patterns made by applying wax before dyeing the cloth. Which Indonesian tradition does this describe?

16. In Thailand, someone greets you by pressing their palms together near the chest and slightly bowing. Which gesture are they using?