Question

In your response, be sure to address all parts of the question. Use complete sentences; an outline or bulleted list alone is not acceptable.
Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows.

“In the past, none failed to hear Confucius’ teachings, but few understood them. Thereafter came the vulgar Confucian scholarship of later times, which stressed memorization and literary composition, but was of no real use. Then came the deviant doctrines of Buddhism and Daoism, which had loftier goals but lacked solid substance. These teachings were mixed together in great confusion so that rulers could no longer hear the essential teachings of Confucius, and lesser men could no longer enjoy the benefits of good government. Everything decayed until disorder and destruction reached its extreme in the Five Dynasties period*.

Yet Heaven’s cycle continues. The virtuous power of the Song dynasty rose up, and both government and education shone with great luster. With that, the method whereby the ancients taught men was once again made brilliantly clear to the world.”

*an era of political chaos in China during the tenth century

Zhu Xi, Chinese scholar and philosopher, preface to a commentary on The Great Learning, written in 1190. The Great Learning was a text of Confucian teachings that became a foundational text of examination for the Chinese civil service.

a) Identify ONE claim made in the passage.

b) Identify ONE way in which the ideas expressed in the passage illustrate the social or political development of China under the Song dynasty.

Answer 1

Answer:

A.) "Then came Buddhism and Daoism, which had loftier goals but lacked solid substance." is a claim as the passage is stating that the two religions didn't have completely planned goals

B.) Due to the infiltration of two new religions into the Chinese populous, more people began to believe different things than what others would have thought. This caused many difficulties in the government because instead of having one religion and everyone believing what that religion says, they were dealing with three religions where people from the different religions would fight in the streets or start trouble.