SparkNotes: Siddhartha: Quiz

1. Siddhartha's father is a Brahmin, which means he is a what?

(A) Policeman

(B) Religious leader

(C) Soldier

(D) Politician

2. What is the name of Siddhartha's best friend?

(A) Gotama

(B) Govinda

(C) Kamala

(D) Kamaswami

3. When Siddhartha joins the Samanas, what pleasant surprise does he find?

(A) That he has a brother

(B) That his own father was once a Samana

(C) That Govinda has also joined the Samanas

(D) That the Samanas have chosen to make Siddhartha their leader

4. In the course of his confrontational departure from the Samanas, how does Siddhartha silence their leader?

(A) By gazing at him hypnotically

(B) By wrestling with him and winning

(C) By criticizing the dress of the Samanas

(D) By threatening to tell Gotama about them

5. What does Govinda do when Siddhartha leaves the Samanas?

(A) Remains with the Samanas

(B) Returns to their home village

(C) Wanders to a river

(D) Accompanies Siddhartha

6. After learning the main tenets of Gotama's Eightfold Path, what does Siddhartha do?

(A) Questions Gotama privately about the specifics of his spiritual recommendations

(B) Acknowledges Gotama's beliefs as making up the one true faith

(C) Insists to Govinda that they leave immediately

(D) Attempts to return to the Samanas, but fails to locate their whereabouts

7. Why does Gotama seem to believe he is qualified to be a spiritual leader?

(A) He has read every spiritual text in existence

(B) He was once the leader of the Samanas

(C) He has many followers

(D) He has attained Nirvana

8. When Siddhartha decides to leave Gotama's camp, what does Govinda do?

(A) Accompanies Siddhartha

(B) Stays with Gotama

(C) Appears unexpectedly, but doesn't recognize Siddhartha

(D) Returns to the Samanas

9. How does the ferryman first seem to Siddhartha?

(A) Bitter and lost

(B) Cringing and self-serving

(C) Contented and smiling

(D) Dazed and confused

10. On his approach to the city, Siddhartha is almost overcome by desire for what?

(A) A woman

(B) Kamaswami

(C) A home-cooked meal

(D) Alcoholic beverages

11. Soon after Kamala meets Siddhartha, what does she agree to trade a kiss for?

(A) A well-recited poem

(B) A well-sung song

(C) An amusing acrobatic trick

(D) A beautiful painting

12. Why does Kamala introduce Siddhartha to Kamaswami?

(A) So Siddhartha will have a friend in the city

(B) So Siddhartha can learn the ways of a merchant

(C) Kamaswami is the city's greatest spiritual leader

(D) So Siddhartha may fight a duel with him for the hand of Kamala

13. Siddhartha has a dream about Kamala's pet bird. In Siddhartha's dream, what is different about Kamala's bird?

(A) It has the head of a fish

(B) It is a different color

(C) It speaks in the voice of Govinda

(D) It is dead

14. Soon after his dream about Kamala's bird, Siddhartha retires to a pleasure garden. What does he do here?

(A) Encounters Govinda, who fails to recognize him

(B) Encounters Kamala and follows her into the woods

(C) Engages in sexual intercourse with Kamala

(D) Resolves to leave the city

15. During Siddhartha's second encounter with the river, what does he do when he sees his own reflection in the water?

(A) Asks it to teach him the nature of Nirvana

(B) Spits at it

(C) Flashes a big smile

(D) Fails to recognize himself

16. After Siddhartha falls asleep on the riverbank during his second encounter with the river, who does he awake to find?

(A) Govinda, who fails to recognize him

(B) Gotama, who fails to recognize him

(C) Kamala, who Siddhartha fails to recognize

(D) Kamaswami

17. When Siddhartha convinces the ferryman Vasudeva to teach him how to listen to the river, how does Vasudeva propose to train him?

(A) Siddhartha will meet with Vasudeva once a day

(B) Siddhartha will learn to swim in the river

(C) Siddhartha will replace Vasudeva as the ferryman for one year, and Vasudeva will return periodically to check his progress

(D) Siddhartha will live and work alongside Vasudeva

18. Early in his time spent learning from Vasudeva, what news does Siddhartha hear from a group of Buddhists?

(A) The Samanas have declared war on Gotama's followers

(B) The Samanas have disbanded

(C) Gotama is dying

(D) Gotama has attained a new and deeper level of Nirvana

19. What causes Kamala's death?

(A) A disease

(B) An accident

(C) A snakebite

(D) A natural disaster

20. When Siddhartha learns he has a son, what does he propose?

(A) The son should follow Gotama

(B) The son should live with Govinda

(C) The son should live with Siddhartha at the river

(D) The son should live in the city with Kamaswami

21. When Siddhartha's son steals Siddhartha's money, what does Siddhartha do?

(A) Follows him to the outskirts of the city, where the trail ends

(B) Spreads the word from town to town that his son is a shameful thief

(C) Declares to Vasudeva that his son is no longer a relation

(D) Takes him to the Samanas' camp, where he is forced to become an ascetic

22. Through what activity does Siddhartha achieve true Nirvana?

(A) Following the precepts of Gotama

(B) Listening to the teachings of the river

(C) Successfully recognizing Govinda

(D) Reluctantly welcoming his estranged son back into his life

23. After Siddhartha shows the signs of having attained Nirvana, what does Vasudeva do?

(A) Urges Siddhartha to teach his own son

(B) Sings and dances in celebration

(C) Leaves for the city, presumably to start a new life

(D) Leaves to die in the forest

24. When Siddhartha meets Govinda for the final time, what initially happens?

(A) Siddhartha fails to recognize Govinda

(B) Govinda fails to recognize Siddhartha

(C) Govinda reveals that he has recently attained Nirvana

(D) Govinda reveals that he has abandoned his quest for enlightenment

25. At the end of the novel, how does Siddhartha share his experience of Nirvana with his old friend Govinda?

(A) He has Govinda kiss his forehead

(B) He makes Govinda wash his feet

(C) He coaches Govinda to listen to the teachings of the river

(D) He goes into the woods and leaves Govinda to be the next ferryman