UCOR 1400: Mindfulness in Chinese Poetry - First Exam Study Guide

First Exam Study Guide

This study guide covers the material for the first exam in UCOR 1400: Mindfulness in Chinese Poetry.

General Instructions

• The exam assesses your knowledge and application of Chinese poetry read this term.
• The exam includes true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and passage identification questions.
• Answer within the provided spaces.
• For true/false and multiple-choice questions, circle the correct answers.
• For passage identifications, provide the full and accurate title.
• You will have the entire class time to complete the exam.
• Each question is worth one point.

Sample Questions

1. True or False: Tao Yuanming never held an official post of any kind.

   • A) True
   • B) False

2. Fill-in-the-Blank: The best way to translate the term “dao” is .

3. Multiple Choice: Who wrote the following lines?

   who quickly agrees is seldom trusted
   who thinks things easy finds them hard
   sages therefore think everything hard
   and thus find nothing hard

   • A) Laotzi
   • B) Song Boren
   • C) Tao Yuanming
   • D) Zhuangzi
   • E) Wang Wei

4. Who wrote these lines?

   What the hell is that stuff
   rotten cords are shameful
   an empty purse still holds something
   the ages value honesty

5. What poem did these lines come from?

Scope of the First Exam

The exam covers all material discussed during seminar sessions, introductions to the two books used, and prefaces introducing the poets.

To narrow the scope, the exam will focus on the following poems:

• Know the poems well enough to identify the author and title.
• The exam aims to demonstrate your understanding of the works read and discussed.

Wang Wei

• “The Zhongnan Mountains”
• “Passing Xiangji Temple”
• “Seeing Off Yuan Er on a Mission to Anxi”

Li Bai

• “Sitting Alone on Jingting Mountain”
• “Thoughts on a Quiet Night”
• “On Yellow Crane Tower Hearing a Flute”

Du Fu

• “Moonlight Night”
• “River Village”

Zhu Shuzhen

• “Impressions”

Yu Xianji

• “Sent to a Friend in a Late Spring Mood”

Song Boren

• “Wheat Eyes” (1)
• “Cloves” (5)
• “Ancient Coin” (9)
• “Tadpole” (20)
• “Tilting Bowl” (39)
• “Opening the Mirror” (51)
• “Fishing Alone” (98)

Laotzi

• Verses 1, 8, 9, 18, 22, 37, 54, 63, and 78

Zhuangzi

• “Action and Non-Action”
• “The Need to Win”
• “Perfect Joy”
• “The Useless Tree”

T’ao Yuanming

• “Returning to My Garden and Fields” (306)
• “The Ninth Day of the Ninth Month of 409” (309)
• “Lament for My Cousin Zhongde” (310)
• “Exchanging Poems with Liu of Chaisang” (311)
• “Double Ninth, Living and Retired” (312)
• “Pallbearer Songs” (313-314)
• Peach Blossom Spring handout.