Concepts in Hinduism — AS & A Level Hinduism (9487) questions by topic
Concepts in Hinduism sets 25 questions testing whether you can outline what ishvara reveals about Brahman, describe the cycle of the four ages, characterise a person who is jivan mukti, or interpret an unseen passage, each worth up to 30 marks.
Explain, discuss and evaluate top the command-word list; evaluate specifically wants a judgement, not a list of facts. Drawn from 2023 to 2025 papers, this range rewards focus: examiners consistently mark down responses that drift into describing the Kali Yuga at length or over-detail incarnations of Vishnu instead of answering the question on the yugas as a repeating cycle.
What examiners look for
- A recurring criticism is disproportionate emphasis on Vishnu's incarnations across yugas, which crowds out more relevant material.
- Examiners note that the idea of yugas as a repeating cycle without beginning or end, central to the question's phrasing, is rarely mentioned.
- Reports flag circular logic, such as arguing it was easier to live dharmically in the Satya Yuga because there was more dharma there.
- Strong answers identified that the cat and monkey analogies disagree fundamentally about the atman's relationship to the divine, and linked bhakti to the cat and jnana to the monkey.
May–June 2025, Paper 01
Read the following passage and answer the question below. 'Dharma was declared by Brahman for the advancement and growth of all creatures. Therefore, that which leads to…
Answer this question and get it marked →Describe how dharma is connected to the other purusharthas.
Answer this question and get it marked →Read the following passage and answer the question below. 'The wise do not grieve for those who live and they do not grieve for those who die, for life and death shall pass away.…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 02
Outline what the concept of ishvara tells Hindus about the nature of Brahman.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 03
Explain how a Hindu might reach moksha according to Dvaita Vedanta.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 01
Read the following passage and answer the question below. 'Woman is a faithful companion of man and his life partner. She charms man with her beauty, sweet voice, grace and…
Answer this question and get it marked →Outline the qualities of a dharmic society.
Answer this question and get it marked →Read the following passage and answer the question below. 'It is bondage when the mind desires or grieves about anything, rejects or welcomes anything, feels angry or happy about…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 02
Summarise what the phrase 'neti-neti' tells Hindus about the nature of Brahman.
Answer this question and get it marked →'According to Hindu philosophy, behind the illusion of so many gods there is but one, universal, eternal, omnipotent, formless and transcendent divine. Many names and forms of God…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 03
Compare the teachings of Advaita Vedanta and Dvaita Vedanta on the relationship of Brahman with the jiva atman.
Answer this question and get it marked →Evaluate the claim that 'Hinduism' is not an appropriate name for the religion.
Answer this question and get it marked →Evaluate the significance of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga for contemporary Hindus.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 01
Summarise the difference between Sadharana Dharma and Sanatana Dharma.
Answer this question and get it marked →'Dharma is old and new at the same time, always present and always evolving. In Hinduism, there is no difficulty in accepting that some aspects of dharma will become irrelevant.…
Answer this question and get it marked →Outline the difference between videha mukti and jivan mukti.
Answer this question and get it marked →Summarise the role of prarabdha karma in relation to rebirth.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 02
Summarise the main themes of the Brahmanas.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 03
Explain the means of achieving kaivalya according to Samkhya philosophy.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 01
Read the following passage and answer the question below. 'The three twice-born classes, remaining within their own activities, should study the Vedas. But among them only the…
Answer this question and get it marked →Outline the characteristics of a person who is jivan mukti.
Answer this question and get it marked →Read the following passage and answer the question below. 'Unreality is the world of the five senses; it is materialism; it is the illusion that this world is real in the sense…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 03
Explain how Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga leads to liberation.
Answer this question and get it marked →