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Question
What is the significance of the Buddha’s request for a handful of mustard seeds and the addition of a condition to it?
Solution
- mustard seeds are easy to procure/available in every household she knocked at.
- added condition - must be procured from a house where no one had lost a child, husband, parent or friend.
- made Kisa Gotami realize the universal nature of death.
Notes
Guidance:
The question indicates that the examiner is familiar with the Buddha’s request and hence that requires no elaboration.
The question requires an answer to:
Why - mustard seeds with an added condition?
What did the Buddha want Kisa Gotami to realize?
Content -
Award 1 mark for a full explanation of the two strands.
Award ½ mark for a partial explanation.
Expression -
1 mark when both aspects are included.
✓ Answer organised effectively.
✓ usage of words supporting the reasoning/ expression of significance - since, because, therefore, so that etc.
½ mark when either aspect is missing.
Deduct ½ mark from the overall score if the error density is high (more than a total of 2 spellings and grammatical errors).
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