(Taken from
An Assessment of Religious Literacy Among Selected Groups of Secondary Students,
Copyright 1991, by Arthur W. Collins)
1 Georg Frideric Handel is usually remembered as the composer of
A. St. Matthew Passion
B. Messiah
C. Requiem Mass
D. Ode to Joy
2 At about the age of 13, a Jewish boy joins the adult community of faith through the ceremony called Bar
A. Mila
B. Menorah
C. Mitzvah
D. Minyan
3 All of these are books of the New Testament, except
A. Phillippians
B. Colossians
C. Galatians
D. Macedonians
4 An atheist is someone who believes that
A. no one church or religion has all the answers about God
B. religion is unimportant
C. there is no God
D. there is no such thing as right and wrong
5 Traditional Christian creeds (such as the Nicene Creed or the Athanasian creed) say the Holy Spirit is
A. God
B. an Angel
C. a Force
D. a Symbol
6 All of the following were among Jesus's twelve original disciples, except
A. James
B. John
C. Joseph
D. Judas
7 The idea that all persons are naturally out of harmony with God is called
A. karma
B. original sin
C. fate
D. predestination
8 Since "salvation" means "deliverance" or "rescue," the usual meaning of Christian talk about "being saved" refers to being delivered or rescued from
A. sin
B. death
C. evil
D. error
9 The novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is about sin and shame among
A. Southern evangelists
B. French Catholic clergy
C. Protestant missionaries to Africa
D. New England Puritans
10 Place the following three men from the Bible in their historical order (first-born, then middle-born, then last-born):
A. David, Moses, Abraham
B. Moses, David, Abraham
C. Abraham, Moses, David
D. Moses, Abraham, David
11 According to the New Testament story, Jesus was crucified on a
A. Thursday
B. Friday
C. Saturday
D. Sunday
12 An early attempt to establish a religion devoted to only one God (monotheism) was led by
A. Agamemnon of Greece
B. Akhenaton of Egypt
C. Sargon of Akkad
D. Xerxes of Persia
13 When the Apostles' Creed says, "I believe in . . . the resurrection of the body" it is referring to
A. Jesus raising Lazarus from the grave
B. Jesus rising from the grave 3 days after his death
C. all people rising from the grave for the Day of Judgment
D. Christians entering heaven after death
14 The holy book of Islam, given by Muhammad, is called the
A. Koran
B. Kibbutz
C. Kabul
D. Keffir
15 According to the Book of Exodus, Moses freed the Israelites from the tyranny of the King of the
A. Assyrians
B. Egyptians
C. Babylonians
D. Philistines
16 Though he appreciated all religions, Mahatma Gandhi was himself a
A. Hindu
B. Christian
C. Buddhist
D. Sikh
17 According to the Bible, the person most remembered for his wisdom is
A. Job
B. Solomon
C. Methuselah
D. Samuel
18 "Kosher" refers to things, especially food, which have been properly prepared in accordance with the principles of
A. Eastern Orthodoxy
B. Islam
C. Judaism
D. Confucianism
19 The Five Pillars of Islam are
A. the essential religious duties of a Muslim
B. the holy cities containing the shrines of the Islamic faith
C. the first five caliphs of Islam revered by all Muslim sects
D. the five nations or peoples most prominent in their allegiance to Islam
20 The first Roman Catholic to become President of the United States was
A. Calvin Coolidge
B. Warren G. Harding
C. John F. Kennedy
D. Woodrow Wilson
21 The saying, "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is known as
A. the Great Commandment
B. the Gospel
C. the Golden Rule
D. the Great Commission
22 The split between Catholics and Protestants happened during the period known as
A. the Great Awakening
B. the Middle Ages
C. the Crusades
D. the Reformation
23 The festival commemorating the beginning of the Christian Church is called
A. Pentecost
B. Easter
C. Christmas
D. World Communion Sunday
24 The traditional religion of Japan is known as
A. Bushido
B. Shinto
C. Seppuku
D. Haiku
25 Fasting (going without food as a means of religious devotion) is practiced by
A. Christians
B. Hindus
C. Muslims
D. (all of these)
26 According to tradition, what St. Patrick used to teach people what God is like was
A. a sparrow
B. a cross
C. a coracle
D. a shamrock
27 A common feature of Eastern Orthodox church life is the use of religious pictures called
A. icons
B. stations of the cross
C. shrines
D. images
28 Billy Graham is usually described today as representative of the group known as
A. Fundamentalists
B. Evangelicals
C. Charismatics
D. Existentialists
29 The one of the following from The Ten Commandments is
A. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
B. Repent, and believe in the gospel.
C. Honor your father and your mother.
D. Love your neighbor as yourself.
30 The debate which began the Protestant-Catholic split was over whether the Pope could forgive the sins of
A. heretics
B. the dead
C. witches
D. traitors
31 All of the following are different sorts of Christians, except
A. Mennonites
B. Quakers
C. Brethren
D. Shi`ites
32 In traditional tales of the American Indians of the Southwest, a supernatural hero who helped create the world, bring fire to humans, etc., was named
A. Coyote
B. Roadrunner
C. Cougar
D. Rattlesnake
33 The Pieta is
A. one of Christopher Columbus's ships
B. a statue of Mary and Jesus by Michaelangelo
C. a Mexican Christmas decoration filled with candy
D. a kind of Greek bread used in communion
34 All of the following religions appeal to some of the same sacred scriptures and doctrinal ideas, including their claiming of Abraham as a founding figure, except
A. Islam
B. Zoroastrianism
C. Judaism
D. Christianity
35 According to the New Testament, a leader who did not participate in the trial and condemnation of Jesus was
A. Pilate
B. Caiaphas
C. Herod
D. Nicodemus
36 The Holy Grail sought by the knights of King Arthur was supposed to be
A. the sword Peter used to cut off the ear of Malchus
B. the cup which Jesus used at the Last Supper
C. the dish which once held the head of John the Baptist
D. the centurion's spear which pierced Jesus's side
37 All of these have been challenged in the courts as violations of "separation of Church and State" except
A. coaches offering prayer with their teams before a game
B. anti-discrimination hiring rules at church day-care centers
C. putting up Christmas decorations on courthouse lawns
D. evangelists and ministers running for President
38 The Last Supper, a fresco (painting on plaster) in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy, was done by
A. Raphael
B. Fra Angelico
C. Da Vinci
D. Michaelangelo
39 Arthur Miller's The Crucible is a play about
A. the Salem witch trials in 17th Century Massachusetts
B. the Spanish Inquisition in 17th Century Spain
C. the reign of Queen "Bloody Mary" in 16th Century England
D. the scandal of a Protestant count's adultery in 16th Century Germany
40 The first Christian emperor of Rome, who made Christianity a legal religion, and who presided at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, was
A. Diocletian
B. Constantine
C. Augustus
D. Nero