RS150 World Religions Final Examination 2001/2002 (Go To Interactive Version)

1. Which of the following religions most likely influenced the other three?
a. Christianity
b. Islam
c. Judaism
d. Zoroastrianism

2. Which of the following, strictly speaking, is another monotheistic religion?
a. Sikhism
b. Primitive High-God worship
c. Bhaktic Hinduism
d. Amidist Buddhism

3. Which of the following traits would not be characteristic of monotheism?
a. Expecting an eventual end of time
b. Historically conscious
c. Tolerant of a wide variety of polytheistic beliefs
d. Universalism

4. Which of the following is the Zoroastrian name for the Good God?
a. Ahriman
b. Ahura Mazda
c. Amesha Spentas
d. Angra Mainyu

5. Which is the Zoroastrian name for the Evil Spirit?
a. Ahriman
b. Satan
c. The Devil
d. Mara

6. Which of the following traditions holds that even those who go to hell will be restored in the New World?
a. Zoroastrianism
b. Christianity
c. Islam
d. Judaism

7. What is the name of the bridge that leads across the abyss of hell to the other world?
a. The Parthian Way
b. Golden Gate
c. The Chinvat
d. The Bridge of Destruction

8. What are the scriptures of Zoroastrianism called?
a. The Gathas
b. Qu'ran
c. Zend Avesta
d. The War Between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness

9. What are the portions of scripture that contain the words of Zarathustra?
a. The Sutras
b. The Zend Avesta
c. The Gathas
d. The Old Testament


10. How often is a prophet expected to appear as a manifestation of Zoroaster?
a. As often as is necessary
b. Once every five hundred years
c. Once every thousand years
d. Once every three thousand years

11. The Bob Dylan song "You Gotta Serve Somebody," with the refrain "It might be the Devil, or, it might be the Lord…" could easily express a Zoroastrian sentiment.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

12. Zoroaster called the dark army __________.
a. Demons
b. Ahuras
c. Daeva
d. Parthians

13. Another name for the Zoroastrian philosopher/magicians known as magi is __________.
a. Amesha Spentas
b. Mopeds
c. Imams
d. Mobeds


14. The most important practical expressions of Zoroastrianism is seen in __________.
a. Keeping the eternal fire burning.
b. The temples and priesthood
c. Doing right and choosing the good.
d. The belief that the universe is a battleground.

15. Ahura Mazda made this world as __________.
a. A by-product of making love to the Goddess
b. A place to punish the wicked
c. A place to reward the good
d. A trap for the Evil One

16. The king who released the Jews from their captivity was __________.
a. The Persian king Cyrus
b. Mohammed
c. Alexander the Great
d. King David

17. Abraham originally migrated from which of the following cities?
a. Ur of the Chaldees
b. Jericho
c. Jerusalem
d. Ninevah, Babylon

18. Which is the most likely date for the Exodus out of Egypt (within a century or so)?
a. July 4, 1776 B.C.E.
b. 1300 B.C.E
c. 2000 B.C.E.
d. 1000 B.C.E.



19. Which of the following characterizations best describes Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
a. Mystic philosophers
b. Spiritually adept meditation masters
c. Shrewd, barely literate, sometimes coarse, sometimes conniving, wandering nomads
d. Magicians

20. Which of the following built the first temple?
a. Moses
b. Solomon
c. David
d. King Cyrus

21. When was the first temple destroyed?
a. 538 B.C.E.
b. 1000 B.C.E.
c. 70 C.E.
d. 586 B.C.E.

22. Which of the following institutions grew out of the massive displacements of the Jewish people, the destruction of the temple, and decentralization of worship?
a. The Prophets
b. The Priesthood
c. The synagogue
d. The Talmud

23. Who was the Seleucid ruler who desecrated the temple in 168 B.C.E.?
a. Alexander the Great
b. Antiochus IV
c. Judas Macabee
d. Ptolemy

24. What is the literal translation of the word "Messiah"?
a. "Anointed One"
b. "The Coming and Future King"
c. "Bearer of Justice"
d. "Superman"

25. What was Philo of Alexandria's methodology for interpreting scripture?
a. Fundamentalist
b. Kabbalistic
c. Allegorical
d. Literal

26. Which of the following traditions is most influenced by kabbala?
a. Orthodox
b. Reconstructionist
c. Reformed
d. Hasidism

27. Which of the following groups was the most vociferous advocate for a state of Israel?
a. Reformed
b. Sephardim
c. Ashkenazi
d. Zionist
28. Jewish Orthodoxy is characterized by the same direct, unmediated approach to scripture as in Christian Fundamentalism.

1. TRUE
   
2. FALSE
   

29. In the Bible, God's relationship with the Children of Abraham could be characterized by a graph similar to the ups and downs of a stock market report.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

30. When the temple was destroyed for the second time in 70 C.E. the Jewish people were left completely destitute without any precedent or recourse to sacred life.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

31. Judaism's attitude and portrayal of women has at best been ambivalent.

1. TRUE
   
2. FALSE
   

32. The High Holy Day known as "head of the year" or Jewish New Year's Day is called __________.
a. Rosh Hashanah
b. Passover
c. Yom Kippur
d. Pentecost
33. The Day of Atonement is called __________.
a. Rosh Hashanah
b. Shavuot
c. Yom Kippur
d. Passover

34. The Pesah meal celebrated as a Seder commemorates __________.
a. Shavuot
b. Purim
c. Rosh Hashanah
d. Passover

35. The celebration of a Jewish girl's rite of passage as a "daughter of the commandment" is called __________.
a. Bat (or Bas) Mitzvah
b. Bar Mitzvah
c. Non-kosher
d. Seder

36. Which of the following terms describes the expectation of a decisive supernatural breakthrough of God to judge the world and punish the wicked?
a. Repentance
b. The Kingdom of God
c. Apocalyptic
d. Baptism

37. Which is the most reliable date for the beginning of Jesus' ministry?
a. 4 B.C.E.
b. 30 C.E.
c. The year zero
d. When he was twelve years old
38. What was the name of the man who Baptized Jesus?
a. Matthew
b. Mark
c. Jesus was never baptized.
d. John

39. During what religious holiday was Jesus crucified?
a. Passover
b. Easter
c. Christmas
d. Pentecost

40. Which of the following concepts from the book of Isaiah was joined with the concept of Messiah to explain the life and death of Jesus?
a. Apostle
b. King of the Jews
c. Suffering servant
d. Christ

41. Which of the following is not true of the Apostle Paul?
a. He was the first non-Jewish convert
b. He was converted by a vision of Jesus
c. He was a Roman citizen
d. His real name was Saul of Tarsus

42. Which of the following thought that everything pagan was alien to Christianity?
a. Clement of Alexandria
b. Origen of Alexandria
c. Tertullian
d. The Gnostics

43. Which of the following categories showed exceptional courage in their deaths for the cause of Christianity?
a. Saints
b. The Burners of Incense to Caesar
c. Martyrs
d. Apostles

44. Who was responsible for the so-called "Triumph of Christianity"?
a. Constantine
b. Valerian
c. God
d. Diocletian

45. Which of the following terms refers to the Church leader over one of the major "five cities" such as Constantinople?
a. Bishop
b. Pope
c. Patriarch
d. Archbishop

46. Which of the following claims helped to establish the authority of the Bishop of Rome?
a. Paul was the first Pope of Rome
b. Scripture calls Rome the Eternal City
c. Peter was the first Pope of Rome.
d. Jesus was crucified there
47. Where did Monasticism begin?
a. In the asceticism of Jesus
b. In the Christian community at Qumran
c. In Rome
d. In the Egyptian desert

48. The Reformation came strictly out of the blue with no prior antecedents.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

49. The Roman Catholic Church has not changed at all since the Reformation.

1. TRUE
   
2. FALSE
   

50. Among the few options for women to exercise their spirituality in the middle ages were in convents and as mystics and visionaries.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

51. Eastern Orthodoxy has an ancient and rich history going back to the origins of Christianity.

1. TRUE
   
2. FALSE
   

52. Holy Communion and Baptism are __________.
a. Sacraments
b. No longer practiced by most churches.
c. Institutions established by Roman Catholicism
d. Institutions established by Eastern Orthodoxy

53. A "practical" feature of Christianity is found in __________.
a. Its promise of eternal life
b. Its clear-cut hierarchical organization
c. Its ethical service to others
d. Its basic worldview

54. Priest and church in medieval times were often supported by __________.
a. Extortion
b. Glebe lands
c. Money charged for the sacraments
d. Bingo proceeds

55. A poetic version of the medieval vision of all beings united under God can be found in __________.
a. Dante's Divine Comedy
b. Aristotle's poetics
c. Thomas Aquinas' Scholasticism
d. The Christian thinker Averroës

56. Martin Luther was __________.
a. A diagnosed schizophrenic
b. An Augustinian friar and scriptural scholar
c. Consciously trying to overthrow the rule of the Vatican
d. A seller of indulgences




57. Which of the following is a Muslim house of prayer?
a. The Muezzin
b. The Mihrab
c. The Mosque
d. The Minaret

58. Which of the following best translates the word Islam?
a. Submission
b. Allah is God
c. Domination
d. Revelation of the Prophet

59. The Muslim calendar is dated from which of the following events?
a. The death of Muhammad, the Prophet of God
b. The birth of the Prophet Muhammad
c. Muhammad's journey to Yathrib
d. The conquest of Mecca

60. Which of the following is a common Islamic term for Jews and Christians?
a. Hanifs
b. People of the Book
c. Idolaters
d. Infidels

61. Which of the following is said of Jesus in the Qur'an?
a. That he was deceived
b. That he is greater than Muhammad is
c. That he was born of a virgin.
d. That he is the Son of God

62. Which of the following is the Islamic term for the sin of idolatry?
a. Jihad
b. Hadith
c. Shirk
d. Shari'a

63. Which of the following is one of the "Theoretical" Features of Islam?
a. The revelation of the Qur'an as given through Muhammad.
b. The Ulama or body of teachers
c. Prayer five times a day
d. The Five Pillars

64. Which of the following is not one of the Five Pillars?
a. Jihad
b. Hajj
c. Ramadan
d. Profession of Faith

65. What is the Kaaba according to Islam?
a. A meteor
b. A shrine built by Abraham and Ishmael to Allah.
c. A shrine originally built for pagan idols
d. A shrine built by Muhammad



66. Where did Muhammad give his farewell sermon on his way to Mecca?
Jerusalem
Medina
Mecca
Mount Arafat

67. What is sacrificed on the last day of a formal pilgrimage?
a. A camel
b. The fruit of the lips and the thoughts of the heart
c. An idolatrous infidel
d. A ram

68. When and where did Charles Martel turn back the Islamic invasion of Europe?
a. 732 at Tours
b. 1453 at Constantinople
c. 11th Century in Spain
d. 632 in Mecca

69. Islam thinks of itself as the only monotheistic religion.

1. TRUE
   
2. FALSE
   

70. There are sayings of the prophet that declare the equality of men and women.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

71. Many of the restrictive patterns placed on women may originally not have
been part of Islamic practices.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

72. Islam has made very little effort to keep up with the Modern world.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

73. One of the major thinkers to gain acceptance for Sufism was __________.
a. Avicenna
b. Averroës
c. Ali
d. Al-Ghazali

74. One of the major anti-rationalists in Islamic intellectual history was __________.
a. Avicenna
b. Averroës
c. Al-Ghazali
d. Wasil ibn Ata

75. According to the Sunni, the first Caliph to rightfully succeed Muhammad was __________.
a. Husain
b. Hasan
c. Abu Bakr
d. Ali




76. According to the Shi'a, __________ was the rightful successor to Muhammad.
Hasan
Ali
Abu Bakr
Husain

77. Sufi spiritual teachers and masters are referred to as __________.
a. Qarmations
b. Assassins
c. Imams
d. Shaykhs

78. Which of the following was once a new religion?
a. Buddhism
b. Islam
c. Christianity
d. All of the above

79. Which of the following is characteristic of a "Reactive Movement"?
a. Transcendental Meditation
b. UFO cults
c. The Ghost Dance
d. Spiritualism

80. Which of the following categories would best describe Christianity?
a. Golden Age Movement
b. New Revelation Sect
c. Accommodationist Movement
d. Reactive Movement

81. From which of the following religions did the Baha'i faith stem?
a. Judaism
b. Zoroastrianism
c. Christianity
d. Islam

82. Which of the following would be a "theoretical" feature of new religions?
a. A progressivist/reform message
b. A charismatic Guru
c. A tight-knit community
d. Intense meditation

83. Which of the following would be an example of an "Import Religion" in the United States?
a. David Koresh's Branch Davidians
b. The Mormons
c. Spiritualism
d. The Hare Krishna Movement

84. New religions are less common than they used to be.
a. TRUE
b. FALSE

85. New religions by definition have nothing in common with previous religions.
a. FALSE
b. TRUE

86. The movement that began with two daughters hearing rappings that sounded like Morse code from another world was called __________.
a. Heaven's Gate
b. The Cult of the Code
c. Spiritualism
d. Mormonism

87. The founder of the Shakers was __________.
a. Horace Greeley
b. Queen Victoria
c. Mother Anne Lee
d. Elvis


88. A religion such as Santería or Voodoo is called a __________ Movement.
a. Golden Age
b. Hybrid
c. Accommodationist
d. Weird

89. A religious movement such as the Amish is referred to as a __________.
a. Sect
b. Cult
c. Occult movement
d. Dangerous heresy

90. Which of the following factors that could possibly affect the future of religion originated in 1945?
a. The Ecological Crisis
b. Nuclear Proliferation
c. The Technological Revolution
d. Secularization

91. Which of the following conditions may have to call upon the role of religion as the voice of environmental ethics?
a. The Technological Revolution
b. The Ecological Crisis
c. Nuclear Proliferation
d. Secularization

92. Which of the following has been responsible for the time-lag between our contemporary world and the ancient symbol structures of religion?
a. Nuclear Proliferation
b. The Ecological Crisis
c. The Technological Revolution
d. Secularization

93. Which of the following happens when religion loses its influence?
a. Liberalism
b. Secularization
c. Gender Inequity
d. Syncretism





94. Which of the following factors accounts for gender inequity?
a. Male Domination
b. Liberalization
c. Secularization
d. High Population Growth

95. Feminism is characterized by its universal rejection of traditional religion.

1. TRUE
   
2. FALSE
   

96. It is quite clear that the future of religion is to become increasingly secularized to the point of disappearance.

1. TRUE
   
2. FALSE
   

97. A possible scenario in which India and China go to war is made even more frightening by the fact of __________.
a. United States Isolationism
b. Economic Sanctions
c. Nuclear Proliferation
d. Religious Conflict

98. Besides prophets proclaiming environmental ethics religion may also, on the other hand, conversely provide __________ in the face of ecological crisis.
a. Military options
b. Economic sanctions
c. Otherworldly escape
d. New cathedrals

99. The religious reaction to modernity characterized by scientific truth and social justice is called __________.
a. Liberalism
b. Secularization
c. Traditionalism
d. Fundamentalism

100. Religions have been accused of generally keeping women __________.
a. On ivory-tower pedestals
b. In positions of subordination
c. In positions of high-authority
d. On their knees praying

BLUE BOOK PORTION

As succinctly and briefly as possible, identify, characterize, describe and/or locate the following religions, phenomena, persons, or terminology with whatever associations or connections you feel are most appropriate.


Hinduism
Buddhism
Taoism
Judaism
Christianity
Islam
Bodhisattva
Soteriology
Koran (or Qu'ran)
Circumcision
Gospels
Eschatology
Day of Judgment
Torah
Talmud
Shi'ite
sunnis
Sufis
apostles, priests, reformers, and pastors
Vedas and Upanishads
The Dharma
Allah
samsara
messianic expectation
the five pillars
Primal Religions

Essay Questions

Choose three of the following topics and write essays that
best display your knowledge of...

The Prophetic Dynamic

Ways of interpreting scripture and their applications.

The relationship of Buddhism to Hinduism and their similarities and differences.

The relationship of the Abrahamic religions and their similarities and differences.

Various understandings of soteriology among the world religions.

Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Jesus of Montreal

The tenacity and contributions of Judaism to world culture.

The basic differences between western and eastern religions.

The growth and expansion of Islam.

Any world religion/s you would like to talk about in detail.

The Future of Religion

Women and Religion