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QUIZ:
Biblical Literacy Quiz
May 18, 2007    Episode no. May 18, 2007
Read This Week's November 7, 2008
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Biblical Literacy Quiz
by Stephen Prothero


1. Name the four Gospels.
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (1 point each).

2. Name the first five books of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (1 point each).

3. According to the Bible, which man led the Israelites across the Red Sea?
Moses (2 points).

4. Who is credited with writing most of the Epistles?
Paul (2 points).

5. "God helps those who help themselves." Is this in the Bible?
No (2 points). The words are Ben Franklin's.

6. "Blessed are the poor." Is this in the Bible?
Yes (2 points). It's in Luke 6:20. (Elsewhere Jesus says "Blessed are the poor.")

7. According to the Bible, where was Jesus born?
Bethlehem (2 points).

8. According to the Bible, who was the first murderer?
Cain (2 points).

9. President George W. Bush spoke in his first inaugural address of the Jericho road. Which Bible story was he invoking?
The Good Samaritan (2 points).

10. Name the Ten Commandments. List as many as you can.
The Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish versions of the Ten Commandments differ. Give yourself credit for any ten of the following twelve commandments, each of which appears in at least one of those three versions (1 point each): 1. I the Lord am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage. 2. You shall have no other gods before me. 3. You shall not make yourself a graven image. 4. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 5. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. 6. Honor your father and your mother. 7. You shall not kill/murder. 8. You shall not commit adultery. 9. You shall not steal. 10. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 11. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. 12. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.


There are 33 total points. Multiply by three and then add one to get your score on a scale of 100. A = 90 and up; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-79; F = 59 and lower.

Adapted from Stephen Prothero's RELIGIOUS LITERACY: WHAT EVERY AMERICAN NEEDS TO KNOW -- AND DOESN'T.

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