Old Testament Review
What to expect:
Your exam is in three parts. Each part will be completed separately and turned in
before the next part is handed out.
Part One is fill-in-the-blank. There are about 100 blanks in an overall telling of the
story of the Old Testament. Many words are used more than once. There is a word
bank for this section, but the word bank contains words that are not used.
To study for this part, use your worksheets to review all the stories we have covered.
There is also a review quiz on ehsmoodle that will be good for practice. Assignment:
Make sure you have a definition for each of the words on the word lists in the
worksheet packets. In class, look at your old tests and make sure you understand the
fill-in-the-blank questions. Practice telling the stories to someone (friend or family).
If you can tell the story to a friend, you should be able to answer the fill-in-the-blank
questions.
Part Two concerns the anchors. Review for this part on your own, not with friends.
You will be given a list of the anchors and a partial list of stories from the Old
Testament. For each anchor, you must give a definition, an example, and an
explanation for the way the anchor is connected to the story. You may not use the
same story more than once.
To study for this part you should first be sure you know the definition of each
anchor.
Assignment: Use your worksheets to make a list of all the stories by title. Review the
stories and decide which story you think makes the best example for each anchor.
Part Three is an essay question. Review for this part on your own, not with friends
It must be full of thought, it must use specific examples, and it must be well
organized and well written. Grammar and organization will count! If you have
reviewed the stories for the anchor questions, you should know them well enough to
write this essay. There are sample essays on the back of this page.
What to bring to the exam. Two or three blue or black pens. I will give you blank
paper on which to write your answers. You will not be allowed to use your computer.
Old Testament Essay Preparation Guide
The following are three essay questions which speak of themes in the Old Testament. One of these
essays will occur on your final exam. You are welcome to consult your notes and your Bible, in
thinking about answers to these questions, but you should not discuss these questions and your
ideas with anyone else, either in or outside of this class. Any such discussion will be a breach of
the Honor Code. Be sure you understand the question and ask Mrs. Ray if you need further
explanation, but do not expect her to outline the answer for you. At the actual exam, you will be
expected to write your answer in good form, with correct grammar and spelling, and clear
organization. You may not use any notes when you write the essay at the time of the exam. The
purpose of preparing the answers in advance is to help you think about the topics and themes as you
review.
(1) The Old Testament is a testimony to the relationship between the people and God as defined by
a series of covenants. In a well written essay, discuss this covenant relationship. Define the word
“covenant.” Give at least three examples of covenants between God and the people. In each
example, explain the specifics of the covenant (who, when, what the requirements were,…) and
evaluate the people’s loyalty to the covenant. What do the testimonies of the Old Testament
covenants tell us about the nature of God? Be sure your stories come from 3 different units we
have studied
(2) “With God, the worst thing is never the last thing.” Use the stories of the Old Testament to
support this statement. Give at least three examples of times when the worst thing seemed to be
happening, but God turned the events into a good result. What do the stories have in common as far
as the causes of the difficulty and the way in which God transforms things? What is required of the
people for this to happen? Be sure your stories come from 3 different units we have studied.
(3) Some people have said that “Faith is a journey.” There are certainly many examples of journeys
in the Old Testament. In a well-written essay, identify three examples of journeys and discuss the
way in which each journey affected the faith of the people involved. Be sure you give the time,
place, and setting of each journey, explain the specific situation of the people, and describe how their
faith grew and developed on the journey. How is each of these journeys different from the others?
What do all these journeys have in common? Be sure your stories come from 3 different units we
have studied.
(Here are the units – Beginnings, Patriarchs, Exodus, Wilderness, Conquest, Kings., and Prophets.)