The Ancient Israelites Test
1.
The first five books of the Hebrew Bible are _____.
a.
Diaspora
b. Torah
c. Messiah
d. Covenant
2. These books are most significant because they
a. establish the Jewish laws
b. establish the hierarchy of Jewish society
c. layout God’s plan to establish a king over Israel
d. contain parables that reveal the nature of God.
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
8
Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will
summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,”
declares the LORD, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all
the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy[a] them and make them an object of horror
and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness,
the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This
whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of
Babylon seventy years.
3. This period in Jewish history is known as
a. Babylonian Captivity
b. Canaan
c. Babylonian Retreat
d. Babylonian Meeting
4. According to the passage above, the Israelites were overtaken because
a. God favored the Babylonians.
b. The Israelites were being punished for disobedience.
c. The Israelites had a weak army.
d. Nebuchadnezzer was powerful that God.
5. __________ caused the Israelites to leave Canaan and move to Egypt.
a.
Floods
b. Snow
c. Nebuchadnezzar
d. Drought
6. DroughtThe statement in #4 best reflects which theme of geography
a. location
b. place
c. movement
d. region
7.
1
“And God spoke these words:
2
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt,
out of the land of slavery. 3You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:1-3)
The preceding passage reflects which Hebrew belief of
a. monotheism
b. polytheism
c. atheism
d. deism
8. The Hebrews did not believe their leaders were gods. How did this belief affect their
daily lives?
a. They had very few people to serve as leaders.
b. They believed in equality among people.
c. They have a hard time competing with other religions.
d. They believed in many gods leading their people.
9. The Torah describes a covenant between the Israelites and God. In that covenant, God
made a promise but the Israelites had to agree to the following:
a. To not kill each other than God would give them bread
b. To follow the laws of the Torah then God would return them to Canaan
c. To never lie then God would give them good crops
d. God would allow them healthy children if they would honor their parents
10. Read the following passage from Proverbs written by King Solomon. What does this
passage indicate about King Solomon’s values?
“20
21
Out in the open, wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;
on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech…”
a. He valued power above all else.
b. He thought women should be leaders in the country.
c. He valued wisdom.
d. He thought freedom of speech was essential to a free society.
11. Who were the descendants of Abraham?
a. Canaanites
b. Philistines
c. Phoenicians
d. Israelites
12. Who led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Sinai Desert?
a. Moses
b. Noah
c. Pharaoh
d. Judas Maccabeus
13. The alphabet was an important contribution made by the Phoenicians. Who did the
Phoenicians pass their alphabet on to so that it could become the basis for most Western
alphabets of today?
a. The Greeks and then the Romans
b. The Macabees and then the Romans
c. The Greeks and then the Europeans
d. The Romans and then the Hebrews
14. Synagogues are to Jewish culture as
a. Churches are to Christian culture
b. As the capital building is to American culture
c. As restaurants are to American culture
d. As the Bible is to Christian culture
15. Food that is prepared today according to Jewish dietary laws is called ____.
a. Clean
b. Approved
c. Kosher
d. Vegetarian
16. What language did the Israelites speak?
a. Greek
b. Israel
c. Egyptians
d. Hebrew
17. What did Samuel warn the Israelites concerning appointing a king?
a. That a king would enslave them
b. That a king would kill their children
c. That a king would make them pay taxes
d. Both A and C
18. What was so important about the Phoenician alphabet?
a. It influenced many alphabets to come in the future.
b. It was very short.
c. It had 20 letters.
d. It gave the Phoenician people something to be proud of.
19. Why did God tell Samuel to anoint David in secret to become the next king of the
Israelites?
a. God was afraid Saul would kill David.
b. Saul was disobeying God’s laws and commandments and this displeased God.
c. Saul was very popular and God thought the people would rebel.
d. David was very unpopular.
20. What is the correct order of the events in the list?
1. David was king of the Jewish people.
2. The Hebrews moved to Egypt.
3. Moses climbed Mount Sinai.
4. Abraham moved to Canaan.
a.
2,3,1,4
b. 2,4, 1,3
c. 4,1,3,2
d. 4,2,3,1
21. What role did prophets play in Jewish society?
a. Prophets functioned in teaching and instructing the Jews according to God’s will which
he revealed to those prophets.
b. A prophet was a king over Israel.
c. A prophet was a general who planned strategies for battle.
d. A prophet was a servant who helped maintain the synagogue.
22. Why did David want to build a temple in Jerusalem?
a. It was a very beautiful city.
b. It was his birth place.
c. It was needed there for worship.
d. He wanted the Israelites to have a permanent place for their sacred religious objects.
23. Jewish weekly day of worship and rest is ____.
a. Sunday
b. Sabbath
c. Holiday
d. First day of the week
24. The word exodus means departure. Which departure does the Exodus refer to?
a. The departure from Ur
b. The departure from Canaan
c. The departure from Egypt
d. The departure from Babylon
25. The prophets warned the Israelites that being faithful to God was more than worshiping
in a temple. What did the prophets expect for an Israelite to be considered faithful?
a. They must give 10% of their income to the temple.
b. They must work for a just society an deal with people fairly.
c. They must do charitable work.
d. They must help in the construction of the city.
26. What significant change occurred in Israel after the death of King Solomon?
a. The temple was rebuilt.
b. The Ark of the Covenant was stolen.
c. The kingdom split into Israel and Judah
d. The kingdom was ruled by judges instead of kings.
27. Based on the map, what can you conclude about the Jewish people’s trip from Egypt ot
Canaan?
a. They used boats for most of the trip.
b. The journey took many years to make.
c. They took the most direct route available,
d. The journey took the lives of many people.
28. After the Assyrians conquered Israel they brought people to live from their empire to
Samaria. These settlers mixed with the surviving Israelites there and became known
as _______.
a. Jews
b. Samaritans
c. Romans
d. Chaldeans
Read the passage below and answer the following questions.
11 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in
Shinar[b] and settled there.
3
They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone,
and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,
so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The LORD said, “If as one people
speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7
Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8
So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was
called Babel[c]—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered
them over the face of the whole earth.
29. The passage infers that the people were so successful in building the tower because
they
a. Worked hard
c. Used brick instead of stone
b. Had superior tools
d. Spoke the same language
30. According to the passage, the motivation of the people for building the tower was
a. To make a name for themselves
c. To honor God
b. To intimidate their enemies
d. To honor their king
31. Jewish religious teachers are called ____.
a. Professors
b. Clerics
c. Rabbis
d. Synagogue
32. Who was responsible for helping to spread Jewish ideas to the Greeks?
a.
God
b. Moses
c. Alexander the Great
d. Abraham
33. Why did Judas Maccabeus lead the Maccabees in the defeat of Antiochus and the
Greeks?
a. Wanted cleanse the temple of Greek gods and goddesses
b. Didn’t like Antiochus
c. Wanted to be king
d. Didn’t want the Greeks eating all of the food
34. Why were the boys much more important in Jewish families than the girls?
a. Could cook and clean more
b. Carried on the family name
c. Could play sports
d. Could fight in the military
35. The Pharisees and Sadducees had very different ideas concerning the Torah. What
was the Pharisees main concern?
a. Applying the Torah to daily life and the Jewish home and family
b. How it applied to priests in the Temple
c. Who would read it
d. That it be translated
36. An agreement between God and His people is a ______.
a. Promise
b. Pinky promise
c. Covenant
d. Disciple
37. The word Diaspora refers to Jews living outside of Judah. What is its meaning?
a. Exile
b. Synagogue
c. Scattered
d. Tribute
38. What was the most significant difference between Judaism and other ancient
religions?
a. The Jews had no leaders.
b. The Jews believed in one God.
c. The Jews prayed outdoors.
d. The Jews had no written text.
39. Which of the following is the farthest north?
a. Byblos
b. Israel
c. Dead Sea
d. Tyre
40. In which territory is Jerusalem?
a. Cyprus
b. Damascus
c. Kingdom of Israel
d. Kingdom of Judah
41. The Jordan River passes through which territory?
a. Mount Sinai
b. Kingdom of Israel
c. Kingdom of Judah
d. Mediterranean Sea
One of Solomon’s proverbs says:
“Better is a dry morsel [of food] and quietness with it than a house full of feasting with
strife [disagreements]. A servant who acts wisely will rule over a son who acts
shamefully, and will share in the inheritance among brothers.”
-Proverbs 17:1-2
Source: Bible, New American Standard Version
42. What does Solomon think is better than a feast with disagreements?
a. Fasting
b. A dry bit of food and quiet
c. Bread and wine
d. Nothing
43. How must a servant act who wishes to share in the inheritance of the brothers?
a. Wisely
b. Quietly
c. Shamefully
d. Brashly
44. What would a son do that would result in being ruled by a servant?
a. Leave home
b. Act shamefully
c. Eat dry bread
d. Feast daily
45. On which holiday do people make amends for their sins?
a. Passover
b. Rosh Hoshana
c. Yom Kippur
d. Hanukkah
46. Which holidays take place in the fall?
a. Passover and Rosh Hoshana
b. Hanukkah and Rosh Hoshana
c. Rosh Hoshana and Yom Kippur
d. Passover and Hanukkah
47. Which holiday most limits the foods you can eat?
a.
Passover
b. Rosh Hoshana
c. Yom Kippur
d. Hanukkah
48. Which alphabet has the most characters for the letter “G”?
a. Ancient Phoenician
b. Ancient Hebrew
c. Ancient Greek
d. Early Roman
49. Which alphabet has a “B” that most closely resembles the modern “B”?
a. Ancient Phoenician
b. Ancient Hebrew
c. Ancient Greek
d. Early Roman
50. Which letter most closely resembles its Hebrew character?
a. A
b. E
c. D
d. R
51. Which river is NOT in the Fertile Crescent?
a. Euphrates
b. Jordan
c. Nile
d. Tigris
52. The Nile empties into which body of water?
a. Mediterranean Sea
b. Persian Gulf
c. Caspian Sea
d. Tigris River
53. The Ancient Shoreline is along which body of water?
a. Mediterranean Sea
b. Persian Gulf
c. Caspian Sea
d. Tigris River