U.S. Religious Knowledge Quiz
How much do you know about religion? And how do you compare with the average American? Here’s your chance to find out.
Take our short, 15-question quiz, and see how you do in comparison with 10,971 randomly sampled adults who were asked these and other questions designed to measure the public’s knowledge about a wide range of religious subjects. This study was conducted mostly among members of Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel, supplemented by interviews with members of the Ipsos KnowledgePanel.
When you finish the quiz, you will be able to compare your knowledge of religion against that of the participants in the nationally representative survey. You can see how you compare with the overall population as well as with people of various religious traditions, people who attend worship services frequently or less often, men and women, and college graduates as well as those who did not attend college.
For a full analysis of the findings, read the report, “What Americans Know About Religion.”
Question 1 of 15
Which Bible figure is most closely associated with leading the Exodus from Egypt?
Daniel
Elijah
Moses
Joseph
Not sure
Question 2 of 15
Which of the following is NOT one of the Ten Commandments:
Do not commit adultery
Keep the Sabbath holy
Do not steal
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
Not sure
Question 3 of 15
In the Muslim tradition, believers have a religious obligation to make a pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest city at least once during their lifetime, if they are able. Which city is that?
Jerusalem
Medina
Cairo
Mecca
Not sure
Question 4 of 15
Which Bible figure is most closely associated with willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God?
Jacob
Cain
Levi
Abraham
Not sure
Question 5 of 15
Which of the following best describes Catholic teaching about the bread and wine used for Communion? The bread and wine …
Actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ
Are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ
Not sure
Question 6 of 15
According to the Catholic tradition, what is purgatory?
An offering that Catholics make during the sacrament of confession
The purification process Catholics undertake during seasons of self-reflection, such as Advent and Lent
Where the souls of those who have died undergo purification before they enter heaven
Where the souls of evildoers go for eternal punishment after they die
Not sure
Question 7 of 15
Which religious tradition is most closely associated with yoga?
Hinduism
Judaism
Islam
Zoroastrianism
Not sure
Question 8 of 15
Which religious tradition is most closely associated with Kabbalah?
Hinduism
Judaism
Islam
Zoroastrianism
Not sure
Question 9 of 15
Which of the following is one of Buddhism’s four “noble truths”?
The truth that every living being has an immortal soul
The truth that the Buddha was perfect and free from sin
The truth of monotheism
The truth of suffering
Not sure
Question 10 of 15
In which religious tradition are men generally required to wear a turban, like the one pictured below, in public and to carry a ceremonial sword or small dagger?
Islam
Sikhism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Not sure
Question 11 of 15
On which day of the week does the Jewish Sabbath begin?
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Not sure
Question 12 of 15
Which of the following best describes the Christian doctrine of the Trinity?
There are three patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob)
There is one God in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
The coming of Christ was foretold by three prophets (Elijah, Ezekiel and Zechariah)
There are three Gods (Father, Mother and Son)
Not sure
Question 13 of 15
According to the Bible, where did Jesus live during much of his childhood and young adulthood?
Bethlehem
Jerusalem
Nazareth
Jericho
Not sure
Question 14 of 15
Which of these religious groups traditionally teaches that salvation comes through faith alone?
Protestantism
Catholicism
Both Protestantism and Catholicism
Neither
Not sure
Question 15 of 15
What is Ramadan?
A Hindu festival of lights
A Jewish prayer for the dead
An Islamic holy month
A festival celebrating Buddha’s birth
Not sure
You answered out of 15 questions correctly.
Compare your score
The following graphs show how you did on these 15 questions (excerpted from the larger collection of 32 questions included in the report, “What Americans Know About Religion”) compared with a nationally representative sample of 10,971 adults. Your responses on the quiz do NOT affect the results of the nationally representative survey.
Average number of questions answered correctly by demographic break
Religious Affiliation
Worship Service Attendance
Gender
Age
Education
Race and Ethnicity
Your response breakdown
| Your Answer | Correct Answer | ||
|---|---|---|---|