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About This Quiz
"You've seen the musical, now read the book!" That was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' witty response to being parodied in a hit musical play -- written by the creators of "South Park," of all people! But they had a good point. Many people don't know very much about the text that Mormons see as sacred, a book that is at the center of their faith.ÂÂ
The Book of Mormon is about the history of God's people in a part of the world that was far away from Israel and the events of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, and about how Christ visited them as well, spreading the message of salvation. But do you know what part of the world, exactly, that was? Or how many peoples the Book of Mormon writes about? What about the backstory about how the Church's first leader came to write the Book of Mormon and the history of its publication and sales around the world?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the fastest-growing faiths in the world. Whatever your beliefs, it might be good for you to understand the story told by The Book of Mormon, and how it influences the beliefs and lives of those who follow it to this day.ÂÂ
What is the source material for The Book of Mormon?
buried plates of gold
"Gold" is not an exact term here. They're believed to be golden in color, not solid gold.
notebooks in an attic
papyrus scrollls
a vision by a Greek oracle
How is The Book of Mormon organized?
as a book of essays
like a novel, with chapters but no verses
in books, chapters and verses, like the Bible
The Book of Mormon's text looks a great deal like that of the Bible. The binding of most Books, too, is often a type of faux leather that resembles the Bible's.
as one long text
How many books does The Book of Mormon have?
10
12
15
For comparison, the Jewish Bible has 24 books, and the Christian Bible (the Protestant version) has 66.
24
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The Book of Mormon is the story of early peoples living in what part of the world?
Egypt
India
Oceania
The Americas
One of the Book's most important points, missionaries say, is that Christ did not just bring his message to a select group of people in Judea. He also appeared to people living in the Western Hemisphere. However, this message of inclusiveness is somewhat undercut by the fact that those to whom he appeared were all descendants of Judeans/Israelites. Appearances to indigenous people elsewhere in the world are not recorded.
Who discovered the golden plates?
Martin Harris
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith dug up the plates after receiving a vision from the angel Moroni. The writing was (according to Smith) the words of the prophet Mormon, telling the story of his people.
Brigham Young
Zachary Tyler
Where did Joseph Smith find the plates?
in an Aztec pyramid
on Cumorah Hill
The Hill of Cumorah is in present-day New York. A pageant is held on the spot every year, commemorating Smith's find.
on Manhattan island
in the Grand Canyon
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From what language did Smith translate the Book?
Greek
Latin
Reformed Egyptian
"Reformed Egyptian" was the language on the plates that Joseph Smith found, and is referred to in one verse, Mormon 9:32. No other artifacts with Egyptian-style writing have been found in the Americas.
Zoroastrian
What is the first book called?
1 Nephi
The book's full name is "The First Book of Nephi: His Reign and Ministry." As the name suggests, there are three more Books of Nephi that follow.
Mulek
Moroni
Zarahemla
Who were the Jaredites?
angels
demons
a people who crossed to the Americas from the Holy Land
The Jaredites were the descendants of Jared and his brother, who crossed the sea from the Middle East. They were the first of four Semitic peoples in the New World whose story is told in the Book of Mormon.
descendants of Moroni in modern New York
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In what era did Jared and his followers live?
prior to the Fall, in Eden
at the time of Christ's birth in Bethlehem
in the period of Israel's judges
at the time of the Tower of Babel
Jared and his family lived during a time of wickedness, when humanity tried to build a tower that reached heaven. Jared and his brother were righteous, though, and received instructions from God about how to escape to a new land.
What is the common term for the vessels Jared and his family took to the New World?
arks
barges
The story of the passage to the New World parallels that of Noah and his family in the Ark. In both cases, it's God who orders their construction -- but Jared's family had eight barges, not just one.
curraghs
galleons
In which book is the journey of the Jaredites found?
Alma
Ether
Ether was the last of the Jaredite prophets. His book tells of his people, from their life in the Middle East through the end of their civilization.
2 Nephi
3 Nephi
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Who left Judea around 600 B.C. with a group of followers?
Alamon
Lehi
Mulek
both #1 and #2
Both of these men fled Jerusalem around the time of the prophet Jeremiah, before the fall of the Judean kingdom. They took separate routes to the New World, with Lehi and his peoples spending a period of time by the Arabian Sea.
Lehi and his followers called their new land by the sea _______.
Bountiful
Lehi and his followers crossed the Arabian Peninsula to arrive on the shore of the Arabian Sea. They did not stay in Bountiful permanently; God had other plans.
Jeddah
Goa
Newport Beach
Whose son was Mulek?
Xerxes, a Babylonian king
Ether, the prophet
Jeremiah, the prophet
Zedekiah, the Judean king
Zedekiah was king when Babylon destroyed the Judean kingdom in 600 B.C. Mulek was the only one of Zedekiah's sons to escape death, allowing him to found a people (two peoples, actually) in the New World.
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Which son of Lehi was the righteous one?
Laman
Nephi
Laman was the rebellious son. Nephi was the good son and prophet, and his people are generally seen as righteous as well.
both
neither
In the New World, Zarahemla led which people?
the Jaredites
the Lamanites
the Mulekites
Remember, the Mulekites were the people who crossed over from Bountiful. Centuries later, they were led by Zarahemla, who was in power when the Nephites discovered their existence.
the Nephites
In which direction did the Nephites travel to find the Mulekite civilization?
east
north
The Mulekite civilization was north of that of the Nephites and Lamanites. Where exactly this was isn't clear. The Book of Mormon refers to a "neck" of land.
south
west
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Who led the Nephites northward, finding the Mulekites?
Benjamin
Mosiah
Mosiah and his followers were fleeing the heavy hand of the Lamanites. The Mulekites were glad to take them in, especially upon learning of their shared background as peoples who came from the Middle East.
Alma
Zeniff
The story of the Jaredites was found on 24 plates of ______.
clay
gold
The history of the Jaredites was accidentally discovered by the Nephite leader, Limhi, when he went north to find the land of Zarahemla. He and his followers discovered the ruins of the Jaredite civilization, and also the testimony of Ether, writen on the gold plates.
marble
zirconium
Who later led a group of people southward from Zarahemla, to reclaim Nephite lands?
Alma
Mormon
Alamon
Zeniff
Zeniff is eager for the Nephites to repossess their lands, but he also wants peace with the Lamanites, not to destroy them. For a while, his diplomacy works, and the peoples co-exist.
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About how long did the Nephites and Lamanites live in peace after Christ's visitation?
12 years
40 years
100 years
200 years
The peace came to an end during the time of the prophet Mormon, who was writing the history of his people. The Nephites were then destroyed in a war with the Lamanites.
What relation was Moroni to the prophet Mormon?
his friend
his son
Moroni was a living man when he buried the plates on which his father, Mormon, wrote his testament. But Moroni returned as an angel to reveal the plates' location to Joseph Smith.
his father
none
About how long elapsed between Moroni burying the plates and the revelation to Smith?
"two generations"
100 years
250 years
about 1,400 years
Why was it necessary for so long to pass before Moroni revealed the plates to God's people? We can't be sure.
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In what year was The Book of Mormon first published?
1789
1799
1830
The first Book was published in the early 19th century. Joseph Smith and his fellow leaders paid for 5,000 copies to be made, when an average print run for a new book was about 1,000. It was a leap of faith!
1902
Where is the original printer's manuscript of the Book today?
the Library of Congress
the Smithsonian Museum
in the care of the LDS Church
The first manuscript was buried in the cornerstone of a house in Nauvoo, Illinois, once the Mormon "capital." Unfortunately, water and mold got to it there. This made the second copy, which was intact, the one that the LDS Church acquired and now preserves.
no one knows
What subtitle follows "The Book of Mormon" on most editions?
Revised and Abridged
Being the True Witness of Joseph Smith
The True Testimony of the First Prophet
Another Testament of Jesus Christ
This subtitle wasn't always on the cover. It was added to bring across the message that the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is part of the Christian tradition.
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About when did the prophet Mormon live?
600 B.C.
150 - 100 B.C.
200 - 275 A.D.
300 - 400 A.D.
Mormon was born about 311 A.D. and died in the final war between the Lamanites and the Nephites. This would have been in about 385 A.D.
To this day, about how many copies of The Book of Mormon have been sold?
10 million
75 million
100 million
more than 150 million
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the fastest-growing faiths in the world. Sales of the Book of Mormon, all from the past 200 years, reflect that.
Which of these is proposed to be the "waters of Mormon" in the book of Mosiah?
Lake Erie
Lago de Atitlan
Lake Titicaca
both #1 and #2
Scholars have proposed both a Mexican peninsula and the eastern United States as the "neck of land" where the Nephites, Lamanites, and Mulekites all lived. The locations proposed for the "waters of Mormon" correspond to those potential locations.
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Which of these is NOT a book in The Book of Mormon?
Omni
Ether
Mormon
Habakkuk
Yes, there's a Book of Mormon within the larger Book of Mormon, as well as books named Omni and Ether. Habakkuk, though, is from the Jewish scriptures/Old Testament.
According to the Book of Mormon, is God a trinity?
Yes
Nope
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not teach God is a trinity. In fact, God lives on a specific planet, Kolob, elsewhere in the universe. (Who knew?)
Which of these things mentioned in The Book of Mormon is seen as historically inaccurate?
Horses
Silk
Steel
all of these
The Book of Mormon includes many references to livestock, materials and items that did not exist in the Americas prior to European settling. Mormon scholars strive to explain these discrepancies, often by saying that Joseph Smith used modern words in inexact ways.
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Joseph Smith, translator and publisher of The Book of Mormon, occupies what odd historical niche?
he was the first person in America to own more than 1,000 acres of land
he was the first person in America to copyright an advertising slogan
he was the first presidential candidate to be assassinated
Smith was in jail for inciting a riot when the building was mobbed and he was killed. Because he had earlier announced his independent candidacy for president, this is considered an assassination.
he's in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest case of writer's cramp
In 2011, The Book of Mormon received what odd, high-profile homage?
it was adapted into a Broadway musical
"The Book of Mormon" was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, of "South Park" fame, as well as composer Robert Lopez. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded with an advertising slogan: "You've seen the musical; now read the book!"
it was adapted into a Syfy series
it was written as a graphic novel
the Trump family converted to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints followers
You Got:
/35
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