Dr. Norman Prinsky

Humn. 2001 - Ancient Culture through the Early Seventeenth Century

Augusta State University

Test on the Koran / Qur'an

1. As pointed out in NAWM, an important medieval western literary work about a decisive battle between Christians and Muslims was: (a) Song of Roland (b) La Vita Nuova (c) The Wanderer (d) Nibelungenlied

2. As pointed out in NAWM, the Qur'an was first recorded during the dynasty of the: (a) Umayyads (b) Abbasids (c) Samanids (d) Safavids

3. As pointed out in NAWM, after the death of Muhammad, Islam split into the two major groups of: (a) quadiris and tijanis (b) shi'ites and sunnis (c) isma'ilis and imams (d) mujtahids and ayatullahs

4. As pointed out in NAWM, the disagreement between the Islamic factions in the immediately preceding question was over whether: (a) the Qur'an is literally God's word (b) the archangel Gabriel or archangel Michael gave Muhammad his visions (c) Mecca or Medina should be the holiest city (d) the caliphate should remain in the prophet's bloodline or prophet's clan

5. The name “Islam” means in Arabic: (a) “sanctity” (b) “sheltering” (c) ”submission” (d) “similitude”

6. As pointed out in NAWM, Islamic literature in its early phases was written in all of the following languages except which one: (a) Arabic (b) Persian (c) Hindi (d) Turkish

7. The name of the work, Al-Qur'an, literally means "the": (a) "collection" (b) "recitation" (c) "precepts" (d) "law"

8. As pointed out in NAWM, the Hebrew scriptures, the books of the Bible, have, more than the Qur'an: (a) narration (b) dialogue (c) figurative language (d) prose

9. As pointed out in NAWM, the Qur'an has in it all the following diverse literary forms except which one: (a) incantation (b) legal prescriptions (c) dialectic (d) sermons (e) exhortations

10. The number of Suras in the Qur'an is: (a) 39 (b) 75 (c) 94 (d) 114

11. As pointed out in NAWM, the Suras of the Qur'an are generally divided, partly in form and content, by the circumstances of Muhammad's sojourn in the cities of: (a) Izmir and Ankara (b) Mecca and Medina (c) Damascus and Amman (d) Tehran and Tabriz

12. The suras revealed in the second city, to which Muhammad and his followers went from the first city, tend to have as their focus: (a) social and economic regulations (b) attitudes toward Judaism (c) theoretical religious issues (d) attitudes toward Christianity

13. According to the NAWM, the essence of the Qur'an is: (a) history (b) eulogy (c) admonition (d) prophecy (e) nationalism

14. The style of the Qur’an is distinctive since, as clearly shown in the Arabic, the book is largely composed of: (a) poetic drama (b) blank verse poetry (c) tardiyyat and qasida (d) rhyming prose

15. Sura 1, "The Exordium," contains, as do several of the other Suras in the NAWM selections the imagery, recurrent in both the Qur'an and Bible, of: (a) wayfaring (b) light (c) ascension (d) flora

16. The recurrent imagery mentioned in the immediately preceding question emphasizes: (a) ecology (b) transcendence (c) understanding (d) action

17. By Islamic law and custom, at least part of Sura 1, "The Exordium," must: (a) be translated into every known language (b) preface every written work and formal task (c) be woven into some part of every Persian rug (d) end every meal

18. The NAWM excerpt from Sura 4, "Women," deals with all of the following except which one: (a) property and inheritances (b) marital relations (c) female hygiene (d) homosexuality (e) suicide

19. One recurrent imagery in the NAWM excerpt from Sura 4, "Women," is: (a) fire (b) crescent moon (c) wheat (d) rock

20. The recurrent imagery referred to in the immediately preceding question helps convey the idea of: (a) protection (b) sustenance (c) romance (d) sword-fighting (e) punishment

21. In the NAWM excerpt from Sura 4, "God is all-knowing and wise" and "God is forgiving and merciful" function, including their placement in the verse, as: (a) epigrams (b) poetry stanzas (c) acrostics (d) prose refrains

22. The literary and stylistic function of the material (including structure and placement) cited in the immediately preceding question is to suggest that God is the: (a) beginning of all considerations (b) inspiration of wit (c) end of all considerations (d) originator of poetry

23. Another function of the material cited in the question immediately preceding the former question is: (a) narration (b) description (c) exposition (d) persuasion

24. The opening three words of Sura 12, "Joseph," echoed in some other Suras, denote: (a) the trinity (b) letters of the alphabet (c) important Islamic prophets (d) allusion to the Chanson de Roland

25. The opening three words of Sura 12, "Joseph," accord with the emphasis in the rest of the verse on the revelation of the Qur'an: (a) in a particular language (b) to three prophets (c) to a particular person (d) by the Holy Spirit, as described in the New Testament book of Acts

26. In the Joseph narrative of Genesis 37-50, the various trials are clearly designed to teach all of the following except which one: (a) fathers to be more perceptive about all their children (b) siblings how to get along (c) various wives in a polygamous household to get along with each other (d) an arrogant and spoiled adolescent some humility

27. In Sura 12, Joseph’s father is from the beginning, much more than in Genesis 37-50, all of the following except which one: (a) a wise parent (b) a loving husband (c) perceptive about intra-familial relationships (d) a prophet

28. One particular incident in Sura 12, "Joseph," not in Genesis 37-50, is the: (a) kidnapping of young Joseph by a passing caravan (b) ingratitude of a fellow prison inmate (c) failue of Joseph's brothers to recognize him in their first Egyptian meeting (d) mass cutting of female hands

29. The incident referred to in the immediately preceding question helps suggest all the following except which one: (a) such great surprise that the cutlery for food/fruit goes awry (b) evil that may come from callous commercialism (c) repentance for an unjustly holier-than-thou blame (d) punishment from God

30. In Sura 19, "Mary," all of the following from the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) except which one are covered: (a) Adam (b) Seth (c) Noah (d) Idris/Enoch (e) Abraham

31. In Sura 19, "Mary," all of the following from the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) except which one are covered: (a) Ishmael (b) Isaac (c) Jacob (d) Joseph

32. In Sura 19, "Mary," all of the following from the New Testament except which one are covered: (a) Zachariah (or Zechariah) (b) Mary, mother of Jesus (c) Jesus (d) Elizabeth (or Elisabeth), mother of John the Baptist (e) John the Baptist

33. In Sura 19, the location where Mary gives birth, differing from the New Testament account (told in only two of the Gospels -- which ones?), helps to convey in its symbolism: (a) surrounding social and climatic coldness (b) the lamblike qualities of Jesus (c) divine succor (d) foreign royal homage

34. In Sura 19 (as elsewhere in the Qur’an), an adjective or noun is substituted for “God” or “Allah” (as in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the noun “Norway” is used to mean “the King” or “the King of Norway”), which is the figure of speech: (a) synecdoche (b) paradox (c) hyperbole (d) antonomasia

35. In Sura 19, the most repeated figure of speech referred to in the immediately preceding question emphasizes God’s or Allah’s: (a) justice (b) compassion (c) power (d) omniscience

36. In Sura 55, “the Merciful,” the most notable, insistent prose refrain occurs how many times: (a) 10 (b) 20 (c) 30 (d) 40

37. The insistent prose refrain in Sura 55 mainly emphasizes in the refrain's content God's: (a) generosity (b) wisdom (c) forgiveness (d) justice

38. The stylistic device in Sura 55 referred to in the two immediately preceding questions also incorporates the stylistic device of: (a) balanced antithesis (b) dialectic (c) rhetorical question (d) jeremiad (e) paronomasia

39. The function of the stylistic device in Sura 55 referred to in the immediately preceding question is: (a) narration (b) description (c) exposition (d) persuasion

40. Sura 62, “the Day of Congregation,” emphasizes which day of the week as the Sabbath: (a) Thursday (b) Friday (c) Saturday (d) Sunday

41. In Sura 62, the day of the week for congregation naturally brings up an association with which religion (as shown in the work): (a) Hinduism (b) Judaism (c) Buddhism (d) Christianity

42. Probably the most vivid literary device in Sura 62 used to criticize the adherents of the religion referred to in the immediately preceding question is, with reference to the donkey loaded with books: (a) metaphor (b) pun (c) simile (d) understatement

43. In Sura 62, God and his prophet warn against which distraction or distractions from Sabbath prayers: (a) romance (b) laziness (c) recreation (d) business (e) recreation and business

44. In Sura 62, criticism is aimed at: (a) Christians (b) Jews (c) Muslims (d) all of the foregoing

45. In Sura 71, “Noah,” the material and details about Noah’s communication with his neighbors and Noah's communication with God, are: (a) very similar to Genesis 5-10 (b) very different from Genesis 5-10 (c) neither similar nor different from Genesis 5-10 (d) word-for-word repetition of Genesis 5-10

46. The emphasis in Sura 71, much more than in Genesis 5-10, is on Noah as: (a) builder (b) prophet (d) righteous (e) statesman

47. In Sura 76, all the following recurrent kinds of imagery of the Qur'an (including the NAWM selections) except which one occur: (a) wayfaring (b) fire (c) rock (d) water (e) fruit-trees

48. In Sura 76, all the following elements of Paradise, found in other Suras, can be found except which one: (a) rich garments (b) delicious food (c) flowing water (d) mild climate (e) female companions

49. In Sura 100, the horses may be understood to represent or symbolize all the following except which one: (a) emotional restraint (b) male pride (c) male exultation in action (d) men’s failure to acknowledge God (e) victory in battle