1. Who was the key figure behind the 95 Theses?
a) John Calvin
b) Martin Luther
c) Henry VIII
d) Erasmus
Answer: b) Martin Luther
Explanation: Martin Luther was the German theologian who famously nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church in 1517, challenging the Catholic Church’s practices, particularly the sale of indulgences.
2. In which year did Martin Luther post his 95 Theses?
a) 1509
b) 1517
c) 1521
d) 1530
Answer: b) 1517
Explanation: Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on October 31, 1517, sparking the Protestant Reformation by challenging the Catholic Church’s teachings.
3. What was the primary issue addressed in Luther’s 95 Theses?
a) Papal authority
b) The selling of indulgences
c) Transubstantiation
d) Clerical celibacy
Answer: b) The selling of indulgences
Explanation: Luther’s 95 Theses primarily criticized the Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences, which were believed to reduce the punishment for sins.
4. Where did Martin Luther post his 95 Theses?
a) Rome
b) Wittenberg Castle Church
c) Paris
d) Geneva
Answer: b) Wittenberg Castle Church
Explanation: Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church in Germany, which was a common way to invite academic debate at the time.
5. What was Luther’s main argument in the 95 Theses?
a) The Bible should be interpreted by the clergy only
b) The Pope had divine powers
c) Salvation is attained through faith, not works
d) The Pope should rule all of Europe
Answer: c) Salvation is attained through faith, not works
Explanation: Luther argued that salvation is through faith alone, not through the Church’s rituals, sacraments, or indulgences.
6. Which Catholic practice was most criticized by Martin Luther in his 95 Theses?
a) Fasting
b) Indulgences
c) Pilgrimages
d) Monastic vows
Answer: b) Indulgences
Explanation: Luther condemned the selling of indulgences, which were seen as a way for the Church to make money by offering forgiveness for sins.
7. What was the main effect of the 95 Theses on the Catholic Church?
a) The Catholic Church accepted the reforms
b) The Catholic Church increased the sale of indulgences
c) It sparked widespread criticism and the Protestant Reformation
d) The Catholic Church started printing more Bibles
Answer: c) It sparked widespread criticism and the Protestant Reformation
Explanation: The 95 Theses led to a movement that challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and led to the Protestant Reformation.
8. How did Martin Luther’s 95 Theses spread quickly across Europe?
a) Through oral tradition
b) By the invention of the printing press
c) By royal decree
d) Through public speeches
Answer: b) By the invention of the printing press
Explanation: The printing press played a crucial role in spreading Luther’s ideas quickly throughout Europe.
9. What did Luther believe about the Bible?
a) It should only be read by priests
b) It was the ultimate source of authority, accessible to everyone
c) It should be interpreted in Latin only
d) It was unnecessary for salvation
Answer: b) It was the ultimate source of authority, accessible to everyone
Explanation: Luther believed that the Bible should be available in vernacular languages so everyone could read and interpret it, not just clergy.
10. What was the outcome of Luther’s excommunication from the Catholic Church?
a) He withdrew his ideas
b) He was declared a heretic and outlawed
c) He was given a higher position in the Church
d) He became Pope
Answer: b) He was declared a heretic and outlawed
Explanation: After his excommunication, Luther was declared a heretic and an outlaw by the Holy Roman Empire, but he continued to spread his ideas.
11. What was Luther’s stance on the role of the clergy?
a) The clergy should have complete control over the laity
b) The clergy should serve as the only interpreters of the Bible
c) The clergy were no different from the laity
d) The clergy should live in seclusion
Answer: c) The clergy were no different from the laity
Explanation: Luther argued that all Christians had equal access to God and that clergy did not hold special powers to mediate between people and God.
12. What event did Luther’s 95 Theses directly challenge?
a) The Protestant Reformation
b) The sale of indulgences
c) The crowning of the Holy Roman Emperor
d) The Council of Trent
Answer: b) The sale of indulgences
Explanation: The 95 Theses directly challenged the sale of indulgences, a practice that was central to Church revenue at the time.
13. What was the significance of the Diet of Worms in 1521?
a) Luther was crowned Emperor
b) Luther was excommunicated
c) Luther was asked to recant his views
d) The Protestant Reformation was officially recognized
Answer: c) Luther was asked to recant his views
Explanation: At the Diet of Worms, Luther was asked to recant his teachings, but he refused, famously stating, “Here I stand, I can do no other.”
14. Which German prince protected Martin Luther after the Diet of Worms?
a) Prince Frederick the Wise
b) Prince Henry the Navigator
c) Prince Charles of Spain
d) Prince William of Orange
Answer: a) Prince Frederick the Wise
Explanation: Prince Frederick the Wise of Saxony protected Luther after his excommunication, allowing him to live in safety.
15. Which major Protestant doctrine emerged from Luther’s teachings?
a) Predestination
b) Salvation by faith alone
c) Papal supremacy
d) Purgatory
Answer: b) Salvation by faith alone
Explanation: One of Luther’s key doctrines was that salvation comes through faith alone, not through good works or the intercession of the Church.
16. Which of the following books did Martin Luther translate into German?
a) The Qur’an
b) The Bible
c) The Book of Common Prayer
d) The Koran
Answer: b) The Bible
Explanation: Luther translated the Bible into German, making it accessible to the common people, rather than keeping it in Latin, which only clergy could read.
17. What did Martin Luther believe about the sacraments of the Catholic Church?
a) All sacraments were unnecessary
b) Only two sacraments were legitimate
c) All seven sacraments were valid
d) He advocated for more sacraments
Answer: b) Only two sacraments were legitimate
Explanation: Luther recognized only two sacraments as legitimate: Baptism and the Eucharist, rejecting others like Penance, which were central to Catholic doctrine.
18. What was the name of Luther’s theological system?
a) Lutheranism
b) Calvinism
c) Anglicanism
d) Methodism
Answer: a) Lutheranism
Explanation: The theological system based on Martin Luther’s teachings became known as Lutheranism, which emphasized salvation by faith alone and the authority of Scripture.
19. What was one of the immediate consequences of Luther’s Reformation?
a) Catholic unity
b) The start of religious wars
c) The creation of the Holy Roman Empire
d) The abolition of monasteries
Answer: b) The start of religious wars
Explanation: Luther’s Reformation sparked religious wars, such as the Thirty Years’ War, and led to religious fragmentation across Europe.
20. Which of the following was a key feature of Luther’s reforms?
a) Rejection of all forms of church rituals
b) The promotion of clerical celibacy
c) The emphasis on the priesthood of all believers
d) The reaffirmation of papal supremacy
Answer: c) The emphasis on the priesthood of all believers
Explanation: Luther promoted the idea that all believers have direct access to God, rejecting the idea that clergy were mediators between God and humans.
21. What was Luther’s response to the Catholic Church’s claim that he was a heretic?
a) He apologised and retracted his writings
b) He formed a new Catholic Church
c) He refused to recant and stood by his views
d) He joined the Catholic Church again
Answer: c) He refused to recant and stood by his views
Explanation: Luther refused to recant his ideas and stood firm in his belief that the Bible and faith alone were the sources of Christian authority.
22. What did the phrase “sola scriptura” mean to Martin Luther?
a) Only the Pope can interpret the Bible
b) The Bible is the sole authority for Christians
c) Only priests can interpret the Bible
d) The Bible is a supplement to Church tradition
Answer: b) The Bible is the sole authority for Christians
Explanation: “Sola scriptura” means that the Bible alone is the ultimate authority for Christians, rejecting the authority of the Pope and Church traditions.
23. What were Luther’s views on the Catholic Mass?
a) He rejected all sacraments
b) He believed the Mass was unnecessary
c) He believed in a simplified form of Mass
d) He upheld the Catholic Mass unchanged
Answer: c) He believed in a simplified form of Mass
Explanation: Luther rejected the elaborate Catholic Mass but retained a simpler form focused on Scripture and the Eucharist.
24. Which of the following was an effect of Luther’s translation of the Bible?
a) The Bible became available only to clergy
b) The spread of literacy increased
c) Only Latin translations were accepted
d) It caused the immediate end of the Catholic Church
Answer: b) The spread of literacy increased
Explanation: Luther’s translation of the Bible into German made it accessible to ordinary people, leading to an increase in literacy.
25. How did Luther’s ideas challenge the authority of the Pope?
a) He called for the Pope’s death
b) He claimed the Pope was not infallible
c) He advocated for a stronger papacy
d) He urged for the Pope to control all European kingdoms
Answer: b) He claimed the Pope was not infallible
Explanation: Luther challenged the Pope’s authority by asserting that the Pope was not infallible and that the Bible, not papal decrees, should be the ultimate Christian authority.
26. Which practice did Luther specifically condemn in the 95 Theses?
a) Pilgrimages to holy sites
b) The selling of indulgences
c) Clerical celibacy
d) Church taxes
Answer: b) The selling of indulgences
Explanation: Luther condemned the sale of indulgences, which were being sold as a way to reduce time in purgatory, and argued that they had no biblical basis.
27. Which doctrine did Luther reject that was central to the Catholic Church’s teachings?
a) Salvation through good works
b) Transubstantiation
c) The power of the Pope
d) Baptism
Answer: b) Transubstantiation
Explanation: Luther rejected the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, the belief that bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ during the Eucharist.
28. What was the name of the book Luther wrote that outlined his theological views?
a) The Institutes of the Christian Religion
b) The 95 Theses
c) The Babylonian Captivity of the Church
d) The Praise of Folly
Answer: c) The Babylonian Captivity of the Church
Explanation: In “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church,” Luther critiqued the Catholic sacraments and theology, further elaborating on his break from Catholic teachings.
29. What was one significant long-term impact of the 95 Theses?
a) The unity of the Catholic Church was preserved
b) The rise of the Renaissance in Europe
c) The division of Christianity into Protestant and Catholic branches
d) The end of the Holy Roman Empire
Answer: c) The division of Christianity into Protestant and Catholic branches
Explanation: The 95 Theses initiated a movement that led to the split of Christianity into Protestantism and Catholicism, which still exists today.
30. What action was Luther most famous for in terms of his religious beliefs?
a) Advocating for religious tolerance
b) Promoting the idea of predestination
c) Defying the Pope and starting the Protestant Reformation
d) Supporting monasticism
Answer: c) Defying the Pope and starting the Protestant Reformation
Explanation: Martin Luther is most famous for his defiance of the Pope and his role in sparking the Protestant Reformation.
