Codex of FaithsAn illustrated atlas of belief

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Zoroastrianism: quiz worksheet

A printable worksheet for the classroom: 8 multiple-choice questions on Zoroastrianism, with an answer key and explanations on the last page.

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  1. What is the name of the one supreme, wise God of Zoroastrianism?

    1. A Ahura Mazda
    2. B Angra Mainyu
    3. C Zurvan
    4. D Mithra

  2. How is the path of truth summed up?

    1. A Right view, right speech, right action
    2. B Prayer, fasting and alms
    3. C Good thoughts, good words, good deeds
    4. D Faith, hope and charity

  3. What are the Gathas?

    1. A Hymns to Mithra and Anahita
    2. B Seventeen hymns attributed to Zarathustra
    3. C Commentaries in Middle Persian
    4. D A book of purity laws

  4. Do Zoroastrians worship fire?

    1. A Yes, fire is their god
    2. B Only at the new year
    3. C No: fire is the purest symbol of Ahura Mazda’s light
    4. D Only priests do

  5. Where did the ancestors of the Parsis settle after sailing from Iran?

    1. A Oman
    2. B Yazd
    3. C Baku
    4. D Gujarat, in western India

  6. What does the soul cross after death?

    1. A The Field of Reeds
    2. B The Chinvat Bridge
    3. C The Rainbow Bridge
    4. D The river Styx

  7. Which dynasty made Zoroastrianism the state religion of Persia from 224 CE?

    1. A The Sasanians
    2. B The Achaemenids
    3. C The Seleucids
    4. D The Parthians

  8. What do children receive at the navjote initiation?

    1. A A string of prayer beads
    2. B A white turban
    3. C A steel bangle
    4. D A white shirt (sudreh) and a sacred cord (kushti)

Answer key

  1. A · Ahura Mazda. Angra Mainyu is the destructive spirit, source of the lie (druj).
  2. C · Good thoughts, good words, good deeds. In Avestan: humata, hukhta, hvarshta.
  3. B · Seventeen hymns attributed to Zarathustra. They are the oldest and holiest part of the Avesta, embedded in the Yasna.
  4. C · No: fire is the purest symbol of Ahura Mazda’s light. Zoroastrians pray in the presence of fire, as others might pray facing a holy place.
  5. D · Gujarat, in western India. The Qissa-i Sanjan tells of a refuge at Sanjan, dated by different scholars to the 8th–10th century.
  6. B · The Chinvat Bridge. The bridge widens for the righteous and narrows for the wicked.
  7. A · The Sasanians. The Sasanian empire lasted until the death of Yazdegerd III in 651.
  8. D · A white shirt (sudreh) and a sacred cord (kushti). They untie and retie the kushti during their daily prayers.

From Codex of Faiths, codexoffaiths.com. You may print and copy this worksheet for teaching.