An Augustine Quiz

Fr Francis challenges, “Our postulants took to the quiz in a big way. No access to library or books is permitted. One student had 27 correct answers in 10 minutes. When working in groups of four persons, the highest group score was 42 points, followed by 41 points.  Try it yourself….

All the best.
Francis O.S.A.

Augustine and child on the sea shore – mentioned in his “Confessons”

Quiz Questions

1. Augustine called this man “The brother of my heart.” Who was he? (1 point)
2. What exact date in 354 was Augustine born? (2 points)
3. What particular verses in the Bible did Augustine read after he heard the voice of the young boy that he felt were aimed at him? (2 points)
4. What are the names of the two famous football teams who play at San Siro, near where Augustine was baptised?
   (½ point each)  
5. Every morning, as Bishop, Augustine had to arbitrate in lawsuits (inheritance, ownership disputes etc). True or false
   (1 point)
6. What was Monica’s tribe (who are still very numerous in North Africa)? (2 points)
7. At what age did Augustine die? (1 point)
8. Who was the Manichaean Bishop who arrived in Carthage and disappointed Augustine in his answers? (2 points)
9. According to Time magazine, after Jesus and Paul, Augustine was the most influential figure in the history of Christianity. True or false? (1 point)
10. Augustine’s first name? (1 point)
11.  How many books did Augustine write, to the nearest 20? (2 points)
12. Ayathollah Khatami, former president of Iran, admires St. Augustine and has read the ‘City of God’ and other works of Augustine. True or false? (1 point)
13. What two dates do Augustinians worldwide celebrate as special feasts of Augustine? (1 point each)
14. Why in each case? (1 point each)
15. Adeodatus was the name of Augustine’s son. What does it mean? (1 point)
16. Time Magazine claimed that Augustine, in each of the 16 centuries since his conversion continues to exert a major intellectual, spiritual and cultural force on the world. True or false (1 point)
17.  Where are Augustine’s remains? (2 points)
18. Augustine lived almost entirely on vegetables. True or false (1 point)
19. How many years did Augustine stay with his mistress? (2 points)
20. What was the name of the Bishop whom Augustine replaced in Hippo? (2 points)
21. What is the title of Augustine’s autobiography? (1 point)
22. When the great universities were formed in the 12^th century, the curriculum they used was essentially the same as Augustine had outlined in his book ‘On Christian Doctrine’. True or false (1 point)
23. Who died last between Alypius, Augustine and Possidius? (1 point)
24. Augustine was a speechmaker for the Roman Emperor. True or false (1 point)
25. Did he, who was very social minded and friendly, write a book on friendship? (1 point)
26. In his writings he was a living biblical encyclopaedia. To the nearest 1,000 how often in his writings did Augustine quote the bible? (3 points)
27. What fruit did Augustine and his friends steal and throw to the pigs? (1 point)
28. What was the name of Augustine’s brother? (2 points)
29. How many volumes in the ‘City of God’, which took him 10 years to write? (3 points)
30. Who wrote about Augustine “I lived in close friendship with him for 40 years”? (1 point)
31. While he was still alive people in France began a movement to canonise his writings and put them on a par with scripture. True or false (1 point)
32. How old was Adeodatus when he died? (2 points)
33. Name the relations and friends who lived with Augustine as he prepared for baptism at Cassiciacum, under the Alps?
    (1 point for each correct; 1 point less for any wrong answer)

For the answers to the quiz (and no peeking!), click here.