Book of Exodus Quiz: Moses and the Plagues

1. Why did a new Pharaoh in Egypt begin oppressing the Israelites at the start of Exodus?

1. He feared the Israelites had become too numerous and would join Egypt's enemies in war
2. He needed slave labour to build the pyramids and the Israelites were the largest minority group
3. He was advised by his astrologers that a deliverer would rise from among the Israelites
4. He was an enemy of the God of Israel and wanted to destroy his people

2. When Pharaoh ordered Hebrew midwives to kill newborn boys, what did Shiphrah and Puah do, and what reason did they give Pharaoh?

1. They hid the babies in the fields and told Pharaoh the mothers had miscarried
2. They let the boys live, and told Pharaoh that Hebrew women were vigorous and gave birth before the midwives arrived
3. They refused outright, saying they feared God more than Pharaoh, and accepted whatever punishment came
4. They warned the Israelite mothers and helped them flee before Pharaoh's soldiers arrived

3. How was Moses's life saved as an infant when Pharaoh ordered all Hebrew baby boys to be thrown into the Nile?

1. His father bribed an Egyptian official to record him as an Egyptian child
2. His mother hid him in a cave in the hills for three months until Pharaoh's decree was lifted
3. His mother placed him in a papyrus basket among the reeds of the Nile; Pharaoh's daughter found him and adopted him
4. His sister carried him to a neighbouring village where an Israelite family sheltered him

4. What event caused Moses to flee Egypt as an adult?

1. He killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave — Pharaoh heard of it and tried to kill Moses
2. He led a failed Israelite revolt and had to flee before Egyptian soldiers captured him
3. He refused to worship Egyptian gods and was condemned to death by Pharaoh
4. He was accused of stealing from Pharaoh's treasury and fled before his trial

5. How does God reveal himself to Moses at the burning bush, and what is the ground-rule Moses must observe?

1. God appears as a pillar of light and tells Moses to close his eyes and listen
2. God appears in the bush and says 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground'
3. God speaks and tells Moses to build an altar of stones before approaching
4. God speaks from a cloud of fire and tells Moses to bow with his face to the ground

6. When Moses asks God for his name, what does God say?

1. 'El Shaddai — God Almighty. Tell them by this name I will be known to all generations'
2. 'I am the LORD your God who brought your ancestors out of slavery — that is my name forever'
3. 'I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you'
4. 'My name is too holy to be spoken — tell them the God of your fathers has sent you'

7. Moses raises four objections to God's call. Which of these was NOT one of Moses's objections?

1. 'I am too old — I do not have the strength for such a task'
2. 'I have never been eloquent... I am slow of speech and tongue'
3. 'What if they do not believe me or listen to me?'
4. 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?'

8. What sign did God give Moses to demonstrate his authority — the one involving Moses's hand?

1. 'Put your hand inside your cloak' — it became leprous, then he put it back and it was restored
2. Moses could hold his hand over water and it would turn to blood
3. Moses raised his hand and fire came down from the sky at his command
4. Moses's hand glowed with divine light that could not be looked at directly

9. What was Moses's brother Aaron's role in the confrontation with Pharaoh?

1. Aaron would act as a translator, converting Moses's Hebrew into the Egyptian court language
2. Aaron would be Moses's spokesman — Moses would tell Aaron what to say and Aaron would speak to Pharaoh
3. Aaron would lead the Israelites in worship while Moses dealt with Pharaoh alone
4. Aaron would perform the miracles while Moses spoke directly to Pharaoh

10. After Moses and Aaron's first audience with Pharaoh, what happened to the Israelites?

1. Pharaoh imprisoned Moses and Aaron and threatened to execute them if they returned
2. Pharaoh increased their workload — making them gather their own straw while maintaining the same brick quota
3. Pharaoh ordered ten Israelite elders to be executed as a warning
4. Pharaoh released them for a day of worship as requested, then reimposed harder labour

11. What were the first three plagues that Aaron initiated by stretching out his staff?

1. Blood, darkness, death of firstborn
2. Blood, frogs, gnats
3. Darkness, hail, locusts
4. Frogs, gnats, flies

12. Which plague was the first from which the Israelites in Goshen were specifically exempted?

1. The plague of darkness
2. The plague of flies
3. The plague of frogs
4. The plague of hail

13. During which plague did Pharaoh make his first offer of a compromise, and what was his compromise?

1. During the plague of flies — he offered to let them sacrifice 'in the land' (not leave Egypt)
2. During the plague of frogs — he offered to reduce but not end slave labour
3. During the plague of hail — he confessed his sin but asked Moses to pray it away
4. During the plague of locusts — he would let the men go but not the women and children

14. What instructions did God give regarding the Passover lamb?

1. A year-old male without defect — slaughtered at twilight; blood on the doorframes; roasted whole with bitter herbs and unleavened bread
2. Any clean animal could be used — what mattered was the faith of the family eating it
3. It must be a firstborn male bull without defect, slaughtered at dawn on the fourteenth day of the month
4. The oldest sheep in the flock must be selected and its blood sprinkled on the altar

15. What was the tenth and final plague that broke Pharaoh's resistance?

1. A devastating hail storm that destroyed every crop and tree in Egypt
2. A plague of boils covering every Egyptian from head to foot
3. The death of every firstborn in Egypt — from Pharaoh's son to the firstborn of prisoners
4. Three days of total darkness that could be felt

16. When the Israelites left Egypt, what unusual thing did they take from the Egyptians?

1. They plundered Egypt by asking for silver, gold and clothing — the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked
2. They took grain stores from the royal warehouses to supply themselves during the wilderness journey
3. They took the Egyptian military horses and chariots that had been abandoned
4. They took the Egyptian sacred objects as trophies of their God's victory over the gods of Egypt

17. Approximately how many men left Egypt in the Exodus, and what does the text note about the mixed group?

1. About 12,000 men — one thousand per tribe of Israel
2. About 40,000 fighting men — the number Pharaoh feared would rise against him
3. About 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children — a mixed multitude also went with them
4. About 70 people total — the descendants of Jacob who had come to Egypt

18. Why did God not lead Israel by the shortest road through Philistine territory?

1. 'God said, If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt' — so he led them around by the desert road
2. God wanted to take them to Sinai first before entering the land — the shorter route bypassed the holy mountain
3. The direct route was flooded from the plagues and impassable
4. The Philistines were too powerful and Israel was not yet trained for war — God chose a longer route

19. How did God guide the Israelites through the wilderness after leaving Egypt?

1. By the sound of a trumpet blast — one blast to move, two to stop
2. By the Urim and Thummim that Moses carried in the priestly breastpiece
3. By the voice of Moses relaying God's commands each morning
4. In a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night

20. When Israel was trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's pursuing army, what did Moses tell the people?

1. 'Cry out to God with all your heart — only desperate prayer can save us now'
2. 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today... The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still'
3. 'Take up your weapons — we will stand and fight, for God is with us!'
4. 'We must divide — half will hold the army off while half cross the sea'