1. Martin Luther's core theological principle of "Justification by Faith" stated that salvation is achieved through...
- A. faith in God alone.
- B. the exclusive blessing of the Pope.
- C. a combination of faith and performing good works.
- D. purchasing indulgences and giving to the Church.
2. According to Martin Luther's teachings, what was the ONLY source of religious truth and authority?
- A. The Pope and Church councils
- B. The Bible
- C. The writings of early Christian saints
- D. Personal spiritual revelations
3. What was the primary purpose of Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses on a church door in Wittenberg in 1517?
- A. To declare himself the new head of the Christian Church in Germany
- B. To announce the founding of his own separate church, Lutheranism
- C. To start an academic debate on the Church's practice of selling indulgences
- D. To demand the immediate translation of the Bible into the German language
4. In the context of the 16th-century Catholic Church, what were Indulgences?
- A. Taxes paid by German princes to the Pope in Rome
- B. Required acts of charity for a person to be considered for salvation
- C. Documents sold by the Church that promised the buyer forgiveness of sins
- D. Sacred oaths taken by monks when they joined a monastery
5. What was the name of the first Protestant church that was founded based on the teachings of Martin Luther?
- A. Calvinism
- B. Anglicanism
- C. Lutheranism
- D. Anabaptism
6. What was the central argument made by English reformer John Wycliffe in his criticism of the Church?
- A. That the Pope should have absolute political power over European kings.
- B. That the Bible was the supreme source of religious authority, not the Pope.
- C. That the Church should sell indulgences to fund its charitable activities.
- D. That only ordained priests should be allowed to read and interpret the scriptures.
7. The reformer Jan Hus, who was ultimately burned at the stake for his beliefs, was from which region?
- A. England
- B. The Papal States
- C. Bohemia
- D. France
8. Early dissenters like Wycliffe and Hus primarily attacked which aspect of the 14th and 15th-century Church?
- A. Its sponsorship of Renaissance art and architecture.
- B. Its immense wealth and perceived corruption.
- C. Its refusal to engage in political affairs.
- D. Its focus on simple Christian goodness.
9. What was the ultimate fate of the Bohemian reformer Jan Hus for challenging the Church's authority?
- A. He was exiled to a remote monastery.
- B. He successfully led a military rebellion against the Church.
- C. He was burned at the stake, becoming a martyr for his cause.
- D. He recanted his views and was forgiven by the Pope.
10. How did the Christian Humanist Desiderius Erasmus primarily voice his criticisms of the Church?
- A. By leading a peasant revolt against corrupt bishops.
- B. Through satirical writing, such as his work *The Praise of Folly*.
- C. By directly challenging the Pope in a public debate in Rome.
- D. By translating the Bible into German for the first time.