Bible Literacy Quiz: How Well do You Know the World Around You‏

/Standard Newswire/ -- Bible Literacy Project, publisher of the acclaimed public school Bible
textbook "The Bible and Its Influence," has released a new Bible Literacy Quiz to demonstrate how widespread Biblical references are in our culture. This fall, the textbook is being taught in 337 schools in 43 states, including more than 50 in Texas.

"In national surveys, both high school English teachers and English professors at leading
universities said almost unanimously that students must know the Bible to understand English literature. Our research also found that students need basic biblical literacy to even understand the daily newspaper -- much less to study history, music, art and culture," said Chuck Stetson, Chairman of the Board of the Bible Literacy Project.

The importance of academic study of the Bible was recently underscored by USA Today contributor William R. Mattox's August 17 column, "Teach the Bible? Of Course." The column quoted Barbara Newman, Northwestern University professor of English, Religion and Classics, who said, "Students who want to do serious study of Western civilization need to know the Bible. They need to know the Bible, even if they do not believe the Bible." In February, the United Kingdom's Poet Laureate, atheist Andrew Motion, joined the call for public school education
about the Bible, saying he had struggled to teach Milton's "Paradise Lost" to undergraduates because they had no concept of the fall of man.

Below is an eight-question quiz. How do you fare in understanding the world around you? For more questions, visit http://quiz.bibleliteracy.org.

1. On the evening before he was assassinated, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke these words: "I've been
to the mountaintop....And I've looked over. And I've
seen the Promised Land." To what place does the
Promised Land refer?

A. Atlanta, Georgia.

B. Washington, D.C.

C. The "new world," or North America.

D. A land flowing with milk and honey.



2. A sign at the gas pump gives payment
instructions: "Insert first-born child here." To what
Biblical story is this an allusion?

A. Plagues inflicted on the Pharaoh of Egypt.

B. The crucifixion of Jesus.

C. The stoning of St. Paul.

D. Eli's instructions when Hannah dedicated her son
to the Lord.



3. Erik Brady called basketball star Marcus Vick
a "Prodigal son" ("USA Today," 9/19/05). Why might
someone be called a prodigal son?

A. He is extremely bright and brings honor to his
father.

B. He did something regrettable and brought shame
to the family.

C. He hosted a big family gathering, celebrating victory
over evil or over a formidable opponent.

D. He parted the Red Sea.



4. A national nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that
provides hot, nutritious meals is named Loaves and
Fishes. The name is a reference to ...

A. Psalm 23, "Thou preparest a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies."
B. The Lord's Supper, a traditional meal of "broken"
bread, wine, and fish.

C. The meal the Good Samaritan offered to the victim
of hoodlums.

D. Five loaves and two fish that fed 5,000 people.



5. Which law giver is sculpted on the peak of the
eastern entrance of the U.S. Supreme Court Building?


A. Jesus.

B. Abraham.

C. Moses.

D. George Washington.



6."U.S. News & World Report" reported: "King
Solomon had it easy.... he never would have dreamed
of the complexities that face modern family court
judges, or the rise in the number of stepparents,
unrelated guardians, unmarried couples, gay parents,
and surrogate moms..." (1/17/00, page 46). What
famous dispute is the magazine article referencing?


A. Dividing the land of the Medes and Persians.

B. Sibling quibbling of twins Jacob and Esau over their
father's inheritance.

C. Two mothers disagreeing about a newborn.

D. Dividing the Jewish Kingdom into Israel and Judah.



7. The bronze monument outside the United Nations
Building, New York City, is titled "Let Us Beat Swords
into Plowshares." This is an allusion to ...

A. Words of the prophet Isaiah.

B. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

C. Jesus' parable of the mustard seed.

D. Jesus' parable of the seed sown (1) near the path,
(2) on rocky soil, (3) among thistles, and (4) on good
soil.



8. To what does the title of John Steinbeck's "Grapes
of Wrath" allude?

A. Fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control.

B. God's judgment (wrath) on those who follow the
ways of the devil.

C. Years of famine which prompted the Israelites to
migrate to Egypt where they were enslaved by
Pharaoh.

D. The new (at the time) breakfast sensation named
Froot Loops.



Answer Key: 1:D, 2:A, 3:B, 4:D, 5:C, 6:C, 7:A, 8:B.



Bible Literacy Project is a division of Essentials in Education, an educational publisher. Its web sites are

www.bibleliteracy.org (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102697998978&s=13633&e=001FrGMa0_To9QiTX0cZ4ArUWatf8ZMH1NrZn9NRkXO3sLeXubrOm_FFMzZ1gR
Totnb3BntwZF9a06CTjzJqvcgSN_af6lOW3jpRWYZrP2LTOYBU2chu27VXg==) and
www.essentialsineducation.org (http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102697998978&s=13633&e=001FrGMa0_To9TGPPKlH1-7iw3XMkxBk5RsPKdpOikDSVaRG2HgpxY5KJxCqAxFeRkOIzIy
lAPTCtkdogcbAYp3Fd8OX5s2g795dEYtyw6Qz974SWQH0wwXaEmmegy9U875).

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Georgia Resident Plans to Find New Planet Instead of Recycling

/PRNewswire/ -- Georgia non-recycler, Tommy Krenshaw reaches star status this week as he and his reason for not recycling take center stage in a new statewide education campaign. Those who know Tommy will not be surprised that he is receiving notoriety. He proudly proclaims to all who will listen that he will find a new planet when this one fills up with the materials he and others like him refuse to recycle. He has also taken to wearing his non-recycler status on his T-shirt, in case you missed his excuse.

Sound absurd? Well, mission accomplished. Tommy is just one of the unwitting (albeit fictitious) characters of a new recycling awareness campaign created by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA). The campaign shines a spotlight on these, and other misperceptions to show what non-recyclers might look like to their friends and families. By highlighting the absurdities behind not recycling, the campaign responds on behalf of the rest of us with "you gotta be kidding!" (Incidentally, the URL for the campaign is www.YouGottaBekidding.org.)

"Every time someone bypasses a recycling bin or chooses to throw a can away," Randy Hartmann, the Director of the Office of Environmental Management of DCA explains, "they're effectively saying, 'I don't recycle!' They're wearing their apathy on their sleeve. What we're saying, is that these excuses won't work anymore."

Joining Tommy are several others characters, all of whom have mistaken and ridiculous reasons for not recycling. Maria Inez-Phillips is one such non-recycler. She can't be bothered to sort through her trash and pull out the recyclable items. After all, she gets way too many gossip magazines to have to wade through them all.

More non-recyclers will be introduced by the state over the coming months. All will be wearing "I don't recycle" on their T-shirts, an unusual move designed to break through the media clutter by first entertaining, then creating a buzz that will drive people to the campaign Web site where DCA has a better chance of presenting the myriad reasons to recycle.

"The absurd nature of what these characters say contrasts sharply with the many rational reasons to recycle," adds Hartmann. "Because, unlike what Tommy may say, we can't just find somewhere else to live when we have used up our natural resources. People interacting with the campaign will come away thinking that, in light of these preposterous alternatives, recycling is a pretty simple proposition."

The need for the campaign came from a Solid Waste Characterization Study which revealed that approximately 40 percent of what Georgians throw away is actually recyclable. These findings were amplified by a recent DCA survey which showed that a whopping 45 percent of Georgians do not regularly recycle.

"'I'm dating my ex, does that count as recycling?' is certainly not the type of slogan you'd expect to see in a state's marketing campaign," Hartmann says, "and that's the point."

Through a media relations and marketing campaign kicking off today, DCA will drive Georgia residents to the campaign Web site where the real facts about recycling will be presented in a way that resonates and drives real action. The campaign will target all non-recyclers, but with a special focus on the 25- to 34-year-old group. Research revealed that this group is the least likely to recycle, but also tend to be the easiest to motivate. Local communities will also take part in the campaign, bringing the characters to life through billboards, in a radio PSA, on coasters in restaurants and in many other ways.

See more of the campaign at www.YouGottaBeKidding.org. And don't be surprised if you see a life-size Tommy popping up conspicuously in towns and cities across Georgia as just one of many ways these characters will be revealing themselves!

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