Go on... Test yourselves! Again!

Old Testament
Qn1: What are we called to do on the 1st day of the 7th month?
Ans1: We are to observe a special day of rest, come together for worship and present a food offering to the Lord. (Lev 23:23-25)

Qn2: Which is the most important commandment out of all the ten? Why? Which is the second most important?
Ans2: The first commandment - “Worship no God but me.” (Exo 20:3-17) Because Jesus said so, “The most important one is this: “The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second most important commandment is this: Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” (Mark 12:29-31)

Qn3: How many plagues strike Egypt? Name them and why did this happen.
Ans3: 10: Blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of animals, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and death of 1st born. Because the king refused to let the Hebrews go. (Exo 7:14-10:29)

Qn4: Where did Samson get his strength from and why was he given special strength?
Ans4: His hair. The Philistines were torturing the Israelites so he was sent to rescue them. (Judges 13:5)

Qn5: How old was Moses when he ‘died’? What were his last instructions to his people and who was his successor?
Ans5: 120 years old. To obey God’s commandments. (Deut 32:45) Joshua.

Qn6: Name the 3 kings of Israel in order after Samuel and what have you learnt from each of the 3 kings?
Ans6: Saul, David and Solomon. Saul (1 Samuel 15:10-35) – For our disobedience, we will be punished. David (2 Samuel 12–23) – For our greed and lust, we will be punished but if we are repentant and remain loyal to God, He will reward us. Solomon 1 Kings 3–11) – Whatever is given to us can easily be taken away by God if we are unfaithful.

Qn7: Guess the person this story is about. He was stripped of all possessions, children, oxen, asses sheep, shepherd and camels. He was cursed with sores from head to feet and later his wife and friends left him. Why did all these happened to him and what can we learn from his story?
Ans7: Job. It was a challenge God accepted from Satan to prove that Job will be His faithful servant no matter what happens. (Job) As long as we remain faithful, God would relief us from all our sufferings.

Qn8: Who was gifted with the power to interpret dreams? Name a dream he interpreted for the king and what did it meant.
Ans8: Joseph. 7 fat cows were eaten up by 7 lean cows by a river bank and 7 full ears of corn were eaten up by 7 withered ears corn. It meant that Egypt will have 7 years of good harvest followed by 7 years of famine and all that will grow during the years of plenty will be eaten during the years of famine. (Genesis 41)

Qn9: Daniel had a vision about a battle between a ram with 2 horns and a goat with a horn between his eyes. The goat broke the ram’s horns in an attack and the ram fell to the ground defenseless. As the goat grew more arrogant, four horns grew in place of the one horn and one of the four horns grew a little horn which attacked the armies of heaven and the Temple. Angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and explained his dream. What did angel Gabriel say?
Ans9: It was a vision that the world is coming to an end. The ram represents the kingdom of Media and Persia while the goat represents the kingdom of Greece. (Daniel 8)

Qn10: What is the hymnal cum prayer book of the bible and what is it used for?
Ans10: Book of Psalms. It is used for hymns of praise and worship of God and thanksgiving and also prayers for help, protection and salvation.

Qn11: What was the symbol of God’s covenant with Noah in the Old Testament?
Ans11: A rainbow (Genesis 9:12-17)

Qn12: What did King Solomon ask from God rather than wealth and land? Why?
Ans12: Wisdom, to rule the people of Israel justly (1 Kings 3:9)

The Catholic Church
Qn1: How many days of obligation are there are what are they and when?
Ans1: 4 days. Ascension – 40th day of Easter Sunday, Assumption – 15 Aug, All Saints – 1 Nov, Christmas – 25 Dec

Qn2: We are not allowed to consume food 1hr before mass or before communion? What is the reason for this?
Ans2: Communion. To make ourselves hunger for Christ.

Qn3: Why do we make the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips and heart before the Gospel is said?
Ans3: To call Jesus to be on our minds, our lips and in our hearts.

Qn4: Why do we kneel before we enter the pews? What are we supposed to face towards before/after mass and during mass?
Ans4: As a sign of respect for the Blessed Sacrament or the Eucharist. Before/after mass – towards the tabernacle. During mass – Towards the altar.

Qn5: Why do the altar boys ring the bell during the preparation of the Eucharist?
Ans5: In the olden days, there was no light in churches, so the bells are to inform the congregation that the body and blood is being lifted up.

Qn6: Why is the Church not lit before Easter Vigil?
Ans6: During the period of Good Friday and Easter Vigil, Christ is actually not present at the altar because he has not risen from the dead. But once the first candle is lit, it represents that Jesus has risen and is present with us.

Qn7: What are the different seasonal colours? When are they worn and what do they represent?
Ans7: Green: Nature - Ordinary time, Red: Blood - Pentecost, Palm Sunday and Commemoration of Apostles, Violet: Atonement - Lent, All Souls, Penitential occasions and Advent, White: Purity - Christmas, Maundy Thursday, Trinity Sunday, Feast of the Lord, All Saints, Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Commemoration of Saints and Easter.

Qn8: How many sets of prayers does a priest say in a day? What are these prayers called? Why is this important?
Ans8: 5 sets – Office reading, morning prayer, afternoon prayer, evening prayer and night prayer. The Divine Office. So that there is constantly someone praying for the Church, the world and all Catholics.

Qn9: What is the difference between Franciscans, Dominicans and Carmelites, in terms of the kind of life they live?
Ans9: Franciscans – Live a life of poverty. Dominicans – Live a life of contemplation and preaching. Carmelites- Live a life of prayer and meditation.

Qn10: What is the difference between the host and the Eucharist?
Ans10: The host is the bread before it is consecrated while the Eucharist is the consecrated host.

Qn11: How did the miraculous medal came about?
Ans11: Our Lady of Grace appeared to Catherine Laboure in 1830 and showed her a vision of the medal. Catherine was told to promote it and all who wears it round their neck and pray to the Mother of God will receive great graces and her protection.

Qn12: What are the 2 liturgies and what is their purpose?
Qns12: Liturgy of the Word – Jesus is the way to the Father so we are to live the way of Christ in order to reach the Father and the Word gives us direction to live His life. Liturgy of the Eucharist – Prepare us to receive Jesus and then sent to spread the Good News.

Qn13: Why do priests kiss the altar before beginning mass?
Ans13: The altar represents the table of Christ and the relics of saints and martyrs. The Church thrives on persecution and we are here today because of all the past saints and martyrs.

GII History
Qn1: How many years did GII caroled at Hard Rock Café?
Ans1: 2 years

Qn2: What are the full names of our 3 founders?
Ans2: Melvin Tan Lai Hock, Valarian Cheong Seng Luong and Christopher Charles De Silva

Qn3: Where did we go for our 18th anniversary?
Ans3: Bedok South Ave 3 Blk 168

Qn4: What is the old URL of GII’s website? What is the new URL?
Ans4: www.geocities.com/genesis2choir and http://pteryx.com/darren/g2

Qn5: What is the barcode number found on the ‘Can Sing’ tee? Hint: GII’s birthday
Ans5: 05-11-1983-0511

Qn6: Where did GII first start having choir practices? What time did they start?
Ans6: At Chris’s house at 1pm – 3pm.

Qn7: Name 10 instruments that have been played in GII history?
Ans7: Saxophone, clarinet, flute, cabasa, tambourine, bongo, drums, guitar, organ piano, trumpet, glockenspiel, violin, bell-lyre and congo pipes.

Qn8: Which was the first pure genesian couple? How many kids do they have now?
Ans8: Isabel Sankaran and Adrian Wee. 3 kids

Qn9: Who was our first Spiritual Director? Who is our supposed spiritual director now?
Ans9: Father Alfred Chan. Fr Patrick Goh.

Qn10: Why were we named GII?
Ans10: There was a rock band named Genesis. They were sure they wanted from Genesis because it signified a new beginning and Genesis II is when God created and completed the whole universe.

Qn11: Whose house to date is being used the most for GII functions and meetings?
Ans11: The Sankaran Residence

Qn12: Spell out the name of the present spiritual committee? What was the original name of the spiritual committee? Spell it out.
Ans12: Leadersheep. Gutbuchs (pronounced good books)

Gospel
Qn1: Name the 12 apostles.
Ans1: Simon Peter, James and John son of Zebedee, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Patriot and Judas Iscariot. (Mark 3:16-19)

Qn2: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb”. Name the 2 who said these lines to Mary and when did they say it?
Ans2: Angel Gabriel – at the annunciation. (Luke 1:28) Elizabeth – When Mary visited her. (Luke 1:42)

Qn3: Who was Isaiah talking about when he said, “Someone is shouting in the desert, prepare a road for the Lord, make a straight path for Him to travel”? What did he meant by this?
Ans3: John the Baptist. He is sent to preach the coming of Jesus and prepare the way for him by baptizing the repentant.

Qn4: How did Satan tempt Jesus during His 40days stay in the desert and what was Jesus’ reply to each of the temptation?
Ans4: To turn stone into bread – “Man cannot live on bread alone.” To throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple – “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Promised Jesus all the power and glory of the kingdoms if he worships him – “Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.” (Luke 4:3-12)

Qn5: Jesus said: “do your best to go in through the narrow door; because many people will surely try to go in but will not be able.” What is this narrow door that Jesus is talking about? Why will many try but not be able to go in?
Ans5: (Luke 13:24) The narrow door to heaven. Many wants to enter the kingdom of heaven but it is not easy.

Qn6: Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? What lesson have we learn from this incident?
Ans6: A tree which bears no fruit is useless. It is better off dead. (Luke 13:7) If we believe and do not doubt, we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer (Matt 21:22) and if we forgive everything we have against anyone, God will forgive our wrongs. (Mark 11:25)

Qn7: During the transfiguration of Jesus, Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain. There, Jesus’ appearance changed before their eyes and his face shone like the sun and his clothes became bright as light. Who appeared to them? And what did Peter say? What happened?
Ans7: Moses and Elijah appeared. Peter said, “If you so wish, I will make three tents; one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. “A voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, my Chosen One. Listen to Him.” (Mark 9:2-7)

Qn8: One of the disciples asked Jesus,” Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?”
Ans8: He who humbles himself and becomes like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:1-5)

Qn9: How many Stations of the Cross are there? What is the second station? What does this station represent?
Ans 9: 14. Jesus carries his cross – represents Jesus carrying the weight of the sins of the world on his shoulders.

Qn10: When Jesus said, “... The harvest is rich, but the workers are few… I am sending you like lambs among wolves set off without purse or bag or sandals… whatever house you enter, bless the house by saying ‘Peace to this home’.” How many disciples did he send out?
Ans10: 72. (Luke 10:1-6)

Qn11: Who said to Jesus,” The half of my goods, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I pay him back four times as much”? Who said this and what was God’s reply?
Ans11: Zachheus. And God said, “Salvation has come to this house today, for this man is also a true son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:8-10)

Qn12: What were the roman soldier’s exact words when Jesus went to his house to heal his servant?
Ans12: Lord I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed (Matthew 8:8)

Qn13: From which mountain did Jesus ascend to heaven?
Ans13: Mount Olives

Qn14: What is INRI?
Ans14: Jesus the Nazareth, King of the Jews

Qn15: What are the languages that Jesus spoke?
Ans15: Hebrew and Aramaic