from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards Selection

1. As a preacher, Edwards uses his sermon to

A raise money for his church.
B frighten his congregation into seizing the opportunity of salvation.
C persuade his congregation to have faith in God.
D rouse his congregation to revolt against England.
2. What is the central message of the sermon?
A There is no hope for salvation.
B The only hope for salvation is in good deeds.
C The only hope for salvation is through Christian rebirth.
D Sinners can save their souls through constant prayer.
3. Edwards's vivid descriptions of Hell are meant to
A frighten his audience.
B amuse his audience.
C fascinate his audience.
D make his audience feel superior.
4. Which of these people or forces does the sermon indicate is the most powerful?
A Hell
B God
C the congregations as a whole
D preachers like Edwards
5. What contrasting images does Edwards use to describe God's wrath?
A heat and cold
B sunlight and rain
C darkness and light
D fire and wter
6. Edwards uses the phrase dead in sin to describe
A people who have died while in the midst of evil activities.
B those who have not yet experienced the grace of conversion.
C those whose sins have caused their deaths.
D people who are not religious and never attend church.
7. Edwards compares each of his listeners to a spider, or some loathsome insect [held]
over
the fire in order to stress a human being's
A powerlessness in comparison to God.
B unimportance in God's plan.
C ugliness in God's eyes.
D courage in the face of God's wrath.
8. Toward the end of the sermon, Edwards's tone shifts from
A sorrowful to joyous.
B joyous to resentful.

C frightening to hopeful.
D sympathetic to bitter.
9. To which chief emotion does Edwards appeal in the following passage of the sermon?
How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To see so many others feasting, while you
are pining and perishing.
A grief
B envy
C sympathy
D joy
10. One popular method of persuasion is the bandwagon technique, which suggests that a
person should do something because everyone else is doing it. Which of these passages best
illustrates that technique?
A This is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ.
B Those that are gone from being in the like circumstances with you, see that it was
so with them; for destruction came suddenly upon most of them.
C Many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very
lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state.
D Therefore let everyone that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to
come.
11. The use of a biblical quotation at the end of the sermon strengthens Edwards's argument
by
A associating it with an authority respected by his audience.
B appealing to the audience's love of poetry.
C changing the tone of the sermon.
D emphasizing Edwards's point about God's mercy.
12. Based on the context clues, what does gulf most likely mean in this passage:
If God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into
the bottomless gulf.
A gasoline or oil
B wide gap
C shallow water
D cloud
13. Based on the context clues, what does exquisite most likely mean in this passage?
There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery.
A very beautiful
B mildly attractive
C necessary
D sharp; intense
14. What does the prefix omni- mean?
A all; everywhere
B high; atop; above
C knowing; wise
D powerful

15. Which sentence uses a comparative or superlative adjective correctly?

A Of all the sermons I've read Jonathan Edwards's is the more dramatic.
B He shows Hell to be more awfuller than I ever pictured it before.
C People who deliver the sermon now usually invest it with a great deal of emotion,
but Edwards originally gave it in a more calm voice.
D Perhaps his quiet tones made the delivery more effective.