The St. Patrick's Day Quiz!

I love St. Patrick's Day. I like having a holiday with my name in it for one thing, and it's my dad's birthday, but I also love it because I am a big fan of St. Patrick. More on that later this week. First, test your knowledge of all things St. Patrick!

1. What country was Patrick born in?
A.France
B.Britain
C.Italy
D.Germany

2. What were the circumstances of Patrick’s first visit to Ireland?
A.He was banished there by his father, a British tribal king
B.His ship wrecked there, and he was rescued by Irish fishermen
C.He was ordered to go there as a missionary by Pope Boniface III
D.He was kidnapped by pirates and taken as a slave

3. St. Patrick’s Day is the traditional day of his:
A.Birth
B.Death
C.Conversion
D.Ascension to the bishopric

4. Which of the following does Patrick not confess to in his “Confession?”
A.Baptizing thousands of people
B.Not believing in God before he became a slave
C.Having a concubine as a young man
D.Committing as a missionary to Ireland due to a vision

5. Besides his confession, the only other surviving work by Patrick is a letter to British bishops urging the excommunication of a British king named Coroticus. Why did Patrick want him excommunicated?
A. His soldiers committed human sacrifice
B. He urged a different date for the celebration of Easter
C. He encouraged his followers to celebrate pagan holy days
D. His soldiers kidnapped and made slaves of some of Patrick’s converts

6. What is “St. Patrick’s Breastplate?”
A. An ancient Irish poem/prayer attributed to Patrick
B. A piece of ancient armor traditionally worn by Christian Celtic kings
C. A cliff near Patrick’s burial place, named for its distinctive shape
D. A shield on which the story of Patrick is inscribed

7. Which of the following is not attributed to Patrick in Irish legend?
A.Banishing snakes from Ireland
B.Using the shamrock to teach about the Trinity
C.Blessing the water-plantain so it could be used to drive off fairies
D.Killing the Basilisk (the chicken-headed serpent who killed with a gaze!)
E.Driving out the dragon Ollipheist

8. Patrick is NOT the patron saint of which of the following?
A.Ireland
B.Freed slaves
C.Engineers
D.Boston
E.Nigeria

9. True or false: Patrick has never been canonized (declared a saint) by a Pope.

10. Which of the following was not born of St. Patrick’s day?
A.Kurt Russell
B.Rob Lowe
C.James Madison
D.Nat King Cole



Answers: 1 -B, 2 -D, 3 -B, 4 -C (that was Augustine's confession), 5 -D (for obvious reasons, Patrick wasn't a big fan of slavery), 6 -A (more on this later), 7 -D, 8 -B, 9 - True (back in the day, saints were canonized regionally),10 - C (March 16, ha!)