Book of Esther Quiz

1. The book of Esther opens with a grand feast given by King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) in the Persian capital. Where was the feast held and how long did the celebration last?

1. In Babylon; the feast lasted 40 days to mark the king's third year on the throne
2. In Ecbatana; the feast lasted seven days
3. In Persepolis; the celebration lasted a full year as the king reviewed all his military commanders
4. In Susa; the king held a great banquet for 180 days to display his wealth, followed by a seven-day banquet for all the people

2. Queen Vashti was removed from her position because she refused to come when the king summoned her. Why had the king summoned her?

1. To consult her about matters of state before his military advisers
2. To display her beauty to the people and nobles — he wanted to show her off at his banquet
3. To officially bless the marriage of one of his officials whom the feast was celebrating
4. To present her with a royal gift publicly, honouring her as queen before the assembled guests

3. Why did the king's advisers urge him to punish Vashti severely and remove her permanently?

1. They argued that a queen who defied the king's authority had proven herself unfit to rule alongside him
2. They feared that without punishment, Vashti's refusal would become known throughout the empire and other wives would despise their husbands
3. They suspected Vashti was plotting against the king with foreign powers
4. They wanted a Greek wife for the king to strengthen the empire's western alliances

4. Who were Mordecai and Esther, and what was their relationship?

1. Mordecai was a merchant from the tribe of Judah who had taken in his niece Esther when her parents were killed in a Persian persecution
2. Mordecai was a Persian official who had adopted the Jewish girl Esther as his daughter after her parents died; they were from the tribe of Benjamin
3. Mordecai was Esther's father and a Levite priest who had been brought to Persia during the exile
4. Mordecai was Esther's uncle and guardian — a descendant of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin; Esther was his cousin, orphaned and raised as his own daughter

5. When Esther was taken into the palace as a candidate to replace Vashti, Mordecai gave her strict instructions. What did he tell her not to reveal?

1. Her Jewish nationality and family background
2. That she had already been promised to a young man from Benjamin before being brought to the palace
3. That she was observing Jewish dietary laws and feast days while in the palace
4. That she was related to Mordecai, who served at the king's gate

6. What did Esther do when she first arrived at the palace under Hegai's care, and how did people respond to her?

1. Esther pleased him and won his favour — he immediately provided her with beauty treatments and special food, gave her seven maids and moved her and her maids into the best quarters
2. She asked to observe Jewish customs and fasts, which impressed Hegai with her devotion and discipline
3. She performed exceptionally well in all the tests and was immediately moved to the head of the candidates
4. She was quiet and unassuming, not seeking favour, and this restraint made Hegai respect her above the others

7. How did King Ahasuerus respond when he saw Esther, and what did he do?

1. He chose Esther from among twelve finalists after a week of deliberation with his advisers
2. He immediately proclaimed her queen and held a great feast in her honour which became known throughout the provinces
3. He was pleased with her and asked her to come again the next day before making his decision
4. The king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti

8. While Mordecai sat at the king's gate, he discovered a plot. What was it, and what did he do?

1. He discovered that Haman was planning to divert tax revenues to fund a private army — he reported this to Esther who told the king in Mordecai's name
2. He discovered that the king's treasury was being systematically robbed by corrupt officials and reported it through proper channels
3. He learned that a Persian faction was planning to restore Vashti as queen — he reported this to the palace officials
4. He overheard two of the king's officers plotting to assassinate King Ahasuerus — he told Esther and the plot was thwarted; the incident was recorded in the royal annals

9. Haman the Agagite was elevated by King Ahasuerus above all the other nobles. Why was Mordecai singled out for Haman's hatred?

1. Haman was an Amalekite and knew that Mordecai from the tribe of Benjamin was descended from Saul who had defeated his people
2. Mordecai had publicly criticised Haman's appointment as being an insult to the older, more experienced nobles
3. Mordecai had reported corruption involving Haman's family to the king's officials years earlier
4. Mordecai refused to kneel down or pay honour to Haman — and when Haman learned Mordecai was a Jew, his contempt expanded to all the Jewish people

10. How did Haman determine the best month and day to carry out the massacre of the Jews?

1. He asked the king's astrologers to determine the day when Persian power over foreign peoples was at its greatest
2. He cast the pur (lot) in the presence of Haman — and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (Adar)
3. He chose the anniversary of a great Persian military victory — a day already associated with the defeat of enemies
4. He consulted the Zoroastrian priests who read the stars and identified the most auspicious day

11. Haman approached King Ahasuerus with a request to destroy 'a certain people.' What argument did he make to the king, and what did he offer?

1. He claimed the Jews were planning a revolt and had secret communications with Persia's enemies — offering his personal forces to put down the threat
2. He presented forged evidence that the Jews had been conspiring with Egypt and offered to remove them if given the authority to do so
3. He said these people were a threat to Persian security — disloyal and dangerous — and offered to manage the operation himself
4. He told the king there was a group of people scattered throughout the provinces whose customs were different from others and who did not obey the king's laws — offering to pay ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury to destroy them

12. When Mordecai learned of the edict, he mourned publicly. When Esther was told of his mourning, she sent clothes for him. Why did he refuse them?

1. He could not put on clothes while he was in mourning and wearing sackcloth — he sent back the clothes and a message about the edict
2. He saw the clothing as a bribe to make him quiet down and would not accept anything that might silence his protest
3. He was fasting in preparation for death and would not accept any comfort until God had answered his prayer
4. The clothing was from the Persian court and he refused to wear anything associated with the king who had signed his people's death warrant

13. Esther's first response to Mordecai's plea was to explain her hesitation. What was the law she described?

1. Anyone, man or woman, who approached the king in the inner court without being summoned would be put to death — unless the king extended his golden sceptre, which meant he would live
2. Only the king's council of seven could present petitions — anyone else who entered the inner court would be killed unless the king extended his golden sceptre
3. The queen was forbidden from appearing in public during a royal edict — she had to wait for the official mourning period to pass before approaching the king
4. Women were not permitted to discuss matters of state with the king — such petitions had to go through the chief eunuch

14. Mordecai's famous reply to Esther's hesitation is one of the key speeches in the book. What did he say?

1. 'Esther, do not think that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. You must act or perish with us'
2. 'Esther, God has placed you here for a reason — if you trust him and go to the king, he will protect you, for he has never abandoned his people'
3. 'Esther, if you remain silent now, relief and deliverance will come from another place — but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'
4. 'Esther, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not preserve us in Babylon only to abandon us now. Trust in him and do what must be done'

15. Esther's response to Mordecai showed her transformation from hesitant to courageous. What did she say and do?

1. She asked Mordecai to arrange for prayers at the synagogue and promised to go to the king after the Sabbath
2. She asked Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Susa to fast for three days on her behalf — then she would go to the king, saying 'If I perish, I perish'
3. She prayed through the night and then went to the king the next morning without further delay
4. She told Mordecai she was not afraid to die and would go immediately — without waiting or asking for prayers

16. When Esther approached the king unsummoned and he saw her, what happened?

1. He extended his golden sceptre to her and asked 'What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you'
2. He immediately summoned his guards but then recognised Esther and commanded them to stand down
3. The king rose from his throne, came down to meet her and asked what was troubling her
4. The king was angry at first but then saw her distress and extended his golden sceptre — Esther touched the top of it

17. Rather than making her request immediately, Esther invited the king to a banquet. Then at that banquet, she asked for another banquet the next day. What strategy was she employing?

1. She needed more time to pray and fast before asking her real request, so she delayed with two banquets
2. She was afraid and could not bring herself to make the request — the second banquet was another postponement driven by fear
3. She was building the king's anticipation and goodwill — and gaining time to ensure Haman was present when her revelation would have maximum impact
4. She was following a Persian court protocol that required petitions to be presented only at the third meeting

18. Haman left Esther's first banquet elated — but his mood was immediately ruined. By whom and how?

1. He learned that Esther's identity as a Jew was about to be revealed and that he was about to be exposed
2. He passed Mordecai at the king's gate who still refused to bow or show deference, and Haman's fury returned
3. He received news that some of the provincial governors were refusing to enforce his edict
4. His wife reminded him of all the humiliations Mordecai had caused him, amplifying his rage

19. At his wife Zeresh's suggestion, Haman ordered a gallows to be built before his house. What were its dimensions and what did he plan to do with it?

1. Fifteen cubits high; he planned to hang Mordecai on it and then ask the king to let it stand as a monument to his enemies' fate
2. Fifty cubits high — about seventy-five feet; he planned to ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai on it the next morning before going to Esther's banquet
3. Thirty cubits high; he planned to display Mordecai's body there as a warning to anyone else who might show disrespect to Persian officials
4. Twenty cubits high — about thirty feet; he planned to have Mordecai hanged privately without involving the king

20. The book of Esther is unique in the Old Testament for a striking omission. What is it?

1. God is never directly mentioned by name in the entire book
2. It contains no reference to the temple, the priesthood or any sacrificial ceremony
3. No character prays explicitly in the book — fasting is mentioned but no prayer is recorded
4. The book contains no law, prophecy or direct revelation from God — it reads entirely as a historical narrative

21. The night before Esther's second banquet, the king could not sleep. What did he do, and what was read to him?

1. He called for music to be played and the court scribes began recounting the history of the empire to soothe him
2. He ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him — and they read the account of Mordecai exposing the assassination plot
3. He summoned his wise men for counsel about the meaning of a dream he had
4. He walked in the palace gardens and found the scroll of Esther's petition from before her appointment as queen

22. When the king found that Mordecai had never been rewarded for saving his life, he asked who was in the court. Haman had just arrived early in the morning. Why had Haman come so early?

1. Haman had been summoned early by the king's chamberlain to advise on a legal matter
2. Haman had come to present the king with gifts in preparation for Esther's banquet
3. He had come to ask the king to sign a formal order elevating him even further above the other nobles
4. He had come to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had prepared

23. The king asked Haman, 'What should be done for the man the king delights to honour?' Haman assumed the king meant him. What elaborate honour did Haman suggest?

1. Give him a seat at the king's table, a golden crown and a royal sword of honour
2. Grant him the title of prince, a palace in the capital and immunity from all taxes and legal obligations for life
3. Have the man wear royal robes and be led through the city on the king's own horse while a noble proclaims: This is what is done for the man the king delights to honour!
4. Let him sit at the king's right hand for a full day and receive the greetings of all the nobles and officials

24. The king immediately told Haman to do exactly that for Mordecai. How did Haman respond and what did he do afterward?

1. He asked the king if someone else could carry out the honour and was refused
2. He obeyed the letter of the command but deliberately took Mordecai through the back streets to minimise his public visibility
3. He obeyed without comment — he robed Mordecai and led him through the city — then rushed home in grief and covered his head
4. He objected and the king had to command him a second time before he complied

25. At Esther's second banquet, the king again offered Esther up to half his kingdom. What was Esther's request?

1. 'If I have found favour with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life — this is my petition. And spare my people — this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated'
2. She asked for a public ceremony honouring Mordecai before revealing the full scope of Haman's plot
3. She asked that the edict against the Jews be annulled and those responsible be punished
4. She first asked for Haman to leave the room, then presented her case to the king alone

26. When Esther identified Haman as 'this vile Haman,' what was the king's immediate reaction?

1. He called his guards and had Haman arrested immediately
2. He drew his sword and threatened Haman with immediate execution
3. He left the table in a rage and went into the palace garden — Haman stayed to beg for his life from Esther
4. He sent all the servants from the room so he could deal with Haman privately

27. What was the incident that sealed Haman's fate when the king returned from the garden?

1. Haman had tried to flee the palace and was caught by the guards at the gate
2. Haman knocked over the king's wine in his panic, which was considered a capital offence in Persian custom
3. Haman was found threatening Esther with a hidden knife
4. The king found Haman fallen on the couch where Esther was reclining — and concluded he was assaulting the queen

28. One of the king's eunuchs pointed out that Haman had prepared something particularly fitting for his fate. What was it?

1. A forged document bearing the king's seal authorising further oppression of the Jews
2. A list of all the Jews in Susa who were to be killed — the king used it to arrest Haman's co-conspirators instead
3. A petition to the king's advisers asking that Esther be removed as queen on grounds of her Jewish ancestry
4. A pole fifty cubits high at Haman's house, which Haman had intended to use to impale Mordecai

29. After Haman's execution, the king gave his estate to Esther and his signet ring to Mordecai. What role did Mordecai then assume?

1. Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's estate — and the king took off his signet ring and gave it to Mordecai
2. He became the king's chief adviser and personal secretary
3. He became the official governor of Judah, tasked with leading Jewish exiles back to Jerusalem
4. He was appointed to the king's council of seven advisers and given authority over all Jewish affairs in the empire

30. Esther came before the king again, weeping and begging. What problem remained even after Haman's death?

1. Haman had already sent secret messengers to the provincial governors with advance orders before his arrest
2. Haman's sons had taken over his plan and were carrying it out in the eastern provinces without the king's knowledge
3. The edict calling for the destruction of all Jews throughout the Persian empire was still in force — it could not simply be revoked
4. The king's advisers argued that reversing the edict would make the king look weak before the other nations

31. Since the first edict could not be cancelled, how did Mordecai and Esther solve the problem?

1. Mordecai arranged for the key officials in each province to secretly reassure the Jews that the edict would not be enforced
2. The king announced a royal holiday on the day of the planned massacre, which technically cancelled all civil obligations including the edict
3. The king issued a second edict allowing the Jews to assemble, protect themselves and destroy any armed forces that attacked them
4. They sent a letter announcing that the first edict was a forgery — Haman had forged the king's seal

32. Mordecai left the king's presence wearing something remarkable. What was his attire, and what was the mood in the city?

1. He wore his own finest Jewish garments, displaying his identity proudly for the first time — and the streets were filled with celebration
2. He wore royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen — and the city of Susa held a joyful celebration
3. He wore the high priest's robes, signalling that God had restored his people — the Jews throughout the city fasted and prayed in thanksgiving
4. He wore the king's own robe — a sign of the highest honour — and the city of Susa cheered

33. What unexpected effect did the second edict have among the peoples of the Persian provinces?

1. Many people fled the areas where Jews lived, fearing retaliation for past mistreatment
2. Many people of other nationalities became Jews — because fear of the Jews had seized them
3. Many Persians who had been planning to attack Jews on the appointed day handed themselves over to the authorities
4. The provincial governors sent gifts to Mordecai as a sign of their goodwill toward the Jewish people

34. When the appointed day came (the thirteenth of Adar), the Jews fought their enemies. How many people were killed in Susa, and what did Esther then request?

1. Five hundred men in Susa on the first day plus three hundred on the second day after Esther requested an extension; Haman's ten sons were also killed and impaled
2. Five hundred men in Susa plus ten thousand in the provinces; Esther asked that the Jews be allowed to keep the plunder they had taken
3. One thousand men in Susa; Esther asked that those responsible for Haman's plot in the eastern provinces also be punished
4. Three hundred men in Susa; Esther asked that Haman's sons be publicly executed as a deterrent to future attackers

35. The Jews did not take plunder even though the second edict authorised it. Why does the text note this three times?

1. All three proposed reasons are offered by commentators as explanations — the text does not specify the reason but the repetition is clearly deliberate
2. It emphasises that the Jews fought purely in self-defence — their motivation was survival, not enrichment
3. Taking plunder would have been illegal under Jewish law even if the Persian king permitted it
4. The narrator highlights it to contrast with Saul's failure to obey God completely in his battle against Agag — Israel learned from that earlier error

36. Mordecai and Esther established a new Jewish festival to commemorate these events. What is it called, and why?

1. Purim — named after the word pur (lot), because Haman had cast lots to determine the day of the massacre
2. The Days of Adar — named for the month in which the Jews defeated their enemies
3. The Feast of Esther — named after the queen whose courage made the rescue possible
4. The Festival of Deliverance — named for God's miraculous rescue of his people from certain death

37. The letter establishing Purim specified what the Jews were to do on these days each year. What were the observances?

1. A day of rest from all labour, gathering in the synagogue and reading the account of Haman's defeat
2. Both feasting with gift-giving on the festival days AND fasting on the day before (the Fast of Esther), as Esther had established before approaching the king
3. Fasting, prayer and reading the book of Esther in the synagogue
4. Feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor

38. The book of Esther ends with a brief note about Mordecai. What position did he hold, and what was his legacy?

1. He returned to Jerusalem to help lead the restoration of the temple and the Jewish community in the Promised Land
2. He served as the king's viceroy for the rest of his life, widely respected in Persia and among his own people
3. He wrote the book of Esther himself and established a school for the training of Jewish young people in the Persian court
4. Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, preeminent among the Jews and held in high esteem — he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews

39. The story of Esther has parallels to the story of Joseph in Genesis. What is one of the most obvious structural similarities?

1. Both received prophetic dreams that predicted their future elevation and the downfall of their enemies
2. Both refused to worship pagan gods and were punished for it before being vindicated by the pagan king
3. Both were foreigners who rose to the second highest position in a pagan empire through wisdom and God's favour, and used their position to save their people from destruction
4. Both were Jews who faced false accusations and were thrown into prison before being elevated to second-in-command

40. Purim is still celebrated by Jewish people today. Which of these is a traditional Purim custom practised in Jewish communities?

1. A day of silence in which no one may speak between sunrise and sunset, in memory of the Jews who could not speak freely under the edict
2. Fasting for three days and then breaking the fast with a communal meal, in memory of Esther's fast
3. Planting trees in memory of Haman's execution and the trees of the Persian gardens
4. Reading the Megillah (book of Esther) aloud in the synagogue and making noise to drown out Haman's name whenever it is read