Lesson 2C.1.1

2C.1.1 Origins of the Reformation, c1500–1531 Quiz: AQA History, Unit 14

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 2C.1.1, Origins of the Reformation, c1500–1531: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA History (7042), Unit 14: 2C The Reformation in Europe, c1500–1564, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What did Martin Luther publish in 1517 that is generally taken as the start of the Reformation?

    • The Imperial Edict of Worms, condemning his teachings
    • The Institutes of the Christian Religion, on salvation
    • The Augsburg Confession, setting out Lutheran doctrine
    • The Ninety-Five Theses, criticising the sale of indulgences

  2. Which pope was reigning when Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517?

    • Clement VII
    • Julius II
    • Alexander VI
    • Leo X

  3. Which pope, notorious for nepotism and corruption, reigned from 1492 to 1503?

    • Alexander VI
    • Sixtus IV
    • Julius II
    • Innocent VIII

  4. Which humanist scholar wrote In Praise of Folly and edited a Greek edition of the New Testament?

    • Erasmus of Rotterdam
    • Thomas More
    • Philip Melanchthon
    • Huldrych Zwingli

  5. Which English humanist was Dean of St Paul's and founded St Paul's School in London?

    • Thomas Cranmer
    • John Fisher
    • John Colet
    • Thomas Wolsey

  6. What was the outcome of the Diet of Worms in 1521 for Martin Luther?

    • He was elected Holy Roman Emperor by the German princes
    • He was declared an outlaw and his writings were banned by imperial edict
    • He was made a cardinal and given control of the German Church
    • He was given a free pardon and permitted to preach across Germany

  7. Which elector protected Luther after the Diet of Worms and gave him refuge at the Wartburg?

    • Albert of Brandenburg
    • Frederick the Wise of Saxony
    • Philip of Hesse
    • Maximilian I of Bavaria

  8. Which radical reformer, a colleague of Luther in Wittenberg, pushed for iconoclasm and the removal of religious images in 1522?

    • Andreas Karlstadt
    • Johann Tetzel
    • Johann Eck
    • Johann Reuchlin

  9. Which Swiss reformer began preaching reform in Zurich in 1519?

    • Martin Bucer
    • Huldrych Zwingli
    • John Knox
    • Johannes Calvin

  10. Which papal bull of June 1520 threatened Luther with excommunication unless he recanted?

    • Laudabiliter
    • Quo Primum
    • Exsurge Domine
    • Unam Sanctam

  11. What was the response of Luther to the German Peasants' War of 1524-25?

    • He appealed to Charles V to protect the peasants from the princes
    • He called for a general council of the Church to reform the peasant revolt
    • He joined the peasants and called for the abolition of serfdom
    • He condemned the rebels in a pamphlet urging princes to crush them

  12. Which 1530 document, drafted by Melanchthon, set out Lutheran beliefs to Emperor Charles V at Augsburg?

    • The Twelve Articles
    • The Book of Concord
    • The Augsburg Confession
    • The Schmalkaldic Articles

  13. Which Swiss reformer was killed in battle at Kappel in 1531?

    • Martin Bucer
    • William Farel
    • Huldrych Zwingli
    • John Calvin

  14. Why did the sale of indulgences by Johann Tetzel provoke Luther in 1517?

    • Tetzel had banned the reading of the Bible in German in all German parishes
    • Tetzel had been appointed Archbishop of Mainz by the Pope without consulting Luther
    • Tetzel had forbidden the baptism of infants in the Electorate of Saxony
    • Tetzel promised that indulgences could save the souls of the dead, and Luther saw this as a dangerous exploitation of believers

  15. Which Holy Roman Emperor faced Luther at the Diet of Worms in 1521?

    • Maximilian I
    • Charles V
    • Frederick III
    • Ferdinand I

  16. Which noble-led revolt of 1522-23 was crushed after Franz von Sickingen's forces were defeated?

    • The Anabaptist rising at Munster
    • The Revolt of the Imperial Knights
    • The Schmalkaldic War
    • The Peasants' War of Thuringia

  17. Who collaborated closely with Luther and wrote the Augsburg Confession?

    • Philip Melanchthon
    • Johann Eck
    • Thomas Muntzer
    • Johann Tetzel

  18. Which best evaluates the condition of the Church around 1500 as a cause of the Reformation?

    • The Church was entirely free of criticism and had no internal problems before 1517
    • Criticism came only from outside Europe and had no impact on the Catholic faithful
    • Corruption, clerical abuses and the financial demands of the papacy created widespread resentment and demand for reform
    • The Church was too weak to influence government, so reformers faced no opposition

  19. Which best explains the role of printing in the early spread of Lutheran ideas?

    • Printing was controlled by the papacy, which used it to publish Luther's works in Latin
    • Printing allowed Luther's pamphlets and Bibles to reach a wide audience quickly, and it helped build a movement
    • Printing had little effect because most Germans could not read
    • Printing was banned in all German territories from 1517, so ideas spread only by word of mouth

  20. Which best evaluates the Peasants' War of 1524-25 for the Reformation?

    • It made Lutheranism the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire in 1525
    • It strengthened the peasants and led to the abolition of serfdom across Germany
    • It damaged the reputation of the Lutheran movement and encouraged princes to back the Lutheran churches
    • It had no lasting impact because it took place only in the Swiss cantons

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