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pioneerjeopardy! ( + + )

Old Testament and Pioneer Jeopardy!

Several years ago I devised a fun Jeopardy game that I used for a Young Men / Young Women activity.  I came up with the questions and answers myself, and it was an enjoyable activity.  I arranged to have electronic buzzers for the youth, similar to the buzzers seen on the TV version of Jeopardy.  I have listed the categories, questions, and answers below.

  • Single Jeopardy — Church History
    • Category One – Translating the Book of Mormon
      • $100 Question — He lost 116 pages of translated Book of Mormon manuscript.  Answer –  Martin Harris
      • $200 Question — Names of 3 persons who served as scribes during the translation process.  Answer – Emma Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris.
      • $300 Question — It took Joseph Smith this length of actual working time to complete the translation of the plates.  Answer — Just over two months
      • $400 Question — He provided paper, fish, grain, and potatoes for Joseph during the translation.  Answer — Joseph Knight, Sr.
      • $500 Question — The translation was completed at this man’s farm.  Answer — Peter Whitmer.
    • Category Two — Joseph Smith, Jr.
      • $100 Question — The age of Joseph Smith at the time of the First Vision.  Answer — 14 years old.
      • $200 Question — This person appeared to Joseph for the first time on September 21, 1823.   Answer — Moroni.
      • $300 Question — At age 7 Joseph contracted typhoid fever, which caused a severe bone infection.  Which body part was affected?  Answer — Left leg.
      • $400 Question — The name of Joseph’s father-in-law.  Answer — Isaac Hale.
      • $500 Question — The name of the doctor who performed surgery on 7-year old Joseph.  Answer — Dr. Nathan Smith.
    • Category Three — The First Vision
      • $100 Question —  His was the first voice that Joseph heard during the vision.  Answer — God, The Father
      • $200 Question —  The year and the season of the year in which the First Vision occurred.  Answer — The spring of 1820.
      • $300 Question — Joseph was living with his family in this town and state when the First Vision occurred.  Answer — Palmyra, New York.
      • $400 Question — The position of Joseph’s body when the Vision ended.  Answer — Lying on his back.
      • $500 Question — The book, chapter, and verse where Joseph read “If any of you lack wisdom…”, which led him to pray in the Grove.  Answer — James 1:5.
    • Category Four — The Golden Plates
      • $100 Question — The year that Joseph finally received the plates.  Answer — 1827.
      • $200 Question — Two other objects that Moroni showed the Three Witnesses besides the golden plates.  Answer — Sword of Laban, brass plates, Liahona.
      • $300 Question — Moroni’s visits to Joseph spanned this number of years, as Joseph prepared himself to receive the plates.  Answer — Four.
      • $400 Question — The city and state in which Joseph began the translation of the plates.  Answer — Harmony, Pennsylvania.
      • $500 Question — The 3 objects that Joseph saw in the stone box on the Hill Cumorah.  Answer — The plates, the Urim and Thummim, the breastplate.
    • Category Five — The Book of Mormon
      • $100 Question — Name the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon.  Answer — David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris.
      • $200 Question — Name the printer who printed the first 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon.  Answer — Egbert B. Grandin.
      • $300 Question — Name the missionary who sold a copy of the Book of Mormon to Phineas Young, Brigham Young’s brother.  Answer — Samuel Smith.
      • $400 Question — What was the cost of printing the first 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon?  Answer — $3000.
      • $500 Question — Name the ancient language that the Book of Mormon was written in.  Answer — Reformed Egyptian.
    • Category Six — The years 1829 to 1831
      • $100 Question — These three apostles conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood upon Joseph and Oliver.  Answer — Peter, James, John.
      • $200 Question — What is the significance of April 6, 1830, in Fayette, New York?  Answer — The day and place of the organization of the Church.
      • $300 Question — Joseph and Oliver received the Aaronic Priesthood on the banks of this river.  Answer — The Susquehanna River.
      • $400 Question — This faithful sister used faith to break up the ice jam on Lake Erie, as saints traveled to Ohio.  Answer — Lucy Mack Smith.
      • $500 Question — Names of two of the four missionaries called to preach the Gospel to the American Indians in 1830.  Answer — Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer, Ziba Peterson.
  • Double Jeopardy — Church History
    • Category One — Kirtland, Ohio
      • $200 Question — In November of 1831, the Saints voted to publish this book, which contained 70 revelations given to Joseph.  Answer — The Book of Commandments.
      • $400 Question — The names of 3 of the 4 heavenly visitors that restored priesthood keys to Joseph and Oliver in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836.  Answer — Jesus, Moses, Elias, Elijah.
      • $600 Question — The first baptism in England was performed by Heber C. Kimball in this river.  Answer — River Ribble.
      • $800 Question — The name of the group of 207 priesthood leaders that marched from Kirtland to Jackson County, Missouri, to aid the saints.  Answer — Zions’ Camp.
      • $1000 Question — Upon arriving in Kirtland in 1831, Joseph bounded into this man’s store, and calling him by name, said, “Thou art the man.  You prayed me here.  Now what would you have of me?  Answer — Newell K. Whitney.
    • Category Two — Jackson County, Missouri
      • $200 Question — Two young LDS girls risked their lives to save some manuscripts of this book as a mob destroyed the church printing press.  Answer — The Book of Commandments.
      • $400 Question — The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that this city in Jackson County ws to be the center place of Zion, a place for the gathering of the saints.  Answer — Independence.
      • $600 Question — This man served as the first Bishop in Jackson County, and he was tarred and feathered when he refused to renounce the Church.  Answer — Edward Partridge.
      • $800 Question — The Church sought refuge from the mobs by fleeing across the Missouri River to this county.  Answer — Clay County.
      • $1000 Question — The first armed battle that the Saints engaged in was near this river in Jackson County, on July 23, 1833.  Answer — Big Blue River.
    • Category Three — Northern Missouri
      • $200 Question — Seventeen men and boys were massacred by a mob at this small community of Saints in Caldwell County.  Answer — Haun’s Mill.
      • $400 Question — He issued his infamous ‘Extermination Order’ on October 20, 1838.  Answer — Lilburn W. Boggs.
      • $600 Question — The Prophet Joseph and others were illegally imprisoned in this filthy jail during the winter of 1838-1839.  Answer — Liberty Jail.
      • $800 Question — This city, the new county seat of Caldwell County, became the gathering place for the saints after they left Clay County.  Answer — Far West, Missouri.
      • $1000 Question — This apostle was killed in the Battle of Crooked River in October 1838.  Answer — David W. Patten.
    • Category Four — Nauvoo, Illinois
      • $200 Question — More than 1000 men donated every 10th day of labor and women donated coins to build this edifice.  Answer — The Nauvoo Temple.
      • $400 Question — The names of the three books or documents found in the Pearl of Great Price.  Answer — The book of Moses, the book of Abraham, Joseph Smith – Matthew, Joseph Smith history, The Articles of Faith.
      • $600 Question — She was the first president of the Nauvoo Female Relief Society.  Answer — Emma Smtih
      • $800 Question — Seven weeks after Joseph’s death, as this leader addressed the Saints, he sounded like and looked like the prophet Joseph.  Answer — Brigham Young.
      • $1000 Question — This apostle was sent to Jerusalem to dedicate the land of Israel for the return of the Jews.  Answer — Orson Hyde.
    • Category Five — The Martyrdom
      • $200 Question — Joseph and Hyrum were martyred on this date.  Answer — June 27, 1844.
      • $400 Question — This man, the governor of Illinois, promised Joseph safety if he would come to Carthage and surrender, but he broke his promise.  Answer — Thomas Ford.
      • $600 Question — These 3 men were with Joseph in jail on the day of the martyrdom.  Answer — Hyrum Smith, John Taylor, Willard Richards.
      • $800 Question — He was initially jailed with Joseph in Carthage, but Joseph promised him that he would live to serve a mission to Wales.  Answer — Dan Jones.
      • $1000 Question — He wrote these immortal words: “Joseph Smtih , the prophet and seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men that any other man that has ever lived in it.”  Answer — John Taylor.
    • Category Six — Iowa and Nebraska
      • $200 Question — The 541 LDS men who volunteered to serve in the Mexican War were called by this name.  Answer — The Mormon Battalion.
      • $400 Question — John Young called this settlement “The Valley Forge of Mormondom”.  Answer — Winter Quarters.
      • $600 Question — The main body of the Saints left Nauvoo, heading west, in this month of this year.  Answer — February 1846.
      • $800 Question — It took the Saints this number of days to cross the 310 miles from Nauvoo to their settlement in western Iowa.  Answer — 131 days.
    • Category Seven — Westward to Zion
      • $200 Question — He was ill with ‘mountain fever’ when he said, “It is enough.  This is the right place.”  Answer — Brigham Young.
      • $400 Question — A group of Saints traveled west by sailing on this ship from New York to California.  Answer — The Brooklyn.
      • $600 Question — This number of handcart companies crossed the plains between 1856 and 1860.  Answer — Ten.
      • $800 Question — These two men were the first Saints to enter the Salt Lake Valley.  Answer — Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow.
      • $1000 Question — It took the Saints this number of days to cross the 1000 miles from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake Valley.  Answer — 111 days.
  • Final Jeopardy Question
    • The topic is ILLINOIS — Who do the following words apply to: “In life they were not divided, in death they were not separated.”  Answer — Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum Smith.
  • Triple Jeopardy — Bible History
    • Category One — The Creation
      • $300 Question — God rested from his labors on this day.  Answer — The Seventh Day.
      • $600 Question — On the Second Day, God gathered all of “this” into one place.  Answer — Water.
      • $900 Question — At the end of each creative period, God declared his creations to be “this”.  Answer — Good.
      • $1200 Question — The most important or significant creation of the 6th day was this.  Answer — Man.
      • $1500 Question — The lights of the firmament (sun, moon, stars) were created on this day.  Answer — The Fourth Day.
    • Category Two — Life in the Garden
      • $300 Question — The body part from which Eve was created.  Answer — The rib.
      • $600 Question — The creature that was more subtle than any other beast.  Answer — The serpent.
      • $900 Question — The reason that Adam hid himself from the Lord after partaking of the fruit.  Answer — Because he was naked.
      • $1200 Question — After the fall, ‘these’ were placed to prevent Adam and Eve from partaking of the fruit of the tree of life.  Answer — Cherubim and flaming swords.
      • $1500 Question — One of the four rivers that flowed in or near the Garden of Eden.  Answer — Pison, Gihon, Hiddekel, or Euphrates.
    • Category Three — Adam and Eve and their sons
      • $300 Question — He asked this classic question of the Lord, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Answer — Cain.
      • $600 Question — The younger brother of Cain and Abel.  Answer — Seth.
      • $900 Question — Cain’s offering to the Lord was this.  Answer — Fruit of the ground.
      • $1200 Question — Abel’s offering to the Lord was this.  Answer — Firstlings of the flock.
      • $1500 Question — The reason why Adam gave his wife the name of ‘Eve’.  Answer — Because she was the ‘mother of all living’.
    • Category Four — Truly Trivia!
      • $300 Question — The number of chapters in the book of Genesis.  Answer — Fifty.
      • $600 Question — He made his son, Joseph, promise that he would bury his remains in Canaan, not in Egypt.  Answer — Jacob (Israel)
      • $900 Question — Just before Lot fled from Sodom, he tried unsuccessfully to persuade these 2 men to flee with him and his family.  Answer — His two sons-in-law.
      • $1200 Question — The family relationship between Lot and Abraham (how they were related).  Answer — Uncle and nephew.
      • $1500 Question — The two materials that were used to build the Tower of Babel.  Answer — Brick and slime (mortar)
    • Category Five — Noah
      • $300 Question — Give names of two of Noah’s sons.  Answer — Shem, Ham, Japheth.
      • $600 Question — Noah was this age when he begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  Answer — 500 years old.
      • $900 Question — Of the following phrases, the one that was NOT used to describe Noah: 1) A just man  2) Perfect in his generation  3) Without guile  4) He walked with God.  Answer — Without guile.
      • $1200 Question — The first thing Noah did upon leaving the ark, according to the book of Genesis.  Answer — He built an altar and offered sacrifice to God.
      • $1500 Question — Noah was this age when he entered the ark.  Answer — 600 years old.
    • Category Six — “ARK”-eology
      • $300 Question — These two birds were sent out to see if the flood waters had receded.  Answer — A raven and a dove.
      • $600 Question — The ark was made out of this kind of wood.  Answer — Gopher wood.
      • $900 Question — The number of persons that were aboard the ark.  Answer — Eight.
      • $1200 Question — The number of cows on the ark, knowing that cows were considered ‘clean’ beasts.  Answer — Seven.
      • $1500 Question — The flood waters prevailed upon the earth for this number of days.  Answer — 150 days.
  • Double Jeopardy — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
    • Category One — Abraham and Sarah
      • $200 Question — Abraham was so obedient to God that he was even willing to sacrifice ‘this’ to the Lord.  Answer — His son Isaac.
      • $400 Question — Abraham was this number of years old when Isaac was born.  Answer — 100 years old.
      • $600 Question — The person that carried the wood for the sacrificial fire at the top of the mountain when Abraham was to sacrifice his son.  Answer — Isaac, his son.
      • $800 Question — The name of the king of Salem to whom Abraham paid tithes.  Answer — Melchizedek.
      • $1000 Question — Both Abraham and Sarah were buried in this cave.  Answer — The cave of Machpelah.
    • Category Two — A ‘Lot’ in Sodom
      • $200 Question — The number of holy men that visited Lot in Sodom.  Answer — Two, or possibly three.
      • $400 Question — The main sin or evil of the men of Sodom.  Answer — Homosexuality.
      • $600 Question — The relationship between Lot’s wife and salt.  Answer — She was turned into a pillar of salt upon ‘looking back’.
      • $800 Question — The lowest number of righteous persons for which the Lord told Abraham he would spare the cit of Sodom.  Answer –Ten.
      • $1000 Question — The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by raining down these two substances of elements upon the cities.  Answer — Fire and brimstone.
    • Category Three — Isaac and Rebekah
      • $200 Question — Isaac and Rebekah’s two famous sons.  Answer — Esau and Jacob.
      • $400 Question — Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for this.  Answer — Bread, drink, pottage.
      • $600 Question — the person most responsible for Jacob receiving the father’s blessing that ws meant for Esau.  Answer — Rebekah.
      • $800 Question — Rebekah willingly provided water for ‘these’, which belong to Abraham’s servant, who had come seeking a wife for Isaac.  Answer — Ten camels.
      • $1000 Question — Rebekah’s incredible three-word response when asked if she would leave her family and home, travel to a new land, and marry a man she had never seen.  Answer — “I will go.”
    • Category Four — Jacob and his sons
      • $200 Question — Jacob’s name was changed to this name because he had power with God and with men, and he prevailed over evil.  Answer — Israel.
      • $400 Question — Jacob dislocate this joint as he wrestled with a divinely-appointed messenger.  Answer — Thigh or hip.
      • $600 Question — Jacob worked a total of 14 years in order to marry these two sisters.  Answer — Leah and Rachel.
      • $800 Question — The main object which Jacob saw in his famous dream, as recorded in Chapter 28 of Genesis.  Answer — A ladder.
      • $1000 Question — The names of any two of the six sons of Jacob and Leah.  Answer — Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon.
    • Category Five — Young Joseph
      • $200 Question — One of the reasons why Joseph’s older brothers disliked him.  Answer — Their father loved him more, he had a ‘coat of many colors’, he was always superior to his brothers in his many dreams.
      • $400 Question — Give another reason why Joseph’s older brothers disliked him.  Answer — See preceding question.
      • $600 Question — The brother that suggested they throw Joseph into a pit rather than slay him.  Answer — Reuben.
      • $800 Question — The nationality of the merchants who bought Joseph and took him to Egypt.  Answer — Midianites, or Ishmaelites.
      • $1000 Question — The type of blood used to cover Joseph’s coat to convince Israel that Joseph had been killed.  Answer — Kid’s blood.
    • Category Six — Joseph in Egypt
      • $200 Question — The seven fat kine and the seven plump ears of corn signified this in Pharoah’s dream.  Answer — Seven years of plenty.
      • $400 Question — After arriving in Egypt, Joseph first worked as a servant for this man.  Answer — Potiphar.
      • $600 Question — The brother who offered to stay in Egypt as Joseph’s slave in place of Benjamin, when Joseph demanded that Benjamin remain.  Answer — Judah.
      • $800 Question — Joseph secretly hid this item in Benjamin’s sack of grain.  Answer — Joseph’s silver cup.
      • $1000 Question — When Israel blessed his 12 sons, shortly before his death, he blessed Joseph by saying, “Joseph is a fruitful bough”, whose branches do what?  Answer — Run over the wall.
  • Final Jeopardy Question
    • The names of the two sons of Joseph, listing the oldest son first.  Answer — Manasseh and Ephraim (see Genesis 41:51-52)
  • Rules of the game for the Young Men and Young Women
      • Each of the participants had an electronic buzzer, just like the contestants on the real Jeopardy on TV.
      • The youth could press their buzzers at any time during the question, but the entire question would be given by me before they answered.
      • They had to give their answers in the form of a question.
      • In case of a tie, the team with the lowest number of points was allowed to give the answer.
      • They had to rotate through all of their team members in order.
      • There were single Jeopardy questions, double Jeopardy questions, and a Final Jeopardy question.
      • Teams could lose points if they engaged in rowdiness, loud laughter, or goofiness.
      • I emphasized that they were all winners just for being at the activity and participating.

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