Catholic Christianity | AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062)
Catholic Christianity
- 136 questions
- 10 subtopics
- Paper 1
- Paper 1
Catholic Christianity is examined in Paper 1, The study of religions — one of the two religions chosen from seven.
Studying Christianity as well is a prohibited combination, so a student takes one or the other. Anyone sitting the textual studies themes on St Mark's Gospel must take either Christianity or Catholic Christianity in Component 1. It covers the Trinity and the Nicene Creed, creation, human dignity and stewardship, the incarnation and redemption, life after death: judgement, heaven, hell and purgatory, the sacramental nature of reality and the sacraments of initiation, the eucharist and the sacraments of healing and service, prayer, the Lord's Prayer and popular piety, pilgrimage and the Catholic funeral rite, Catholic social teaching and loving our neighbour and mission, evangelism and Catholic agencies.
Sample questions from Catholic Christianity
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The Trinity and the Nicene Creed
Whose teaching did the Council of Nicaea reject?
Show the answer
Arius taught that the Son was created by the Father and was not eternal. The council rejected that teaching and declared the Son fully divine. -
Creation, human dignity and stewardship
What does creation out of nothing mean?
Show the answer
Creation ex nihilo means God made everything from nothing at all. God did not shape material that already existed. -
The incarnation and redemption
What did the Council of Chalcedon decide about the natures of Christ?
Show the answer
Chalcedon taught in 451 CE that Christ is one person in two natures. The divine and human natures are united without being mixed or confused. -
Life after death: judgement, heaven, hell and purgatory
Describe the Catholic understanding of hell.
Show the answer
Hell is eternal separation from God. Catholic teaching says hell is freely chosen by a person who rejects God to the end. -
The sacramental nature of reality and the sacraments of initiation
What does baptism do, according to Catholic teaching?
Show the answer
Baptism washes away original sin and makes a person a child of God. Baptism also gives sanctifying grace and membership of the Church. -
The eucharist and the sacraments of healing and service
What is the sacrament of reconciliation?
Show the answer
Reconciliation is the sacrament in which a Catholic confesses sins to a priest and receives absolution. Confession restores a person's friendship with God and with the Church. -
Prayer, the Lord's Prayer and popular piety
Give one argument that formal prayer is more valuable than informal prayer.
Show the answer
Formal prayers carry the wisdom of the whole Church and unite everyone who prays them. Set words also help when someone is too distressed to find their own. -
Pilgrimage and the Catholic funeral rite
Why does Lourdes especially attract sick and disabled pilgrims?
Show the answer
Catholics associate Lourdes with healing after a number of cures were declared miraculous. Volunteers travel with sick pilgrims to care for them during the visit.
The 10 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The Trinity and the Nicene Creed | Students learn what a creed is, the councils of Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381, consubstantial and the teaching of Arius it rejected, the filioque dispute, the scriptural roots of the Trinity, and why it is a mystery. | 13 |
| Creation, human dignity and stewardship | The subtopic covers the two Genesis creation accounts, creation out of nothing, human dignity and the image of God, stewardship and Laudato Si', Catholic teaching on evolution, and what creation means for how people are treated. | 13 |
| The incarnation and redemption | These questions explain the incarnation in the Nicene Creed, John 1, Luke and Philippians 2, the Council of Chalcedon, redemption and the paschal mystery, the resurrection and ascension, and sanctifying and actual grace. | 14 |
| Life after death: judgement, heaven, hell and purgatory | Students learn what Catholics believe happens at death, the final judgement and resurrection of the body, heaven, hell and purgatory, prayer for the dead and the communion of saints, and the Church's teaching on cremation. | 13 |
| The sacramental nature of reality and the sacraments of initiation | The subtopic covers the sacramental nature of reality, the seven sacraments and how they are grouped, baptism and its indelible character, infant baptism and its symbols, and confirmation with chrism and its effects. | 14 |
| The eucharist and the sacraments of healing and service | These questions explain the Eucharist as source and summit, transubstantiation and the Real Presence, reconciliation and the seal of confession, the anointing of the sick, and the sacraments of matrimony and holy orders. | 14 |
| Prayer, the Lord's Prayer and popular piety | Students learn how the Catechism defines prayer, formal and informal prayer and the case for each, the Lord's Prayer as a summary of the gospel, the Rosary and its mysteries, the Stations of the Cross, and popular piety. | 14 |
| Pilgrimage and the Catholic funeral rite | The subtopic covers pilgrimage to Lourdes and the Grotto of Massabielle, other Catholic pilgrimage sites, arguments for and against pilgrimage, and the three parts of a Catholic funeral with the Requiem Mass and its symbols. | 13 |
| Catholic social teaching and loving our neighbour | These questions explain the command to love your neighbour and Matthew 25:40, Catholic social teaching and the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity and the preferential option for the poor, and the work of the SVP and Pax Christi. | 14 |
| Mission, evangelism and Catholic agencies | Students learn mission, evangelism and the Great Commission, missionary disciples and the new evangelisation, local evangelism and witness in Britain, and the work of CAFOD, Trócaire and Missio. | 14 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA GCSE Religious Studies A Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,734 questions with their answers.