Interactive Adventures
In Tarot
By James W. Revak

TAROT HISTORY 101

AN INTERACTIVE QUIZ

Explore your knowledge of Tarot history by selecting the answer for each of the following questions by clicking the appropriate letter.  Some questions may be answered in more than one way; however, pick the single best response based on the preponderance of historic evidence.  Upon clicking, you will promptly discover if you respone is right or wrong and why. 

If, after taking the quiz, you seek to learn more about Tarot history, you may wish to explore Further Reading.

   1. The earliest surviving Tarot cards date from the:
A. 14th century;
B. 15th century;
C. 16th century;
D. 17th century.
   
   2.  Tarot was invented in:
A Ancient Egypt;
B Renaissance Italy;
C Eastern Europe by the Gypsies;
D The preponderance of evidence does not favor any theory.
   
   3.  During its first three centuries, individuals used Tarot most often to:
A Play a game;
B Practice divination or fortune-telling;
C Practice ceremonial magic;
D Communicate safely heretical ideas under the guise of a game.
   
   4.  All Tarot decks have:
A A Trump named the High Priestess;
B A Trump named the Fool, which is assigned to zero.
C A uniform system of numbering the Trumps;
D None of the above.
   
   5.  Tarot scholar Gertrude Moakley is known for arguing that early Tarot imagery, to a significant extent, may owe its existence to:
A Pagan nature religions;
B Traditional European carnival processions;
C Dante’s Divine Comedy;
D Hermetic magic.
   

   6. 
The creators of Tarot designed the Trumps to correspond systematically to:
A The twelve signs of the zodiac, the traditional “planets” (i.e. the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn), and the four elements;
B The Hebrew alphabet;
C All of the above;
D None of the above.
   
   7.  The first individual to write that Tarot originated among the Ancient Egyptians was:
A Antoine Court de Gébelin;
B Etteilla;
C S. L. MacGregor Mathers;
D A. E. Waite.
   
   8.  Eliphas Lévi was the first to publish:
A That the numeric cards (Ace through Ten) correspond to the ten Cabalistic Sephiroth;
B That Clubs (later called Wands) correspond to Fire; Swords, to Air; Water, to Cups; and Coins (later called Pentacles), to Earth;
C An illustration of the Chariot drawn by Egyptian-style sphinxes;
D All of the above.
   
   9.  The first Tarot deck designed solely for occult or esoteric purposes, including divination or fortune-telling, was:
A The Visconti-Sforza Tarot;
B Etteilla’s Tarot;
C Lévi’s Tarot;
D The Rider Tarot (The Rider Waite Tarot).
   

10. 
If a Tarot deck shows only pips or suit signs on its numeric cards (Ace through Ten) rather than scenes it:
A Is The Tarot de Marseille;
B Was designed prior to the 20th century;
C Is meant only for gaming purposes;
D None of the above.
   

11. 
Which of the following is not true about The Rider Tarot (The Rider Waite Tarot)?
A It was first published in 1909;
B It often departs from the Golden Dawn’s guidelines for designing a Tarot deck;
C It was the first Tarot deck to include scenes on its numeric cards rather than only pips or suit signs;
D It includes Christian images.
   

12. 
Which of the following is true about The Thoth Tarot Deck?
A It was first published in 1969;
B Aleister Crowley designed and painted it;
C Crowley designed and Frieda Harris painted it;
D Crowley designed and Pamela Colman Smith painted it.
   

 13. 
In her book, Tarot for Your Self, Mary Greer’s general approach to the cards may best be described as:
A Cabalistic;
B Intuitive and meditative;
C Historical;
D A comprensive collection of divinatory meanings.
   

  14. 
Which one of the following decks is not best described as substantially influenced by The Rider Tarot?
A The Stairs of Gold Tarot;
B Hude’s Tarot;
C The Sacred Rose Tarot;
D The Morgan-Greer Tarot.
   

15. 
How is James Wanless and Ken Knutson’s Voyager Tarot (first published in 1986) different from more traditional decks (e.g., Tarot de Marseille, The Rider Tarot, and The Thoth Tarot)?
A It comprises 80 cards;
B Its cards are round;
C Some of its Trumps have nontraditional names, e.g., the Empress is called the Great Mother; and the Chariot, Victory;
D Its suit of Crystals replaces Swords.

Want to learn even more about Tarot history?  Go to Further Reading.


NEXT        PREVIOUS      CONTENTS      E-MAIL AUTHOR      HOME
Free Bulletin Tells You When Villa Revak Is Updated! I Want More Interactive Adventures In Tarot!
Copyright © 2000 James W. Revak.  All rights reserved.  Version 1.0 (8/9/00).