Subjects · Leaving Cert Religious Education
Leaving Cert Religious Education: Myth, cosmology & ancient religion
How often Myth, cosmology & ancient religion comes up on the Religious Education papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.
HL Asked on 6 of the last 9 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2024. most years
OL Asked on 6 of the last 9 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years
Quick ones on Myth, cosmology & ancient religion.
- They were early Christian monks
- They linked death, the sun and new life
- They had no interest in an afterlife
- Is tested by experiment and observation
- Measures the age of the universe precisely in years
- Asks why the world exists and what it means
- Grave goods buried with the dead
- The remains of cooking pits
- Farming tools found in fields
Show the answers
(a) They linked death, the sun and new life
(b) Asks why the world exists and what it means
(c) Grave goods buried with the dead
Higher Level
Asked on 6 of the last 9 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2024. most years
Every paper, year by year
| Year | Where it came up |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Not asked |
| 2024 | A1 |
| 2023 | Not asked |
| 2022 | A1 |
| 2021 | A1 |
| 2019 | A1 |
| 2018 | Not asked |
| 2017 | A1 |
| 2016 | A2 |
Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.
More Myth, cosmology & ancient religion questions
Myth, cosmology & ancient religion, 3 marks
Which observation, made by Edwin Hubble in 1929, first showed that the universe is expanding?
- The Earth orbits the sun once a year
- Stars are made mostly of hydrogen gas
- Distant galaxies are moving away from us
Show the answer
Distant galaxies are moving away from us
Hubble found that the farther away a galaxy is, the faster it recedes. Run backwards, this points to a hot, dense beginning, the basis of the Big Bang cosmology. (HL material)
Myth, cosmology & ancient religion, 3 marks
Why did many ancient societies offer sacrifices?
- To reduce the number of animals on the land
- To honour, thank or win the favour of the gods
- To feed the priests and their families only
Show the answer
To honour, thank or win the favour of the gods
Sacrifice, of crops, animals or valuables, was a way of giving back to the gods what was believed to come from them. Remains of offerings are key evidence of religion in ancient societies.
Myth, cosmology & ancient religion, 3 marks
Which rival to the Big Bang held that the universe had no beginning and always looked the same?
- The Steady State theory
- The theory of evolution
- The heliocentric theory
Show the answer
The Steady State theory
Fred Hoyle and others proposed the Steady State model in 1948; Hoyle coined the phrase Big Bang to mock its rival. The discovery of the cosmic background radiation in 1965 favoured the Big Bang.
Ordinary Level
Asked on 6 of the last 9 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years
Every paper, year by year
| Year | Where it came up |
|---|---|
| 2025 | A1, A3 |
| 2024 | Not asked |
| 2023 | A3 |
| 2022 | Not asked |
| 2021 | A1 |
| 2019 | A2 |
| 2018 | A1 |
| 2017 | A1 |
| 2016 | Not asked |
Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.
More Myth, cosmology & ancient religion questions
Myth, cosmology & ancient religion, 3 marks
In the study of religion, a myth is best described as...
- A story that is simply untrue and misleading
- A scientific report on how nature works
- A sacred story that expresses truths about life
Show the answer
A sacred story that expresses truths about life
In everyday speech myth means a falsehood. In religion it means a story that uses symbols to answer deep questions: where we came from, why evil exists, how to live.
Myth, cosmology & ancient religion, 2 marks
In the Babylonian creation myth, the Enuma Elish, which god defeats Tiamat?
- Lugh
- Marduk
- Zeus
Show the answer
Marduk
Marduk slays the sea goddess Tiamat and makes the sky and earth from her body. The myth explains the order of the world and Marduk's place as chief god of Babylon.
Myth, cosmology & ancient religion, 2 marks
In Greek myth, Prometheus is punished by Zeus for...
- Giving fire to humans
- Building the first temple
- Founding the city of Athens
Show the answer
Giving fire to humans
Prometheus stole fire from the gods for humankind. The myth raises questions about human progress, the limits placed on people and why humans suffer.