To solve religion or mythology analogies on the MAT, you’ll need a little information about the world’s major religions, history’s most famous myths, and religious and mythological terms. Building a foundation of religious knowledge for the Miller Analogies Test is not as difficult as it is in some of the other humanities, as you will soon learn.

Religious terms that appear on the MAT test

Brush up on your knowledge of terminology important to the study of religion by examining these terms and their definitions.

  • Armageddon: An end-of-the-world scenario

  • Asceticism: Lifestyle without physical pleasures

  • Confirmation: A rite of initiation in Christianity

  • Hajj: Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca

  • Original sin: State into which humans are born after the fall of man

  • Phoenix: Mythical bird that burns to death, only to be born again from its ashes

  • Ramadan: Month of fasting in Islam

  • Seven deadly sins: Vices against Christianity: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony

  • Sharia: The moral code of Islam

Religions that appear on the MAT test

Brush up on your knowledge of various religions by studying these terms and their definitions.

  • Agnosticism: The belief that the existence of deities is unknown

  • Atheism: The belief that there are no deities

  • Buddhism: Religion based on the teachings of Buddha; practitioners seek nirvana

  • Christianity: Monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus

  • Hinduism: Predominant religion of India, based on karma and dharma

  • Islam: Monotheistic religion based on the Quran

  • Judaism: Monotheistic religion based on the Hebrew Bible

  • Sikhism: Monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab region

Greek and Roman gods that appear on the MAT test

Having trouble remembering what you know about Greek and Roman gods? Refresh your memory by looking over these terms and their definitions.

  • Apollo: Greek and Roman sun god, son of Zeus

  • Aphrodite/Venus: Goddess of love

  • Ares/Mars: God of war

  • Athena/Minerva: Warrior goddess of wisdom

  • Dionysus/Bacchus: God of wine and pleasure

  • Hades/Pluto: God of the underworld

  • Hera/Juno: Goddess of marriage and motherhood

  • Hermes/Mercury: Messenger of the gods

  • Poseidon/Neptune: God of the ocean

  • Zeus/Jupiter: God of the sky who rules other gods

Other gods that appear on the MAT test

There are other religions whose gods you must also be familiar, if you are to do well on the MAT. The following is a list of various gods and their descriptions.

  • Allah: Name for God in Islam

  • Isis: Egyptian goddess of nature and magic, the ideal wife and mother

  • Osiris: Egyptian god of the underworld and the dead

  • Ra: Egyptian sun god

  • Thor: Norse god of thunder and lightning

Important religious figures that appear on the MAT test

The following lists important religious figures you should get to know before taking the MAT.

  • Adam: First human male, according to the Creation Myth

  • Buddha, Gautama: Spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism

  • Eve: First human female, according to the Creation Myth

  • Jesus: Central figure in Christianity, the son of God

  • Job: Character in the Hebrew Bible; prophet in Islam

  • John the Baptist: Prophet in Christianity and Islam who baptized Jesus

  • Mary: Virgin mother of Jesus

  • Moses: Prophet in Judaism who wrote the Torah

  • Muhammad: Messengers and prophet of God in Islam

  • Noah: Figure in the Old Testament who built an ark to save a sampling of life on Earth

  • Satan: Evil entity who corrupts humans

  • Zoroaster: Persian founder of Zoroastrianism

Important religious locations that appear on the MAT test

The following lists important religious locations you should familiarize yourself with before taking the MAT.

  • Asgard: Capital city of the Norse gods

  • Hades: The underworld in Ancient Greek mythology; Hades is also the name of the god of this underworld

  • Jerusalem: Holy city in Israel in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam

  • Mecca: In Islam, the birthplace of Muhammad and where the Quran was written

  • Mount Olympus: Home of the 12 Olympian Greek gods

  • Styx: In Greek mythology, the river that divided Earth from Hades

  • Valhalla: The hall in Asgard in Norse mythology

  • Vatican City: Home of Catholicism and the Pope in Rome, Italy

Important religious festivals/holidays that appear on the MAT test

The following lists important religious holidays or festivals you should get to know before taking the MAT.

  • Christmas: Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus

  • Easter: Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus

  • Eid al-Adha: Muslim holiday at the end of the Hajj

  • Eid ul-Fitr: Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan

  • Hanukkah: Eight-day Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights

  • Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year and the first of the High Holy Days

  • Yom Kippur: Holy Jewish day of atonement and repentance

Important religious writings that appear on the MAT test

The following lists important religious writings you should know before taking the MAT.

  • Bible: Collection of Christian and Jewish texts

  • Quran: Central text of Islam, written by Muhammad

  • Ten Commandments: Principles given to Moses from God on Mount Sinai

  • Torah: First five books of the Hebrew Bible, written by Moses

Important places of worship that appear on the MAT test

The following lists important places of worship you should make sure you know before taking the MAT.

  • Church: Building for Christian worship that is often cross-shaped

  • Mandir: Hindu temple for worship

  • Mosque: Place of worship for Muslims

  • Synagogue: Jewish house of worship

  • Vihara: Buddhist monastery

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Vince Kotchian is a full-time standardized test tutor specializing in the MAT, SSAT, ISEE, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. He teaches a GRE prep course at the University of California, San Diego, and has an extensive understanding of analogies and the MAT.

Edwin Kotchian is a MAT tutor and freelance writer who has contributed to a variety of test-prep material.

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