Junior Cert religion: Bono, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin were just three of the luminaries that turned up on yesterday's Junior Certificate religious studies paper. The paper was described as "straightforward" and "predictable".

Since religious studies was first examined in 2003, the number of participating students has risen from a pilot group of 6,000 to 21,105 this year.

Yesterday's exam started with 20 short religious-trivia questions, followed by a picture comprehension section comprising images of Bono shaking hands with Pope John Paul II and a group of nuns from an enclosed order launching their website.

There followed a written comprehension based on a newspaper article on the nature of vocations.

Students were offered a choice of questions on topics including sectarianism, the foundations of Christianity, morality and the meaning of life.

The ordinary-level paper, taken by one in four students, was similar to the higher paper except for a section offering three moral dilemmas.

More widely studied than home economics or German, religious studies covers all the major world religions as well as humanism, agnosticism, atheism and universal morality.

"The subject is attractive to students of all religions and none," said Asti subject expert David Martin. "Everyone has an opinion on religion. The students are drawn to it because they see it as a subject they can engage with and parents like it because it gives students a forum to examine issues of morality, even if they do not practise religion."

Next Thursday will see the first examination of the new Leaving Certificate religious studies course. One hundred and sixty five students are entered to sit the exam.