"Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things."

Flora Lewis

Quiz on the World History

    

 

1. What was the name of Istanbul before its capture by the Turks?

  • Constantinople 
  • Byzance 
  • Adrienople 
  • Nicosia 

2. What is the name of the explorer who led the first (proven) expedition around the globe?

  • Cristobal Columbus
  • Amerigo Vespucci
  • Vasco da Gama
  • Fernão de Magalhães (Magellan)

3. Where was Christopher Columbus from?

  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Venice
  • Genoa

4. How many women do most experts agree Jack the Ripper killed?

  • 2
  • 5
  • 9
  • 14

5. Who was America's first president?

  • John Adams
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Abraham Lincoln
  • George Washington 

6. The Seven Weeks War was between which countries?

  • France and Prussia
  • France and Spain
  • Austria and Prussia 
  • France and Austria

7. Which country employed Henry Hudson to find the famous 'NorthWest-Passage'?

  • England
  • The Netherlands 
  • Denmark
  • France

8. Which of the following was never part of the Britsh Empire?

  • Zanzibar
  • Dijbouti 
  • Malta 
  • Cyprus

9. How many Dalai Lamas have there been?

  • 13
  • 14 
  • 15
  • 16

10. Only one South American country had a Monarchy. Which was it?

  • Argentina 
  • Brazil 
  • Paraguay
  • Uruguay

11. Where was Napoleon born?

  • Sardinia
  • French Guiana
  • Corsica 
  • Elba 

12. How did Joan of Arc die?

  • She received a fatal wound during a failed siege of Paris
  • She died of Black Fever during a campaign
  • She was assasinated on orders of the Earl of Warwick 
  • She was burnt as an heretic by the English in Rouen

13. Which monarch launched the Spanish Armada against England?

  • Charles V
  • Phillip II 
  • Phillip III
  • Ferdinand I

14. What happened in France in 1789?

  • The coronation of Napoleon the First
  • The beheading of Louis the XIVth
  • The declaration of war against Austria
  • The fall of the Bastille prison 

15. Which of the following is one of the Seven Wonders of the World?

  • The Great Wall of China
  • The Great Library of Alexandria
  • The Taj Mahal 
  • The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus 

16. By the end of the 19th century, which country was the biggest colonial power?

  • France
  • The United Kingdom
  • Spain
  • Germany

17. On which side did Italy fight in World War One?

  • With Germany
  • With the Allies 
  • Briefly against France, but alone
  • It was neutral

18. Which Roman Emperor converted to Christianity, legalised and supported it though never made it the official religion?

  • Maxentius
  • Constantine 
  • Augustus
  • Julian

19. Which French king built Versailles?

  • François I
  • Louis XII 
  • Louis XIV 
  • Louis XVI

20. Who was surnamed the 'Father of History'?

  • Hesiodus
  • Herodotus 
  • Thucydides
  • Xenophon

21. What was the original name of New York?

  • Fort Victoria
  • New Amsterdam 
  • New London
  • New Rotterdam

22.By what name was Iran known before the 20th century?

  • Kabyllistan
  • Ormouz
  • Persia
  • Arabia

23. After whom was Virginia named?

  • Queen Victoria
  • Virginia, the Countess of Kent
  • Queen Elizabeth I 
  • Maria, the Holy Virgin

24. Who famously delcared 'Veni, vidi, vici' ?

  • Julius Caesar
  • Augustus
  • Cicero
  • Cicero

25. Who brought the name Santa Claus with them to the New World?

  • Welsh Colonists
  • French Colonists
  • Dutch Colonists 
  • Scandinavian Colonists

26. What did Italy originaly mean?

  • Land of the setting Sun
  • Land with much cattle 
  • Land of the Olive Tree
  • Land of the Small People

27. What is Sri Lanka's former name?

  • Madagascar
  • Ceylon 
  • Tamil
  • Dravidia 

28. Where is the oldest university in Europe?

  • Oxford 
  • Rome
  • Bologna
  • Paris

29. What other european language is related to Finnish?

  • Russian 
  • Swedish 
  • Hungarian 
  • German

30. In which city did the Russian Revolution start?

  • St.Petersburg 
  • Moscow
  • Kazan
  • Odessa

31. What was the original European name of Australia?

  • New Wales
  • New Holland
  • New Scotland 
  • New Normandy

32. How did Julius Caesar die?

  • He was fatally wounded at the battle of Tapsus
  • He died of the plague
  • He was assassinated in the senate
  • He was poisoned at a reception in his honour

33. What was Stalin's original last name?

  • Balanchivadze
  • Vissarionovich 
  • Dzhugashvili 
  • Basoalto

34. What was the first capital of ancient Egypt?

  • Thebes
  • Alexandria 
  • Memphis
  • Achetaton

35. How many of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still exist?

  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

Additional Info

  • Category: General English
  • Level: Upper-Intermediate
  • Unit: 7
  • Activity: Speaking Comprehention
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