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History Multiple Choice #1

Can you answer these multiple choice questions about world history?
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: July 15, 2019
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First submittedFebruary 1, 2019
Times taken52,267
Average score66.7%
Rating4.39
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1. Which of these countries did the Soviet Union NEVER invade?
Afghanistan ✓
Finland ✓
Poland ✓
Sweden ✓
2. Who was the first person to orbit the Earth?
Neil Armstrong ✓
Yuri Gagarin ✓
John Glenn ✓
Valentina Tereshkova ✓
3. Which of these cities was NOT founded by the Romans?
Alexandria ✓
Cologne ✓
London ✓
4. Where did Zoroastrianism originate?
India ✓
Egypt ✓
Persia ✓
South America ✓
5. Which of these writers was NOT English?
Jane Austen ✓
Agatha Christie ✓
Charles Dickens ✓
Oscar Wilde ✓
Oscar Wilde was Irish
6. What does a dendrochronologist use to establish dates?
Carbon isotopes ✓
Ice cores ✓
Solar eclipses ✓
Tree rings ✓
The unique pattern of tree rings, based on growing seasons, can determine the time period and location that a piece of wood came from
7. In terms of weapons, what is a pike?
An improvised explosive device ✓
A spiked helmet ✓
A trench knife ✓
A very long spear ✓
Pikes ranged from 10 to 25 feet long
8. Why did whalers hunt sperm whales?
For meat ✓
For oil to make candles ✓
For skin to make leather ✓
For sport ✓
Sperm whales have a large amount of "spermaceti" in their heads. It was highly prized for making odorless candles. Its biological purpose is unknown.
9. The spinning jenny was one of the earliest innovations in the Industrial Revolution. What was a spinning jenny?
A device for making cloth ✓
A device for storing energy ✓
A steam engine ✓
A water pump ✓
10. How many wives did Henry VIII have?
1 ✓
2 ✓
3 ✓
6 ✓
11. Which of the following was a result of Mao's "Great Leap Forward", a plan to remake China's agrarian economy?
A famine that killed 36 million people ✓
Improved standard of living ✓
Not much really changed ✓
The overthrow of Mao ✓
12. Which event triggered World War One?
The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand ✓
Germany's invasion of Poland ✓
The sinking of the Lusitania ✓
The tsar's refusal of an offer to visit Germany ✓
13. What was the Byzantine Empire?
An alliance ruled by the Pope ✓
A confederation of European tribes ✓
A continuation of the Roman Empire ✓
The empire founded by Alexander the Great ✓
14. When was the last time Moscow was ever captured by a foreign power?
By Ögedei Khan in 1238 ✓
By Napoleon in 1812 ✓
By Hitler in 1942 ✓
Never ✓
15. Which of the following was NOT originally invented in China?
Concrete ✓
Gunpowder ✓
Paper money ✓
Silk ✓
Jerry928
+13
Level 75
Feb 1, 2019
Why is Lenin's picture there? He doesn't connect to any of the questions!
ruftytufty
+125
Level 77
Feb 2, 2019
He was really good at multiple choice.
mikeb
+70
Level 66
Feb 3, 2019
He never invaded Sweden.
Quizmaster
+66
Level ∞
Feb 3, 2019
He's a famous Zoroastrian, duh.
redsplat
+44
Level 75
Feb 3, 2019
His remains were the first person to orbit the earth.
Carry
+72
Level 64
Feb 7, 2019
He was one of Henrys wives.
xarnac
+67
Level 74
Feb 7, 2019
He wasn't invented in China
kalbahamut
+45
Level 84
Mar 14, 2019
You can date his corpse by counting rings of cigarette smoke.
roleybob
+52
Level 76
Mar 14, 2019
He was hunted to make candles
Limeila
+37
Level 29
Mar 14, 2019
He invented the spinning jenny
Jacktheguy
+52
Level 88
Mar 14, 2019
He captured Moscow.
amm14
+42
Level 67
Mar 14, 2019
His policies led to famines killing millions of people.
Quizmaster
+21
Level ∞
Mar 23, 2019
And now I'm sad.
Findlay
+13
Level 83
Feb 24, 2020
Yeah, everyone was having a good laugh, then you had to go get real on us.
tshalla
+8
Level 74
Jan 10, 2022
I'm generally sad when we conflate Lenin with Stalin. I'm particularly sad when we attribute collectivization (and its aftermath) to someone who had been dead for four years.
Dewot423
+5
Level 62
Jan 10, 2022
This is Jetpunk! No use for displaying any understanding of history, science or the arts that can't be distilled down into a single snappy trivia question!

But for real, there's a reason Geography and Pop Culture tend to do so well on sites like these.

introvertigo
+26
Level 44
Mar 14, 2019
He's the only city to not be founded by the Romans so he assassinated the Archduke of Ferdinand and then became a tree ring
HelveticaBold
+17
Level 71
Mar 14, 2019
He was Henry VIII's 7th wife.
JWatson24
+24
Level 71
Mar 14, 2019
He singlehandedly invaded Afghanistan armed with only a pike
TheRealMikeJones
+18
Level 57
Mar 16, 2019
He's not an English writer.
Findlay
+11
Level 83
Feb 24, 2020
Actually, he wrote "Materialism and Empirio-criticism" while in London, so... there's an argument to be made. Also cracker of a book. Real page turned. Couldn't put it down. I definitely did not just Google this info.
FatSpartanJediLlama
+4
Level 61
May 20, 2019
Lol.
Hollywood
+14
Level 63
Oct 16, 2019
He was an amateur dendrochronologist
Frani55603
+6
Level 71
Feb 2, 2019
This may be a bit nit-picky, but can it really be said that World War I started with the assassination? I mean, it was an important event in triggering the war, but it didn't really start until Austria-Hungary began to bomb Belgrade after Serbia rejected its ultimatum.
kalbahamut
+10
Level 84
Mar 14, 2019
Sure it can be and it often is.
TheLastFish
+3
Level 69
Feb 2, 2019
All answers to the start of World War 1 are wrong. I guess "a simple misunderstanding" still comes the closest to the real story. Please specify the question to something like "which event is considered as a cause for World War 1".
KoljiVriVoda
+3
Level 75
Feb 3, 2019
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was in june 28th, and the start of the WWI was in july 28th.
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Feb 3, 2019
I can see that this is going to be a thing, so I changed the question slightly. I stand by the original version, however.
POOCH
+4
Level 74
Feb 4, 2019
As well you should. The assassination and the outdated alliances associated with it were the excuses that the failing powers of Europe used to justify the resulting conflict that they hoped would restore their power and/or increase their territory. IMO one of the most indefensible and stupid wars ever and only resulted in an even greater conflict.
divantilya
+1
Level 37
Apr 4, 2022
Yes, and his name was Franz Ferdinand, not "Francis".
roleybob
+9
Level 76
Mar 14, 2019
I heard it was when a bloke called Archie Duke shot an ostrich because he was hungry
TheRealMikeJones
+3
Level 57
Mar 16, 2019
I have a cunning plan!
NoahGBurns
+1
Level 35
Sep 14, 2021
Blackadder!
stylus
+1
Level 72
Jan 10, 2022
but the real reason was that it was just too much effort not to have a war on
DannyWozza
+10
Level 92
Feb 4, 2019
I thought Napoleons invasion of Moscow/Soviet Union failed and that was what led to his downfall...
VelikyNovgorod4
+2
Level 41
Feb 4, 2019
I wasn't sure if he took over Moscow but his invasion of Russia definitely failed.
POOCH
+1
Level 74
Feb 4, 2019
Well, his army actually only occupied the territory that was Moscow after the Russian Army abandoned and burned it before their retreat.
kalbahamut
+4
Level 84
Mar 14, 2019
The invasion failed because of the Russian tactics and the fact that Napoleon kept pushing until he reached Moscow, deep into Russian territory on the eve of the Russian winter, stretching his supply lines thin. The Russians continually retreated through the whole invasion, burning everything as they did so that there was nothing for Napoleon's army to eat. When they arrived in Moscow they found it burned, as well. He was faced with the option to turn around, or stay in Moscow where his entire army would surely starve or freeze to death. The famous Minard Map, sometimes called the best statistical graph ever drawn, vividly depicts just want a catastrophe this was for Napoleon's Grand Armee.
AlexThirkell
+2
Level 73
Jan 10, 2022
What a gorgeously harrowing map that is.
fitheach
+7
Level 59
Mar 14, 2019
He certainly failed in invading the Soviet Union...
Ferbin
+2
Level 74
Mar 14, 2019
Indeed, he was about a century too early.
Findlay
+6
Level 83
Jan 10, 2022
Many historians consider this to be one of his most severe miscalculations. He likely would have been far more successful in his invasion of the Soviet Union if he hadn't let his hubris get in the way and he had instead waited patiently for 110 years for it to be founded. After all, the first rule of warfare is: one cannot successfully invade that which does not yet exist.
NoahGBurns
+1
Level 35
Sep 14, 2021
He captured Moscow, but due to the scorched earth tactic that the Russians implemented, his army had to retreat all the way back to friendly territory to resupply
blizzrd33
+6
Level 78
Feb 12, 2019
I have never heard the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand called Francis before, always Franz. Can you point to a source which has Francis and not Franz? The first 10 online sources that I looked up all had Franz.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Feb 12, 2019
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria#Character
McCoy
+5
Level 62
Sep 4, 2019
because one italian Guy called him Francis....this is your source? I think you should change it to Franz! No one in Austria goes by the name Francis at this time.
Dimby
+1
Level 73
Jan 10, 2022
Franz and Francis were both used pretty frequently back in the day. I believe Franz is more of a nickname than a legal name, but I’ve never seen his birth certificate.
divantilya
+1
Level 37
Mar 14, 2019
Napoleon's invasion of Russia was not successful.
Ferbin
+1
Level 74
Mar 14, 2019
Nobody is saying it wasn't.
Froststar101
+3
Level 73
Aug 7, 2020
Nobody is saying it was.
RJF
+1
Level 64
Jan 17, 2023
It wasn't succesful in bringing Russia back into Napoleon's 'continental system', but the French army did march into and briefly occupy Moscow.
tourwoorden
+1
Level 70
Mar 14, 2019
Actually the Byzantine Empire has a confusing name, since the city wasn't called Byzantium then anymore... I tried to reason this question and I was wrong because of this. Let's do better next time. :)
Ferbin
+3
Level 74
Mar 14, 2019
The fact that the Byzantine Empire's name is confusing doesn't negate the fact that that's what it's called. And so, the question is correctly made. Or is the "let's do better" comment directed at yourself?
FolgoreCZ
+2
Level 60
Feb 18, 2021
Fun fact. The empire actually was never called "Byzantine" at the time of it's existence. It was always just "Roman empire," at best "Eastern Roman empire." The name "Byzantine empire" came to being only after the fall of Constantinople, when the Germanic states of the HRE wanted to set themselves up as the "true successor" to the Roman empire, so they wanted to alienate the Byzantines from Romans.
Findlay
+1
Level 83
Jan 10, 2022
I'd say for the purposes of this quiz, Byzantine is absolutely the correct term to use, since it is the standard name in English. Nonetheless, it is an anachronism, as FolgoreCZ says, first having been used in 1557 (the Empire fell in 1453). The people of the Empire called it the Roman Empire (Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων), or simply Romania (Ῥωμανία). Westerners called it the Greek Empire (Imperium Graecorum), while Turks called it Rûm - recognising it as the direct continuation of the Roman Empire, unlike the Westerners who sought to denigrate its status in favour of the Holy Roman Empire (based, at least in part, on the fraudulent Donation of Constantine).
rtabram
+2
Level 60
Mar 14, 2019
Technically, annulling a marriage means it essentially didn't happen, so Henry VII was only married 3 or 4 times (depending on whether you believe Henry or the Pope).

The show Quite Interesting did a whole thing on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvdXBmLmqZ4

And I wish I had never seen it because then I would've got the question right. :(

Ferbin
+3
Level 74
Mar 14, 2019
So, is an annullment then a powerful magic spell that alters the past? If not, then the events still happened, wether they "count" or not; if yes, then you're not talking about history but fantasy, which is irrelevant to the topic.
TWM03
+2
Level 67
Mar 14, 2019
While this is an interesting fact by QI standards, I think it is a bit silly to say that Henry VIII was never married to Catherine of Aragon (or Anne Boleyn or Anne of Cleves, but slightly less so in those cases). They were married for upwards of 20 years, and Catherine of Aragon acted as the Queen of England for the duration of that time. Henry created his own religion for the sole purpose that he could have the marriage annulled. That feels like cheating to me. If as Henry claimed he could never have married Catherine because she was his ex-sister-in-law, then that really raises the question of why he claimed she was his wife for 20 years.
divantilya
+2
Level 37
Apr 21, 2019
Rtabram: If a marriage didn't take place, it couldn't have been annulled. So, if Henry married them, then he was married; whatever he did afterward is another matter entirely.
AlexThirkell
+2
Level 73
Jan 10, 2022
It's supposedly like being exonerated from a crime you were previously convicted of; it literally means that event didn't officially happen. That said, I agree with TWM03.
jennraven
+1
Level 67
Jan 10, 2022
An annulment means that the marriage was never valid. Not that it didn't happen.
judo24
+7
Level 61
Mar 15, 2019
Just to be pedantic, (and this is the place for it, if anywhere!), the spinning jenny was a spinning machine - it made yarn (thread), not cloth.
divantilya
+3
Level 37
May 10, 2019
Just noticed this. Since when has Franz Ferdinand been known as "Francis" - Do you do this just to generate comments? - Do you somehow get extra perks or something based on the number of comments your quiz receives?
McCoy
+2
Level 62
Sep 4, 2019
Look in one of the comments before you. Someone else asked the same question. The only source for that seems to be an articel by some italian guy. I do not understand that either. His name was Franz and not Francis.
FatSpartanJediLlama
+1
Level 61
May 20, 2019
12/15 let's gooo
TjizzleDizzle
+2
Level 66
Jan 14, 2020
Isn't Wilde being Irish quite debateble, given Ireland only gained independance several years after his death? For constincy with these kind of quizes one should asume the geo-political countries and not the self-identifying ones. So then Wilde is British during his lifetime. I guessed his question wrong because i considered him (geo-political) British because of the time and place he existed in.
Dimby
+3
Level 73
Jan 10, 2022
It’s not like Ireland wasn’t a thing before it was independent. Irish is an ethnicity, regardless of nationality.
Clarkie96
+3
Level 69
Jan 10, 2022
The question says English, not British - 2 very different things in that part of the world! Next time your in Wales or Scotland, try asking the locals if they consider themselves Welsh, Scottish or British....
Sifhraven
+1
Level 66
Feb 28, 2020
Wow 5 points, got all but Wilde. Usually I score more like 10/15 on multiple choices (or 12, but never got 5 points before I think :) )
perfectbalance
+3
Level 57
Jan 19, 2021
The Great Leap Forward was a plan to modernize China and bring it in line with the great industrial superpowers, not to make it more agrarian.
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Jan 19, 2021
The question doesn't say it was trying to make it more agrarian.
SenileS
+2
Level 49
Jan 10, 2022
Franz not Francis...
FatSpartanJediLlama
+1
Level 61
Jan 10, 2022
Woah got 15
FatSpartanJediLlama
+1
Level 61
Jan 10, 2022
I wonder why Byzantine is quite low
Findlay
+1
Level 83
Jan 10, 2022
Not surprising. Despite being fascinating, it is not paid much attention by most Western Europeans and their descendants.
tliving
+2
Level 44
Jan 10, 2022
Really? Only 43% of People got #3 right? Alexandria literally bears the name of the person that founded it.
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