History Quiz Answers
Here are the answers to the quiz (with comments, but not on individuals' answers). I've cut them so that anyone who hasn't taken it yet can take it first, and then check here (no cheating!) :) The quiz is here.
1. Julius Caesar first attempted to invade Britain in
Answer: 55 BC
People did very well with this, I was happy to see!
2. Name the seven Saxon kingdoms (or as many as you can)
Answer: Northumbria, Essex, Wessex, Sussex, East Anglia, Mercia, Kent
Most people can name some, few people all. This is what I expected, really. Saxon history isn't taught very much, and it doesn't seem to interest many people.
3. Who was king after Edward the Confessor?
Answer: Harold II
I was very surprised at the poor performance on this one. You know that Edward the Confessor was the king before the Harold/William/Hastings thing, I'm guessing. Indeed, there were lots of votes for Harold I. Do people really not realise that the Harold of Hastings was Harold II? You thought I'd made Harold II up, didn't you? :)
4. Name the royal house of which Henry II was the first king.
Answer: Plantagenet
This seems to be something quite a few people know. Nice one :)
5. Which king signed the Magna Carta?
Answer: John
Again performance generally good.
6. Which king ruled from 1327 to 1377?
Answer: Edward III
I didn't think many people would get this, and I was right. Not many people sit down and learn the dates of the kings and queens and England these days (or they do when very young and then forget). I did, hence being able to set the question :)
7. The queen of Henry V was
Answer: Catherine de Valois
I wasn't surprised that not everyone got this, though, to be fair, you could have worked it out equally from Shakespeare as from schooly history.
8. In which war were the battles of Towton and Bosworth fought?
Answer: The Wars of the Roses
People do seem to get their English civil wars mixed up a bit. For reference, Towton was the bloodiest battle in English history, and Bosworth is the one where Richard III did the kingdom-for-a-horse thing and then died ;)
9. Which wife of Henry VIII was the mother of Mary I?
Answer: Catherine of Aragon
Ah, Tudor history is as ubiquitous as ever then... Everyone got this.
10. The battles of Marston Moor and Worcester were fought in which war?
Answer: English Civil War
As the cunning noted, the chronology gave away the fact that this was where we had got up to. For reference, Marston Moor was, I think, 1644, and Worcester was 1650 (the last one, but after the execution of Charles I in 1649).
11. Which king was the last to lead his troops into a land battle directly?
Answer: George II
This is really one for the military history buffs, so I wasn't surprised people generally don't know. The battle was Dettingen.
12. When was the battle of Trafalgar fought, and between whom?
Answer: 21st October 1805, between the British and the French/Spanish
People knew about when it was... but seriously, is the date itself no longer a major landmark in history? Or did people think it wasn't necessary to say '1805'?
13. In which year was the Indian Mutiny?
Answer: 1857
Not too many people knew this. Weirdly, I studied this in Classics (part of reception when doing Roman Britain).
14. Which Prime Minister wrote the novel Sybil?
Answer: Disraeli
Some people seem to know. Bonus points should clearly be awarded to spelling it correctly ;)
15. Which Prime Minister made the famous 'peace in our time' declaration?
Answer: Neville Chamberlain
Unsurprisingly, everyone got this. Yay for the focus they have in history at school...
Thank you for taking part. That was fun! :)
1. Julius Caesar first attempted to invade Britain in
Answer: 55 BC
People did very well with this, I was happy to see!
2. Name the seven Saxon kingdoms (or as many as you can)
Answer: Northumbria, Essex, Wessex, Sussex, East Anglia, Mercia, Kent
Most people can name some, few people all. This is what I expected, really. Saxon history isn't taught very much, and it doesn't seem to interest many people.
3. Who was king after Edward the Confessor?
Answer: Harold II
I was very surprised at the poor performance on this one. You know that Edward the Confessor was the king before the Harold/William/Hastings thing, I'm guessing. Indeed, there were lots of votes for Harold I. Do people really not realise that the Harold of Hastings was Harold II? You thought I'd made Harold II up, didn't you? :)
4. Name the royal house of which Henry II was the first king.
Answer: Plantagenet
This seems to be something quite a few people know. Nice one :)
5. Which king signed the Magna Carta?
Answer: John
Again performance generally good.
6. Which king ruled from 1327 to 1377?
Answer: Edward III
I didn't think many people would get this, and I was right. Not many people sit down and learn the dates of the kings and queens and England these days (or they do when very young and then forget). I did, hence being able to set the question :)
7. The queen of Henry V was
Answer: Catherine de Valois
I wasn't surprised that not everyone got this, though, to be fair, you could have worked it out equally from Shakespeare as from schooly history.
8. In which war were the battles of Towton and Bosworth fought?
Answer: The Wars of the Roses
People do seem to get their English civil wars mixed up a bit. For reference, Towton was the bloodiest battle in English history, and Bosworth is the one where Richard III did the kingdom-for-a-horse thing and then died ;)
9. Which wife of Henry VIII was the mother of Mary I?
Answer: Catherine of Aragon
Ah, Tudor history is as ubiquitous as ever then... Everyone got this.
10. The battles of Marston Moor and Worcester were fought in which war?
Answer: English Civil War
As the cunning noted, the chronology gave away the fact that this was where we had got up to. For reference, Marston Moor was, I think, 1644, and Worcester was 1650 (the last one, but after the execution of Charles I in 1649).
11. Which king was the last to lead his troops into a land battle directly?
Answer: George II
This is really one for the military history buffs, so I wasn't surprised people generally don't know. The battle was Dettingen.
12. When was the battle of Trafalgar fought, and between whom?
Answer: 21st October 1805, between the British and the French/Spanish
People knew about when it was... but seriously, is the date itself no longer a major landmark in history? Or did people think it wasn't necessary to say '1805'?
13. In which year was the Indian Mutiny?
Answer: 1857
Not too many people knew this. Weirdly, I studied this in Classics (part of reception when doing Roman Britain).
14. Which Prime Minister wrote the novel Sybil?
Answer: Disraeli
Some people seem to know. Bonus points should clearly be awarded to spelling it correctly ;)
15. Which Prime Minister made the famous 'peace in our time' declaration?
Answer: Neville Chamberlain
Unsurprisingly, everyone got this. Yay for the focus they have in history at school...
Thank you for taking part. That was fun! :)