FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Mixed Bag of World History
Quiz about Mixed Bag of World History

Mixed Bag of World History Trivia Quiz


Here's a quiz for those among us who claim to know a little bit about everything. This quiz is packed with fairly easy questions, but they are from around the world and through the ages.

A multiple-choice quiz by tkane82. Estimated time: 8 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. History Trivia
  6. »
  7. Mixed Bag
  8. »
  9. Difficult History

Author
tkane82
Time
8 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
181,175
Updated
Feb 17 22
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
11 / 25
Plays
7099
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 49 (8/25), Guest 185 (7/25), kyleisalive (6/25).
- -
Question 1 of 25
1. The US State of Virginia is named after which Queen? Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. Arequipa, Peru, contains the remains of a young woman known as Juanita. Who was she? Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. Who was the first female prime minister of a Muslim country? Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. Who won the Haitian election held under United Nations supervision in 1990? Hint


Question 5 of 25
5. Who was Alexander the Great's closest companion and second-in-command of his empire? Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. Which Athenian was credited with devising the military strategy that led the Greeks to a decisive victory over the Persians at Salamis in 480 BC? Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. What was the "press gang" which operated in England at the time of the Napoleonic Wars (and earlier)? Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. Which of these great buildings was NOT built during the 17th century? Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. In what year did William Wallace attack and sack the city of York? Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. I was born in 1918 to a Romanian peasant family. I was active in the Communist Party, rising to become the president of my country. I had a reign of terror lasting until 1989, when I was overthrown by a popular uprising, and executed along with my wife. Who am I? Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. What is the symbol of the Thai monarchy? Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tze founded the system of belief known as Taoism. What does the name Lao-Tze mean? Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. Which was the most famous of the Indian "hill stations", known as the summer capital of the British Raj? Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. What was the capital of the Nabatean kingdom, which existed circa 300 BC in what is now the Middle East? Hint


Question 15 of 25
15. Who were the first Westerners to land in Japan? Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. What were the four ancient capitals of China? Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. Noted for his strict discipline, Rev. Samuel Marsden was known as "The Flogging Parson of Parramatta". I would argue, however, that he should be better known for another one of his achievements. What is it? Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. Who was the first English explorer to land in Australia? Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. Timbuktu is perhaps the most significant city in the history of West Africa. Which of the following statements is NOT true? Hint


Question 20 of 25
20. Before it gained independence from Britain, Zimbabwe was named after a British imperialist and business magnate. Who was it? Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. The famous Cleopatra VII is known as one of history's great lovers. Who was her first husband? Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. The Cheka was the "secret police" set up by the Bolsheviks to "liquidate the opposition" immediately following their successful revolution in 1917. Who was its first head? Hint


Question 23 of 25
23. Which missionary is the patron saint of India? Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. In which war was the Victoria Cross established as an award for valour? Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. Which civilisation was the first to create vessels with blown glass? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Mar 28 2024 : Guest 49: 8/25
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 185: 7/25
Mar 23 2024 : kyleisalive: 6/25
Mar 21 2024 : AndySed: 10/25
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 73: 13/25
Mar 19 2024 : Rogerh2: 17/25
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 1: 14/25
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 80: 7/25
Mar 10 2024 : BoneApart: 22/25

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The US State of Virginia is named after which Queen?

Answer: Elizabeth I

Queen Elizabeth was known as the "virgin Queen" and thanks to the fervour with which England explored and colonised the world during her reign, had many things named after her. These include Virginia, the Virgin Islands and "crassostria virginica", a breed of oyster.
2. Arequipa, Peru, contains the remains of a young woman known as Juanita. Who was she?

Answer: A sacrifice to the gods

Juanita was sacrificed along with two boys in order to prevent a volcanic eruption near Arequipa.
3. Who was the first female prime minister of a Muslim country?

Answer: Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto became prime minister of Pakistan in 1988, following the footsteps of her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She led Pakistan again between 1993-1996. Tansu Ciller was the prime minister of Turkey in the same period, while Sheikh Hasina gained leadership of Bangladesh in 1996. Srimavo Bandaranaike was prime minister of the mainly Buddhist nation of Sri Lanka.
4. Who won the Haitian election held under United Nations supervision in 1990?

Answer: Jean-Bertrand Aristide

The Brigadier-General seized power not much later, Marc Bazin was the civilian leader installed by the military in 1992. "Papa Doc" was the Haitian dictator who ruled from 1957 to 1971.
5. Who was Alexander the Great's closest companion and second-in-command of his empire?

Answer: Hephaistion Amyntoros

Alexander and Hephaistion had been friends since childhood, studying together under Aristotle at his school in Mieza. Harpalos was another close friend, and was Alexander's treasurer, but absconded with a small army and a war-chest to Athens. He was later captured and killed. Philotas, son of Alexander's general Parmenion, was executed for masterminding a plot to assassinate Alexander. Krateros was Alexander's other second-in-command (and a rival of Hephaistion).
6. Which Athenian was credited with devising the military strategy that led the Greeks to a decisive victory over the Persians at Salamis in 480 BC?

Answer: Themistocles

Pericles was the great Polemarch (military leader) of Athens. Alcibiades was the general who succeeded Pericles, and led the Peloponnesian War - until he defected to the Spartan side, anyway. Miltiades was the Athenian general who masterminded the victory at Marathon.
7. What was the "press gang" which operated in England at the time of the Napoleonic Wars (and earlier)?

Answer: Men who roamed ports seizing civilians for enforced Naval service

The press gang basically kidnapped able-bodied men for the war effort. Although the concept had been in existence for centuries, sets of rules had evolved within the press-ganging field by the Napoleonic era. See http://www.nelsonsnavy.co.uk/broadside7.html for more information.
8. Which of these great buildings was NOT built during the 17th century?

Answer: St Basil's Cathedral

Ivan the Terrible commissioned the construction of St Basil's to commemorate his victory over the Tartar Mongols in 1552. It was promptly built between 1555 and 1561. According to legend, Ivan had the architect blinded after its completion so that he could never build anything to match its beauty.
9. In what year did William Wallace attack and sack the city of York?

Answer: Never

William Wallace never actually attacked York. This is one of the facts that the otherwise excellent film "Braveheart" gets completely wrong!
10. I was born in 1918 to a Romanian peasant family. I was active in the Communist Party, rising to become the president of my country. I had a reign of terror lasting until 1989, when I was overthrown by a popular uprising, and executed along with my wife. Who am I?

Answer: Nicolae Ceausescu

Mussolini ruled Italy (but died in similar circumstances to Ceausescu). Todor Zhivkov was the communist dictator of Bulgaria. George Hagi was a Romanian footballer. Somewhat unusually for an Eastern European, perhaps, Ceausescu had a love for rugby, and founded the Romanian Rugby Federation - the national squad are regular participants in the World Cup.
11. What is the symbol of the Thai monarchy?

Answer: An elephant

The elephant is the royal animal of Thailand, and all elephants in the nation belong to the King. They were widely used for military purposes throughout Thai history, and were one of the primary mechanisms by which the Thai monarchs held onto power. King Rama V famously offered American President Lincoln elephants to aid him in the Civil War.
12. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tze founded the system of belief known as Taoism. What does the name Lao-Tze mean?

Answer: Teacher

Lao-Tze is Mandarin for "teacher". The philosopher's real name was Mo Di.
13. Which was the most famous of the Indian "hill stations", known as the summer capital of the British Raj?

Answer: Simla

Maxwell Hill is the oldest hill station in Malaysia. Ootacamund and Darjeeling are also Indian hill stations, but Simla was where the British colonials flocked to cool off during the sweltering Indian summers. India was partly governed from Simla during summer.
14. What was the capital of the Nabatean kingdom, which existed circa 300 BC in what is now the Middle East?

Answer: Petra

The Nabateans were an early Arabian civilisation. Petra, the "Rose-Red City", lay on a trading route between Damascus and Arabia. The Nabateans were annexed by the Roman Emperor Trajan in 106 AD and Petra was inexplicably abandoned in 551 AD.
15. Who were the first Westerners to land in Japan?

Answer: Portuguese

The Portuguese landed on Tanegashima Island in 1543 introducing the Japanese to cakes and firearms, which were welcomed.
16. What were the four ancient capitals of China?

Answer: Beijing, Nanjing, Xi'an, and Luoyang

Many, many cities have been the capital of one or another of China's dynasties. These are traditionally known as the four ancient capitals because they have had that role several times in Chinese history.
17. Noted for his strict discipline, Rev. Samuel Marsden was known as "The Flogging Parson of Parramatta". I would argue, however, that he should be better known for another one of his achievements. What is it?

Answer: Introducing sheep to New Zealand

In New Zealand sheep now outnumber people fourteen to one. Kiwis owe a lot to this man!
18. Who was the first English explorer to land in Australia?

Answer: William Dampier

It was Dampier - part buccaneer, part scientist, who landed in 1688 and suggested further exploration after taking home a number of botanical specimens. Captain Cook was the first Englishman to land on the east coast, which he did in 1770. Flinders came along even later in 1795. Dirk Hartog beat them all, landing in 1616, but he was Dutch.
19. Timbuktu is perhaps the most significant city in the history of West Africa. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Answer: It was founded in 1270 AD as the capital of the Songhai Empire

Timbuktu was founded around 1100 BC as a trading post due to its proximity to both the Sahara and the Niger river. It first rose to prominence under the Mali Empire due to its position on the trans-Saharan trade route. It traded primarily in salt from mines in the Sahara, and slaves and gold coming down the Niger. Timbuktu was conquered in 1468 by the Songhai who made it a centre for learning by establishing the University of Sankore, in its day the largest university in Africa.
20. Before it gained independence from Britain, Zimbabwe was named after a British imperialist and business magnate. Who was it?

Answer: Cecil Rhodes

Zimbabwe was originally named Rhodesia after Cecil Rhodes, founder of the De Beers diamond mining company, who was heavily involved in its development. He is also well known for the Rhodes Scholarships that he established in the final version of his will. Tiny Rowland is a more recent media magnate. John Bull is a caricature. Arthur Wellesley was the Duke of Wellington.
21. The famous Cleopatra VII is known as one of history's great lovers. Who was her first husband?

Answer: Ptolemy

He was her younger brother, and their marriage was a ritual one which conformed to Pharaonic tradition. Notwithstanding their close relationship, the marriage was not particularly happy, with Cleopatra eventually ordering Ptolemy to be killed.
22. The Cheka was the "secret police" set up by the Bolsheviks to "liquidate the opposition" immediately following their successful revolution in 1917. Who was its first head?

Answer: Felix Dzerzhinski

He was head of the Cheka from 1917-1921, and later headed the two similar organizations which followed it.
23. Which missionary is the patron saint of India?

Answer: St Francis Xavier

St Francis Xavier was a Jesuit missionary who travelled through Asia, and is buried in the coastal town of Goa, where his body is said to be miraculously preserved. Other saints who are also patrons of India include St Thomas the Apostle and the Virgin Mary.
24. In which war was the Victoria Cross established as an award for valour?

Answer: Crimean War

The first Victoria Crosses are said to have been struck from the bronze of two Chinese cannons captured from the Russians at the siege of Sevastopol.
25. Which civilisation was the first to create vessels with blown glass?

Answer: Babylonians

The Egyptians were the first to make glass objects for use, but did so by moulding glass. The Babylonians, in 250 BC, first discovered that molten glass could be blown into shapes.
Source: Author tkane82

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
1. The Aberrant, Weird and Humorous of the Past Difficult
2. It's History Now Difficult
3. General Historical Topics 3 Very Difficult
4. Bending the Mind Tough
5. Famous Blunders Tough
6. Historical Gossip Difficult
7. Your War or Mine? Yankees, Rebels, and Manchus Difficult
8. Freaky History Very Difficult
9. Random History Quiz Difficult
10. Now You See It Very Difficult
11. Oddities in History Difficult
12. Fun History Facts Difficult

3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us