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Quiz about Real Castaways
Quiz about Real Castaways

Real Castaways Trivia Quiz


Being a castaway on a deserted island or a remote frontier is not just fiction. There are real people who have spent long periods of time alone after being castaway. This is a quiz about some of these fascinating people and their stories.

A multiple-choice quiz by dcpddc478. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
dcpddc478
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
321,481
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
688
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Alexander Selkirk was a real Scottish sailor who is thought to be the inspiration for which fictional castaway? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Juana Maria lived for 18 years alone on the island of San Nicolas after the rest of her tribe was killed off by otter hunters. Her story inspired what popular novel by Scott O'Dell? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In April of 1725 Leendert Hasenbosch was abandoned on Ascension Island for sodomy. How did the world find out about his life alone on this island? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Fernao Lopez was abandoned in 1502 on the South Atlantic island known for being the death place of Napoleon? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Marguerite de La Rocque de Roberval became a castaway on Ile des Démons in 1541. This island lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in which modern country? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Chunosuke Matsuyama's story came to light 150 years after he was dumped. How did the modern world learn of his story? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Sometimes becoming a castaway is accidental. In June of 1972 Dougal Robertson's boat sank and he spent 38 days at sea in a dinghy. What is the name of the book he wrote about his ordeal which became a movie starring Ali McGraw? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In 1789 a British Royal Navy ship experienced an insurrection in the South Pacific. The captain and some loyal sailors were cast away in a small boat and left adrift in the Pacific Ocean. What was the name of this famous ship? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The novel by Johann Wyss,"The Swiss Family Robinson", was based on a real event.


Question 10 of 10
10. In 1812 the sealing ship Nanina saved the occupants of the British ship Isabella when that ship sank off Eagle Island in the southern Atlantic. Why did the captain of the Nanina then became a castaway because of his action? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 06 2024 : Peachie13: 10/10
Feb 02 2024 : Guest 71: 4/10

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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Alexander Selkirk was a real Scottish sailor who is thought to be the inspiration for which fictional castaway?

Answer: Robinson Crusoe

Selkirk has long been thought to be the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's fictional tale "Robinson Crusoe". In 1704 Selkirk was abandoned on the Juan Fernandez archipelago after his captain heard him attempting to get the crew to mutiny and telling them that they ship was not seaworthy. (It did later sink taking most of the sailors with it.) He was left alone for over 4 years on a small island in the Pacific with no human contact.

He had been given a musket with ammunition, clothing. a knife, a bible, and a few carpenters tools.

He was found in 1709 and a book was written about him and his ordeal. It is called "The Englishman". After a quick trip home he went back to sea. Selkirk died aboard ship of yellow fever in 1721.
2. Juana Maria lived for 18 years alone on the island of San Nicolas after the rest of her tribe was killed off by otter hunters. Her story inspired what popular novel by Scott O'Dell?

Answer: Island of the Blue Dolphins

O'Dell's "Island of the Blue Dolphins" was based on Juana Maria. In 1811 Juana Maria and her people, the Nicolenos, were hired to assist Russian otter hunters. When the otters started to run out warfare between the two broke out. The Russians killed killed all but 7 of these Aleutian islanders.

When the schooner "Peor es Nada" came to the island in an heroic attempt to save the last of the Nicolenos, Juana Maria was inadvertently left behind. The "Peor es Nada" sank a month later in a storm and all the Nicolenos who had been saved from the island died of infectious diseases shortly after arrival at the local mission.

It was not until 1853 that Juana Maria was found. She had lived all this time alone and appeared to be well. No one knew what her real name was as no one could speak her language and so they christened her Juana Maria.

But like her brethren she died within 7 weeks of being taken off her island and brought to the mission. She succumbed to the European diseases to which she had no immunity.
3. In April of 1725 Leendert Hasenbosch was abandoned on Ascension Island for sodomy. How did the world find out about his life alone on this island?

Answer: He wrote a diary that was found after his death.

Leendert died on the island and his diary and his camp were found a few months later. He tells of drinking turtle blood and his own urine in an attempt to stay alive. His diary reflects his guilt and humbleness and speaks of the agony he was forced to endure.

His actual name was not made public until 2002 when Michiel Kiilbergen published his book entitled "Een Hollandse Robinson Crusoe", which translates as "A Dutch Robinson Crusoe".
4. Fernao Lopez was abandoned in 1502 on the South Atlantic island known for being the death place of Napoleon?

Answer: Saint Helena

Lopez was a Portuguese sailor punished for converting to Islam and leading a rebellion. He had his ears and nose chopped off. His right hand and his left hand were also amputated. This happened in India. When on his way back to Portugal to face an uncertain future the ship he was on stopped at Saint Helena to replenish their water supply and to gather fresh fruits and vegetables. Lopez requested to be left behind so that he could hide his mulitation.

He was given minimal supplies and left to fend for himself. Occasionally, ships would stop by to replenish their water supplies and would leave him gifts of seeds and livestock.

He was soon looked at as a martyr by many. After ten years on the island, Lopez went home to Portugal, visited his family, the king, and the Pope. Lopez begged the Pope to absolve him of his sins and requested to be allowed to return to his island. Lopez returned to Saint Helena and lived in solitude on Saint Helena for another 20 years.
5. Marguerite de La Rocque de Roberval became a castaway on Ile des Démons in 1541. This island lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in which modern country?

Answer: Canada

Ile des Demons or Island of Démons lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence just off Quebec, Canada. Marguerite was a French noblewomen exiled for being 'indiscreet with a sailor'. The captain of the ship (her uncle) forced Marguerite, her maid, and the sailor off the ship for what he professed to be religious reasons.

In fact, if Marguerite died, her uncle was to inherit her fortune. Two years later she was rescued by an unnamed ship and returned to France. The Queen of Navarre wrote about her in her book "Heptameron".

Her story is an example of how not all castaways are on tropical desert islands and not all castaways were male.
6. Chunosuke Matsuyama's story came to light 150 years after he was dumped. How did the modern world learn of his story?

Answer: A message in a bottle

The Japanes man Chunosuke Matsuyama and 43 of his crew mates became castaways when their ship sank in a storm and the survivors swam to a small coral reef. There was no fresh water and the sailors slowly died off. Their story came to light when a bottle washed up on the shore of Chunosuke Matsuyama's home village over 500 miles away and 150 years later.

Inside were pieces of wood in which he had carved the tragic story of his death and that of his compatriots. He had put the pieces of wood in bottle that had washed up on the reef, put a stopper in the bottle, and threw it back into the sea.

It floated in the Pacific for over 150 years.
7. Sometimes becoming a castaway is accidental. In June of 1972 Dougal Robertson's boat sank and he spent 38 days at sea in a dinghy. What is the name of the book he wrote about his ordeal which became a movie starring Ali McGraw?

Answer: "Survive the Savage Sea"

Dougal Robertson and his family spent 38 days afloat in the Pacific after a pod of killer whales sank their schooner. They survived by collecting rain water and catching fish. Their boat sank about 200 miles west of the Galapagos Islands and they were found almost 800 miles away. All survived.
8. In 1789 a British Royal Navy ship experienced an insurrection in the South Pacific. The captain and some loyal sailors were cast away in a small boat and left adrift in the Pacific Ocean. What was the name of this famous ship?

Answer: The Bounty

The ship was The Bounty, and the captain was William Bligh. Of the 50 or so crew members half mutinied and half stayed loyal to the captain. The captain managed to sail his tiny lifeboat 3,600 miles to the island of Timor using only a sextant and pocket watch. All but three sailors survived. In 1916 the very first movie about the "Mutiny on the Bounty" was filmed.
9. The novel by Johann Wyss,"The Swiss Family Robinson", was based on a real event.

Answer: false

While a wonderful novel to read, this book was not based on any actual occurrence. It was simply a novel that reflected the very real fear that many Englishmen had about being sent to Australia, and the long dangerous voyage to get there.
10. In 1812 the sealing ship Nanina saved the occupants of the British ship Isabella when that ship sank off Eagle Island in the southern Atlantic. Why did the captain of the Nanina then became a castaway because of his action?

Answer: The sailors of the Isabella stole his ship

After Captain Charles Barnard saved the crew of the sinking Isabella, he stopped at a small island in the Falkland Islands to try to get more provisions for everyone who was now on his ship. While the Captain and four of his crew were ashore, in an act of complete treachery, the sailors that he had just saved stole his ship and left the five men on this desert island.

They were found by chance two years later. Today, you are able to tour Eagle Island where they will show you the stone shelters built by Captain Barnard and his men while they awaited rescue.
Source: Author dcpddc478

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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