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Boston Tea Party Trivia Quiz

The Boston Tea Party ... Every American schoolchild learns the story. Test your knowledge.

A multiple-choice quiz by burika7. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
burika7

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
344,980

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
603

Last 3 plays: Guest 174 (10/10), Guest 172 (4/10), Guest 73 (3/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The British imposed a tax on tea in the American colonies: Hint

to raise money to pay off the British national debt

to provide more troops

on principle

to pay off the debt and to bail out the East India Company

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The colonists hated the tax on tea because: Hint

the tax was so high that tea became unaffordable

of the principle of the thing

coffee and cocoa were untaxed

could buy tea from the French more cheaply

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. The 150 men who took part in the Boston Tea Party disguised themselves as Native Americans. What they did NOT do was: Hint

wear rags, old shawls, and red caps

dump the tea in the harbor

smear ashes or burnt cork on their faces

wear reddish makeup and wear feathered war bonnets

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. When the Boston men took over the three ships and began throwing tea overboard: Hint

took British soldiers as prisoners

the British sailors fought them fiercely

some of the British sailors helped them

the ships were set ablaze

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. The tea that was dumped into the harbor: Hint

piled up like large 'haystacks' in the shallow harbor

sank to the bottom in heavy wooden chests

poisoned the fish

was partially saved by the British

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Samuel Adams, leader of the Sons Of Liberty and one of the chief instigators had once worked as a: Hint

tax collector

lawyer

tea merchant

farmer who grew tea

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. At c. 2010 prices the approximate value of the tossed tea was: Hint

$10,000

$1,000,000

$100,000

$10,000,000

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The type of tea hurled into the harbor was: Hint

Earl Grey

Chinese

Oolong

Darjeerling

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. The men who participated in the Boston Tea Party: Hint

had all their assets confiscated to pay for the damage

stood trial in England and were put to death

were tarred and feathered

went unpunished.

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. When Ben Franklin learned of the Boston Tea Party: Hint

he went into hiding until it was safe

he invented a substitute tea made from grape leaves

he offered to pay for the damages out of his fortune

he wrote a new edition of Poor Richard's Almanac

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 15 2024 : Guest 174: 10/10
Apr 14 2024 : Guest 172: 4/10
Mar 06 2024 : Guest 73: 3/10
Mar 05 2024 : skarunk: 8/10
Mar 04 2024 : Guest 5: 8/10
Mar 01 2024 : HW2024: 3/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The British imposed a tax on tea in the American colonies:

Answer: to pay off the debt and to bail out the East India Company

The East India Company, Britain's largest enterprise, imported tea from India. But the company was almost bankrupt, couldn't pay its taxes and had huge stockpiles of tea going stale in their warehouses - largely due to the colonists' boycott of British tea.

2. The colonists hated the tax on tea because:

Answer: of the principle of the thing

Remember the slogan "No taxation without representation". The Tea Act of 1773 would actually have lowered the cost of tea.

3. The 150 men who took part in the Boston Tea Party disguised themselves as Native Americans. What they did NOT do was:

Answer: wear reddish makeup and wear feathered war bonnets

Some images online and elsewhere show the men with reddish makeup, but that is historically inaccurate.

4. When the Boston men took over the three ships and began throwing tea overboard:

Answer: some of the British sailors helped them

There was no violence or burning, in fact it was done in very orderly and peaceful way.

5. The tea that was dumped into the harbor:

Answer: piled up like large 'haystacks' in the shallow harbor

The Tea Party took place at low tide, and in fact the water at Griffin's Wharf was only two feet deep.

6. Samuel Adams, leader of the Sons Of Liberty and one of the chief instigators had once worked as a:

Answer: tax collector

Samuel Adams a leader in the revolution and is credited to as "One of our Founding" fathers did serve briefly as a tax collector. He was known as being very lenient and resigned way before the Revolution began.

7. At c. 2010 prices the approximate value of the tossed tea was:

Answer: $1,000,000

The British throne was none to happy to lose a very hefty sum of cargo. Relations between the colonists and the British government became tense, at best, and may have paved the way to war.

8. The type of tea hurled into the harbor was:

Answer: Chinese

At the time almost all tea came from China.

9. The men who participated in the Boston Tea Party:

Answer: went unpunished.

There was a very strict code of secrecy regarding who participated and it is still unknown who actually took part.

10. When Ben Franklin learned of the Boston Tea Party:

Answer: he offered to pay for the damages out of his fortune

At the time Ben Franklin was in London and he conditioned the offer on Parliaments repealing the tax. Parliament refused. No one ever paid for the lost tea.

Source: Author burika7

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