Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The use of spies was recorded in the Bible about 1300 BCE. Joshua sent two spies into Jericho prior to attacking the city. When the King of Jericho was warned by his own spies, he ordered a search. Who harbored Joshua's men at great personal risk?
2. In 1274 BCE, Ramesses II determined to recover Egypt's lost territories and took his armies north. Two spies from the opposing armies were captured, and persuaded Ramesses that his enemies were many miles away, when in fact they were hidden in position near Kadesh. Who was this enemy?
3. In the James Bond books, what fictional Secret Service organisation uses the name of a genuine but defunct counter-spy operation?
4. Which Florentine philosopher wrote texts on statesmanship and war, which advocated the use of sophisticated spy networks. Though he had written those books for the benefit of the rulers of his time, his work has proved useful to later governments seeking to bolster their power base. His name?
5. Political spy networks flourished in Ancient Greece and Rome. A secret police force thrived throughout the Roman Empire during the first century AD. Hadrian made effective use of these spies, who kept him informed of his enemies' (and friends') private doings. What was this organisation known as?
6. Ancient China was a hotbed of espionage and spycraft. Which ancient philosopher devoted a large part of his textbook - still widely read by the military today - to the recruitment and management of many different types of spy?
7. Of course, spies have been employed for many tasks, including assassination. In September, 1978, the outspoken Bulgarian dissident, Georgi Markov, was fatally dosed with ricin. He died 3 days later. How was the poison administered?
8. Perhaps the most famous American spy was Nathan Hale, who was reported as having said "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country". Where was he arrested?
9. Elizabethan England was a hotbed of clandestine operations - small wonder, with England's crown under threat from Scotland, Spain and various English nobility. Which of Shakespeare's literary contemporaries was widely believed to have been a spy and was stabbed to death in mysterious circumstances?
10. What was the name of the U.S. pilot shot down in Soviet airspace and imprisoned by the Soviet authorities in 1960?
Source: Author
windrush
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
stedman before going online.
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