World History Multiple Choice Questions and Answers

WORLD WAR I QUIZ – World History Multiple Choice Quiz Questions Part 1

Involving all the world’s superpowers, this tragic war resulted in over 35 million casualties. From weaponry and spies to treaties and neutrality, test your knowledge of World War I in this quiz.

1) Whose death sparked World War I?
A) Kaiser Wilhelm
B) Archbishop Ussher
C) Queen Victoria
D) Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Answer: D
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz (Francis) Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated. His murder led to World War I.

2) Which of these nations was neutral in World War I?
A) Germany
B) Norway
C) Italy
D) England

Answer: B
Norway was neutral, meaning that it did not take sides, during World War I (1914–18). The country did not want to enter World War II (1939–45) either, but Nazi Germany invaded it in 1940.

3) Which of these ships was sunk by a German submarine?
A) Arizona
B) Lusitania
C) Titanic
D) Andrea Doria

Answer: B
The British passenger ship Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland in 1915, causing great loss of life.

4) Which weapon was first used at the Battle of the Somme in World War I?
A) Submarine
B) Tank
C) Jet fighter
D) Chariot

Answer: B
The tank was introduced, at first by the British armed forces, at the Battle of the Somme during World War I.

5) World War I ended in:
A) 1925
B) 1918
C) 1920
D) 1915

Answer: B
World War I officially ended at 11 AM on November 11 (11/11), 1918.

6) Which of these people was a spy in World War I?
A) James Bond
B) Mata Hari
C) Benedict Arnold
D) Serge Plekhanov

Answer: B
Mata Hari was a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed in 1917.

HISTORY BUFF QUIZ – World History Multiple Choice Quiz Questions Part 2

You know basic history facts inside and out. But what about the details in between? Put your history smarts to the test to see if you qualify for the title of History Buff.

7) How many republics made up the former Soviet Union?
A) 15
B) 12
C) 20
D) 10

Answer: A
The Soviet Union, at its end, was made up of 15 republics. The largest and most powerful was the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, now Russia.

8) When was the first Nobel Prize in economics awarded?
A) 1969
B) 1949
C) 1909
D) 1929

Answer: A
The Nobel Prize in economics was established in 1969. It was first awarded to Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen, who specialized in macroeconomics.

9) Which book was written by Niccolò Machiavelli?
A) The Once and Future King
B) The Prince
C) The Good Earth
D) War and Peace

Answer: B
In The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli studied the world of politics by using reason and scientific methods. He did not judge people’s actions as good or bad; instead, he simply observed them.

10) Of what country was Simón Bolívar president?
A) Bolivia
B) Peru
C) Argentina
D) Chile

Answer: B
Simón Bolívar, besides being president of Gran Colombia (1821–30), was also the president of Peru (1823–29).

11) Which Indian president was involved in the struggle for Irish independence?
A) V.V. Giri
B) Neelam Sanjiva Reddy
C) Gulzarilal Nanda
D) S. Radhakrishnan

Answer: A
V.V. Giri, India’s president from 1969 to 1974, studied in Dublin, Ireland, where he became involved in the movement to free Ireland from British rule.

12) Who was Karl Marx’s associate and fellow political theoretician?
A) Friedrich Nietzsche
B) Friedrich II
C) Friedrich Engels
D) Friedrich Reich

Answer: C
In 1844, Karl Marx met a young socialist named Friedrich Engels, with whom he developed many of his ideas.

13) Where were the Aegean Bronze Age civilizations located?
A) Algeria
B) India
C) Greece
D) Spain

Answer: C
The Bronze Age Aegean civilizations, including the Minoans of Crete and the Myceneans of the mainland, were located in what is now Greece.

14) Which of these battles did not involve Roman soldiers?
A) Arretium
B) Chalons
C) Cannae
D) Thermopylae

Answer: D
The battle of Thermopylae was fought in 480 BCE between the invading Persians and an alliance of Greek city-states.

ALL-AMERICAN HISTORY QUIZ – World History Multiple Choice Quiz Questions Part 3

Who was the original Edsel? When did a U.S. president first appear on TV? And why did Sequoyah have a tree named after him? Go back in time for the all-American answers.

15) Through which national park does the Continental Divide not pass?
A) Yellowstone
B) Rocky Mountain
C) Glacier
D) Yosemite

Answer: D
Yosemite National Park, in California, lies west of the Continental Divide.

16) On what peninsula in Washington would you find the Olympic Mountains?
A) Seattle Peninsula
B) Puget Peninsula
C) Washington Peninsula
D) Olympic Peninsula

Answer: D
The majority of the Olympic Peninsula, between the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound, is covered by the Olympic Mountains.

17) Who was the first U.S. president to appear on television?
A) Richard Nixon
B) Ronald Reagan
C) Abraham Lincoln
D) Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Answer: D
Appearing at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to be televised.

18) What automobile was named after Henry Ford’s only son?
A) Buick
B) Oldsmobile
C) Isuzu
D) Edsel

Answer: D
Henry Ford named the ill-fated Edsel passenger sedan after his only son, Edsel Ford.

19) In what American state would you find Denali?
A) Alabama
B) Arkansas
C) Alaska
D) Arizona

Answer: C
Denali is in Alaska. At 6,194 meters, it is the tallest mountain in North America.

20) Which state seceded from Virginia in 1863?
A) the District of Columbia
B) North Carolina
C) West Virginia
D) Maryland

Answer: C
West Virginia seceded from Virginia during the Civil War, in 1863.

21) Which modern states does the Natchez Trace join?
A) Mississippi and Alabama
B) Mississippi and Arkansas
C) Mississippi and Louisiana
D) Mississippi and Tennessee

Answer: D
The Natchez Trace, an old Indian trade route, goes through the modern states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.

22) What is the capital of Illinois?
A) Urbana
B) Streator
C) Springfield
D) Chicago

Answer: C
The capital of Illinois is Springfield.

23) In which city would you find the Statue of Liberty?
A) San Francisco
B) New York City
C) Washington, D.C.
D) Philadelphia

Answer: B
The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island, in New York Harbor.

24) What is a nickname for people from Maine?
A) Down-southers
B) Uplanders
C) Mainlanders
D) Down-Easters

Answer: D

KINGS OF ENGLAND – World History Multiple Choice Quiz Questions Part 4

How many kings of England have been named Henry? Who was the wife of Henry II? From the Magna Carta to the Battle of Agincourt, test your knowledge of kings of England in this quiz.

25) Which one of his six wives is England’s King Henry VIII buried alongside?
A) Anne Boleyn
B) Anne of Cleves
C) Katherine Parr
D) Jane Seymour

Answer: D
Jane Seymour (1509–1537) was the third wife of King Henry VIII (1491–1547). They are buried at Windsor Castle, near London

26) How many kings of England have been named Henry?
A) 10
B) 8
C) 11
D) 9

Answer: B
England has had eight kings named Henry. The last, Henry VIII, is remembered for his six wives and his conflict with the Roman Catholic church.

27) Which king signed the Magna Carta?
A) William
B) John
C) Henry VIIII
D) James

Answer: B
King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. The document guarantees English citizens certain rights that the king’s government had been usurping.

28) Who was the wife of king Henry II?
A) Eleanor Roosevelt
B) Eleanor Jones
C) Eleanor of Aquitaine
D) Eleanor Rigby

Answer: C
Henry II, the king of England from 1154 to 1189, ruled over southwestern France as well. He gained this throne from his marriage to French-born Eleanor of Aquitaine.

29) Who was the English king at the Battle of Agincourt?
A) Henry V
B) Henry III
C) Henry X
D) Henry VIII

Answer: A
Henry V (ruled 1413–1422) was a warrior king. He scored several victories against the French, in particular at the Battle of Agincourt (1415), when his troops beat a much larger French force.

30) Which king of England died at the Battle of Bosworth?
A) Richard VI
B) Henry VII
C) Richard III
D) Henry II

Answer: C
In 1485 Henry Tudor killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and became Henry VII.

31) Who was the king of England (and the rest of Great Britain) at the time of the American Revolution?
A) Edward III
B) George II
C) George III
D) Henry VIII

Answer: C
King George III (1738–1820) ruled Great Britain, of which England is part, from 1760 until his death in 1820. The American Revolution occurred between 1775 and 1783, during his reign.

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN – World History Multiple Choice Quiz Questions Part 5

Which Egyptian pharaoh believed in the idea of a single god? From the pyramids to famous mummies, decode your mental hieroglyphics by taking this Egyptian history quiz.

32) Which Egyptian pharaoh believed in the idea of a single god?
A) Tutankhamen
B) Akhenaton
C) Nefertiti
D) Cheops

Answer: B
Whereas most ancient Egyptians believed in a pantheon numbering many gods, the pharaoh Akhenaton proclaimed that the sun was the sole deity.

33) What were the pyramids of Egypt?
A) Administrative centers
B) Tombs
C) Command posts
D) Shrines

Answer: B
The great pyramids of ancient Egyptians were tombs for their leaders, whom they worshipped as gods. The pyramids, as well as their temples, were built of heavy stones.

34) Which of these was not an Egyptian pharaoh?
A) Ramses
B) Shah Jahan
C) Amenhotep
D) Tutankhamen

Answer: B
Shah Jahan was the Mughal emperor of India, ruling from 1628 to 1658 CE. The pharaohs ruled over Egypt many hundreds of years earlier.

35) In Egyptian mythology, who was the wife of Osiris?
A) Oslo
B) Isis
C) Ozzy
D) Iris

Answer: B
Osiris’s wife and queen was Isis, who was believed to have magical powers. She and her son, Horus, were thought to be the perfect mother and child.

36) Which of these would you likely find in an Egyptian tomb?
A) Marshmallow
B) Muskrat
C) Mummy
D) Mummer

Answer: D
A mummy is a body that has been buried in a special way. The ancient Egyptians mummified important figures, such as kings.

37) Whose body is the most famous mummy from Egyptian history?
A) Abdel Nasser
B) Pharaoh Sanders
C) Tutankhamen
D) Cleopatra

Answer: C
The most famous mummy is that of King Tutankhamen. His tomb was uncovered in 1922. His mummy was enclosed in a series of three coffins—the innermost being of solid gold.

38) Which of these was an Egyptian king?
A) Sobhuza
B) Zog
C) Farouk
D) Andrew

Answer: C
Farouk was king of Egypt until 1952, when Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew him.