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History Quiz Worksheet

QUIZLINO
Set 1 · Mixed
Name:Class / Group:Score:     / 20

Choose the best answer for each question. The answer key is on the last page.

  1. Which day is celebrated as India's Independence Day?
    A. 26 January B. 15 August C. 2 October D. 14 November
  2. Which city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
    A. Constantinople B. Alexandria C. Rome D. Athens
  3. Who was the first Mughal emperor of India?
    A. Akbar B. Humayun C. Babur D. Jahangir
  4. Which dynasty ruled most of northern India during the reign of Harshavardhana?
    A. Pushyabhuti Dynasty B. Chola Dynasty C. Pallava Dynasty D. Satavahana Dynasty
  5. Where is the Taj Mahal located?
    A. Jaipur B. Delhi C. Agra D. Mumbai
  6. The Tamil work Civaka Chintamani (Jivaka Chintamani) is related to which religion?
    A. Hinduism B. Buddhism C. Christianity D. Jainism
  7. Which conference decided the partition of Africa among European powers?
    A. Geneva Conference B. Vienna Congress C. Berlin Conference (1884–85) D. Yalta Conference
  8. Which treaty officially ended the First World War?
    A. Treaty of Paris B. Treaty of Versailles C. Treaty of Utrecht D. Treaty of Ghent
  9. Which event led directly to the formation of the Muslim League in 1906?
    A. Partition of Bengal B. Jallianwala Bagh Massacre C. Simon Commission D. Dandi March
  10. The famous work Harshacharita was written by:
    A. Kalidasa B. Banabhatta C. Aryabhata D. Bhavabhuti
  11. Who was the founder of the Satavahana dynasty?
    A. Simuka B. Gautamiputra Satakarni C. Hala D. Pulumavi
  12. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
    A. Marie Antoinette B. Marie Curie C. Jane Addams D. Mother Teresa
  13. Who was Akbar's famous witty courtier?
    A. Tansen B. Birbal C. Todar Mal D. Man Singh
  14. In which year did the Battle of Buxar take place?
    A. 1757 B. 1764 C. 1776 D. 1789
  15. The ancient Mesopotamian civilization was situated between which two rivers?
    A. Nile and Congo B. Tigris and Euphrates C. Indus and Ganges D. Yangtze and Yellow
  16. Which of the following rulers did not belong to the Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty?
    A. Nagabhatta II B. Mahendrapala I C. Devapala D. Bharatrabhatta I
  17. Which ruler is associated with the Prayaga Prashasti?
    A. Chandragupta Maurya B. Samudragupta C. Skandagupta D. Kumaragupta
  18. Which country did Napoleon invade in 1812, leading to his disastrous retreat?
    A. Spain B. Germany C. Russia D. Egypt
  19. Which ancient Indian kingdom was ruled by Bimbisara?
    A. Magadha B. Kosala C. Avanti D. Vatsa
  20. Who was the longest-serving US President?
    A. George Washington B. Abraham Lincoln C. Franklin D. Roosevelt D. Theodore Roosevelt
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Answer key – History (Set 1)

  1. B. 15 August – India celebrates Independence Day on 15 August, the day in 1947 when British rule ended. Lord Mountbatten chose the date because it was the second anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Every year the Prime Minister hoists the flag at the Red Fort and addresses the nation.
  2. A. Constantinople – Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor Constantine the Great founded it in 330 CE on the site of ancient Byzantium. It controlled trade between Europe and Asia and was protected by massive walls. Today it is Istanbul, in Turkey.
  3. C. Babur – Babur was the first Mughal emperor. A descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan, he came from Central Asia and defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, partly thanks to his use of cannons. He wrote his memoirs, the Baburnama, in his native Turkic language.
  4. A. Pushyabhuti Dynasty – Harshavardhana belonged to the Pushyabhuti (Vardhana) dynasty, which began at Thanesar in Haryana. He moved his capital to Kannauj and ruled much of northern India from 606 to 647 CE. He was defeated in the south by the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II on the Narmada.
  5. C. Agra – The Taj Mahal is in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, on the south bank of the Yamuna River. Agra was a Mughal capital, and the city also has the Agra Fort and, nearby, Fatehpur Sikri. The Taj was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
  6. D. Jainism – Jivaka Chintamani (Civaka Chintamani) is a Jain epic written by the monk Tiruttakkatevar around the 10th century. It is one of the Five Great Epics of Tamil literature, alongside Silappatikaram and Manimekalai. It tells the life of the prince Jivaka, who finally renounces the world.
  7. C. Berlin Conference (1884–85) – The Berlin Conference of 1884–85, hosted by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, set the rules by which European powers divided Africa among themselves, without any African representatives. It sped up the 'Scramble for Africa', and by 1914 only Ethiopia and Liberia remained independent.
  8. B. Treaty of Versailles – The Treaty of Versailles, signed on 28 June 1919, officially ended World War I between Germany and the Allies. It forced Germany to accept blame for the war, give up territory and pay huge reparations. Many historians believe its harsh terms helped lead to World War II.
  9. A. Partition of Bengal – The partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon and the political tensions after it led to the formation of the All-India Muslim League in Dhaka on 30 December 1906. The Aga Khan was its first president. Bengal's partition was reversed in 1911.
  10. B. Banabhatta – Banabhatta wrote the Harshacharita, a Sanskrit account of the life and early reign of King Harshavardhana. It is one of the earliest biographies in Indian literature. Together with the Chinese traveller Xuanzang's records, it is a key source for Harsha's period.
  11. A. Simuka – Simuka founded the Satavahana dynasty, which ruled the Deccan around the 1st century BCE. The Satavahanas issued coins with the portraits of kings and supported Buddhist sites. Their greatest king, Gautamiputra Satakarni, defeated the Shakas. Their rulers often used their mothers' names.
  12. B. Marie Curie – Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, sharing the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for research on radioactivity. In 1911 she won a second Nobel, in Chemistry, for discovering the elements polonium and radium. She is still the only person to win Nobels in two different sciences.
  13. B. Birbal – Birbal was the famous witty courtier of Akbar and one of the 'Navaratnas' (nine jewels) of his court. His real name was Mahesh Das. The Akbar–Birbal stories, full of clever answers, are still popular folk tales. Birbal died in 1586 during a military campaign in the north-west.
  14. B. 1764 – The Battle of Buxar was fought in 1764. The East India Company, under Hector Munro, defeated the combined armies of Mir Qasim of Bengal, Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. The Treaty of Allahabad in 1765 then gave the Company the right to collect revenue (Diwani) in Bengal.
  15. B. Tigris and Euphrates – Ancient Mesopotamia lay between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in modern Iraq; the name means 'land between rivers'. It is called a cradle of civilisation, where the Sumerians developed cuneiform, one of the earliest writing systems, and some of the first cities, such as Uruk.
  16. C. Devapala – Devapala was not a Gurjara-Pratihara ruler; he was a powerful king of the Pala dynasty of Bengal in the 9th century. The Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas fought each other for control of Kannauj in what historians call the Tripartite Struggle.
  17. B. Samudragupta – The Prayaga Prashasti, on the Allahabad pillar, praises Samudragupta. Written by his court poet Harisena, it describes how he defeated kings in north India and made rulers in the south accept his authority. It also praises him as a poet and musician.
  18. C. Russia – Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 with over 600,000 soldiers. The Russians retreated and burned land and supplies, and Moscow was set on fire. Forced to retreat through the bitter Russian winter, Napoleon lost most of his army, the beginning of his downfall.
  19. A. Magadha – Bimbisara ruled Magadha around 544–492 BCE and belonged to the Haryanka dynasty. He expanded Magadha by conquering Anga and by marriage alliances, and made Rajagriha his capital. He was a friend and supporter of the Buddha, and was succeeded by his son Ajatashatru.
  20. C. Franklin D. Roosevelt – Franklin D. Roosevelt was the longest-serving US President, from 1933 until his death in 1945. He won four presidential elections, leading the USA through the Great Depression with his New Deal and through most of World War II. The 22nd Amendment now limits Presidents to two terms.