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British History

Practice Test 1 — A Long and Illustrious History

Open practice — answers shown

This is a study-mode test: each correct answer is highlighted and an explanation appears beneath every question. For a clean run-through under exam conditions, take one of our timed mock tests instead.

25 questions
British History chapter focus
Question 1 of 25

The symbol of Lancaster was a red rose and the symbol of York was a white rose and the war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York was called

  1. The Wars of Red
  2. The Wars of White
  3. The Wars of the Roses  ✓
  4. The Wars of Red White
Answer: C
Question 2 of 25

When was the Battle of Bannockburn?

  1. 1314  ✓
  2. 1381
  3. 1414
  4. 1481
Answer: A
Question 3 of 25

In year 1066, William the Conqueror invaded England in which battle?

  1. Battle of Hastings  ✓
  2. Battle of Britain
  3. Battle of Agincourt
  4. Battle of Culloden
Answer: A — In 1066, an invasion led by William, the Duke of Normandy (in what is now northern France), defeated Harold, the Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed in the battle. William became king of England and is known as William the Conqueror. The battle is commemorated in a great piece of embroidery, known as the Bayeux Tapestry, which can still be seen in France today. 
Question 4 of 25

Who fought in the English Civil war of 1642?

  1. The House of York and the House of Lancaster
  2. The Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings
  3. The Cavaliers and the Roundheads  ✓
  4. The House of Fraser and the House of Stuart
Answer: C
Question 5 of 25

When was the Emancipation Act signed? It abolished slavery throughout the British Empire

  1. 1807
  2. 1817
  3. 1833  ✓
  4. 1837
Answer: C — Along with other abolitionists (people who supported the abolition of slavery), William Wilberforce succeeded in turning public opinion against the slave trade. In 1807, it became illegal to trade slaves in British ships or from British ports, and in 1833 the Emancipation Act abolished slavery throughout the British Empire.
Question 6 of 25

The Anglo-Saxons were Christians when they first came to Britain

  1. True
  2. False  ✓
Answer: B
Question 7 of 25

Who were the first people to live in Britain in what we call the Stone Age?

  1. Farmers
  2. Peasants
  3. Hunter-gatherers  ✓
  4. Pirates
Answer: C
Question 8 of 25

When were the last Welsh rebellions defeated?

  1. 17th century
  2. 15th century  ✓
  3. 16th century
  4. 14th century
Answer: B — By the middle of the 15th century the last Welsh rebellions had been defeated. English laws and the English language were introduced.
Question 9 of 25

Where did the Spanish Armada come from?

  1. France
  2. Spain  ✓
  3. Italy
  4. South America
Answer: B
Question 10 of 25

Which TWO records tell us about England during the time of William I?

  1. Domesday Book  ✓
  2. Diary of Samuel Pepys
  3. Magna Carta
  4. Bayeux Tapestry  ✓
Answer: A, D — The Domesday Book is a record of towns and villages in England. The Bayeux Tapestry tells the story of the Norman Conquest.
Question 11 of 25

During Charles II's reign, in 1665, there was a major outbreak of plague in ______ where thousands of people died, especially in poorer areas

  1. Derby
  2. Gloucestershire
  3. Hertfordshire
  4. London  ✓
Answer: D
Question 12 of 25

People of the Iron Age sometimes defended sites. What were these sites?

  1. Skara Braes
  2. Hill barrows
  3. Round barrows
  4. Hill forts  ✓
Answer: D — People still lived in roundhouses, grouped together into larger settlements, and sometimes defended sites called hill forts. A very impressive hill fort can still be seen today at Maiden Castle, in the English county of Dorset.
Question 13 of 25

Which TWO of these are English civil war battles?

  1. Agincourt
  2. Marston Moor  ✓
  3. Bannockburn
  4. Naseby  ✓
Answer: B, D — During the civil war, the king’s army was defeated at the Battles of Marston Moor and Naseby. By 1646, it was clear that Parliament had won the war. Charles was held prisoner by the parliamentary army. He was still unwilling to reach any agreement with Parliament and in 1649 he was executed.
Question 14 of 25

Which king defeated the Vikings?

  1. King William the Conqueror
  2. Kind Harold
  3. King Alfred the Great  ✓
  4. King Robert the Bruce
Answer: C — The Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in England united under King Alfred the Great, who defeated the Vikings. Many of the Viking invaders stayed in Britain – especially in the east and north of England, in an area known as the Danelaw
Question 15 of 25

Textile and engineering firms recruited workers from which TWO countries after the Second World War?

  1. South Africa
  2. Canada
  3. India  ✓
  4. Pakistan  ✓
Answer: C, D — Textile and engineering firms from the north of England and the Midlands sent agents to India and Pakistan to recruit workers.
Question 16 of 25

What countries does 'Great Britain' refer to?

  1. Just England
  2. England, Scotland and Wales  ✓
  3. England and Scotland
  4. England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Answer: B — 'Great Britain' refers only to England, Scotland and Wales, not to Northern Ireland. The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Question 17 of 25

How many counties in Ireland remained in the UK under Northern Ireland?

  1. 3
  2. 12
  3. 6  ✓
  4. 9
Answer: C — In 1921 a peace treaty was signed and in 1922 Ireland became two countries. The six counties in the north which were mainly Protestant remained part of the UK under the name Northern Ireland. The rest of Ireland became the Irish Free State. It had its own government and became a republic in 1949.
Question 18 of 25

The First World War ended at 11.00 am on 11 November 1918.

  1. True  ✓
  2. False
Answer: A — The ending of the First World War on 11 November 1918 is still commemorated to this day.
Question 19 of 25

Which style of architecture became popular in the 19th century?

  1. Gothic  ✓
  2. Classical
  3. Simple
  4. Neoclassical
Answer: A — In the 19th century, the medieval ‘gothic’ style became popular once again.
Question 20 of 25

When did the aerial battle 'The Battle of Britain' happen?

  1. In the winter 1939
  2. In the winter of 1940
  3. In the summer of 1939
  4. In the summer of 1940  ✓
Answer: D — The Germans waged an air campaign against Britain, but the British resisted with their fighter planes and eventually won the crucial aerial battle against the Germans, called 'the Battle of Britain', in the summer of 1940
Question 21 of 25

The people of ______ made the first coins to be minted in Britain, some inscribed with the names of Iron Age kings

  1. the Stone Age
  2. the Bronze Age
  3. the Iron Age  ✓
Answer: C
Question 22 of 25

People of the Iron Age sometimes defended sites called

  1. Hill forts  ✓
  2. Hill barrows
  3. Round barrows
  4. Skara Brae
Answer: A
Question 23 of 25

What were the refugees that came from France between 1680 and 1720 called?

  1. Huguenots  ✓
  2. Quakers
  3. Chartists
  4. Sikhs
Answer: A — Between 1680 and 1720 many refugees called Huguenots came from France. They were Protestants and had been persecuted for their religion.
Question 24 of 25

Mary Stuart, often now called Mary Queen of Scots was a Protestant

  1. True
  2. False  ✓
Answer: B — The queen of Scotland, Mary Stuart (often now called ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’) was a Catholic. She was only a week old when her father died and she became queen
Question 25 of 25

After 1588, Queen Elizabeth I became one of the most popular monarchs in English history

  1. Yes, this is true  ✓
  2. False, she was before 1568
Answer: A

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