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Quiz about World History at its Darkest
Quiz about World History at its Darkest

World History at its Darkest Trivia Quiz


In the 5000-odd years of recorded history, there have been times where our behavior towards our fellow humans has been atrocious, which leads one to wonder if the term "civilization" is truly applicable. How much do you know about these ten examples?

A multiple-choice quiz by Reamar42. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
Reamar42
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
414,350
Updated
Nov 06 23
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
520
Last 3 plays: Guest 68 (4/10), Guest 128 (7/10), Guest 107 (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. In 149 BCE., on the pretext that Carthage had broken a treaty with Rome, the Romans laid siege to the city, starting the Third Punic War. How long did the Carthaginians hold out? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The Crusades, an attempt by soldiers from Western Europe to retake the Holy Land from the Muslims, began in earnest in the late summer of 1096 CE. When did the Crusaders finally reach Jerusalem? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. One of the darkest chapters in human history has to be the Trans-Atlantic African slave trade, which flourished from the 16th into the 19th centuries. According to historians, how many Africans were captured and brought to the Americas in this time period? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. After several border incidents, Japan invaded China in July 1937. Japanese forces reached the Nationalist Chinese capital in December, and the city fell on the 13th. What was the name of this city? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. One of the largest and most powerful empires in the Americas, the Aztec civilization was centered in what is now Mexico. In 1519, a Spanish force landed and within two years had destroyed the Empire. Who led this expedition? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. A great center of learning in the ancient world, the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt was founded around 280 BCE and was reputed to have some 400,000 scrolls at its height circa 150 BCE. After several periods of decline, the library was destroyed in 642 CE. What group was responsible for the destruction? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. When Europeans "discovered" the New World in the late 15th century, the native population of North America (excluding Mexico and Central America) has been estimated at some 10-20 million people or more. By 1890, it was estimated that less than 2 million native inhabitants were left. What was the single most destructive factor for these nations? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In 1994 Africa, the outbreak of civil war in this small country led to an organized killing spree in which some 500,000 to 800,000 people lost their lives. Which unfortunate state was this? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. On April 13, 1919, an incident occurred in British-ruled India that demonstrated how cruel a government could be to its own citizens when they refused to obey what they considered to be unjust laws. Can you name the incident? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. A horribly dark chapter in world history has to be the Holocaust, wherein the Nazi government of Germany killed off large numbers of Jews, Gypsies, the handicapped, and other people deemed as "undesirables". How many people are estimated to have been killed by the Nazis between 1933-1945? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 149 BCE., on the pretext that Carthage had broken a treaty with Rome, the Romans laid siege to the city, starting the Third Punic War. How long did the Carthaginians hold out?

Answer: Three years

A provision of the treaty that ended the Second Punic War in 201 BCE was that Carthage could not go to war without permission from Rome. The Numidians began raiding Carthaginian lands, and Carthage mounted an unsuccessful campaign against them. Rome used this as a pretext to land an army of 50,000 men and lay siege to the city.

After almost three years, the Romans breached the walls and went on a five day rampage, in which it is claimed that up to 750,000 men, women, and children were killed.
2. The Crusades, an attempt by soldiers from Western Europe to retake the Holy Land from the Muslims, began in earnest in the late summer of 1096 CE. When did the Crusaders finally reach Jerusalem?

Answer: June 1099

Taking Muslim strongholds in Anatolia and the Levant from 1097-1099 BCE, the Crusaders put Jerusalem under siege on June 7, 1099. The city held out until July 15, when the attackers breached the walls and entered the city. An appalling massacre of almost all of the city's Jewish and Muslim residents began, with some 40,000 people killed within a few days by men who were ostensibly fighting in the name of God.
3. One of the darkest chapters in human history has to be the Trans-Atlantic African slave trade, which flourished from the 16th into the 19th centuries. According to historians, how many Africans were captured and brought to the Americas in this time period?

Answer: Approximately 12 million

While it is estimated that some 12 million Africans were brought to the Americas as slaves, the toll on African cultures was actually much higher. As many as 2.5 million, or some twenty percent, are thought to have died in transit, while estimates of those killed in slave raids, wars, and those who died while awaiting transportation run as high as 60 million. Several areas in West Africa were virtually depopulated as people moved farther inland to avoid capture.
4. After several border incidents, Japan invaded China in July 1937. Japanese forces reached the Nationalist Chinese capital in December, and the city fell on the 13th. What was the name of this city?

Answer: Nanjing

During the Battle for Nanjing, numbers of defeated Chinese soldiers took off their uniforms in order to hide among the civilian population. Using this as a pretext, Japanese troops went on a six-week rampage of killing, rape, looting, and arson. It is estimated that up to 300,000 people died in one of the worst wartime atrocities ever recorded.
5. One of the largest and most powerful empires in the Americas, the Aztec civilization was centered in what is now Mexico. In 1519, a Spanish force landed and within two years had destroyed the Empire. Who led this expedition?

Answer: Hernan Cortes

The Aztec Empire was less than a hundred years old when conquered by the Spanish in 1521. While there were disturbing facets to Aztec life, such as human sacrifice, their cities were larger than any in Europe at the time, and the common people's lives were no worse than that of contemporary European peasants. Under Spanish rule, however, some ninety percent of the Aztec population of up to 5 million died within 100 years as a result of disease and mistreatment.
6. A great center of learning in the ancient world, the Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt was founded around 280 BCE and was reputed to have some 400,000 scrolls at its height circa 150 BCE. After several periods of decline, the library was destroyed in 642 CE. What group was responsible for the destruction?

Answer: Muslim Arabs

The Great Library, at one time the center of learning in the Hellenic World, went through several crises in its existence. A fire began by Julius Caesar's troops in 48 BCE damaged the library, and it went into decline during the Roman Era. Almost destroyed by fighting during a war in 272 CE, the last scrolls in the collection were burned by the Arab conquerors of Alexandria in 642 CE.

While not an incident that cost many lives, a great deal of the knowledge and literature of the ancient world was lost, a tragedy to all of humankind.
7. When Europeans "discovered" the New World in the late 15th century, the native population of North America (excluding Mexico and Central America) has been estimated at some 10-20 million people or more. By 1890, it was estimated that less than 2 million native inhabitants were left. What was the single most destructive factor for these nations?

Answer: Disease

While the European colonizers of what is now the United States and Canada had no inhibitions about conquering the native peoples and taking their land by force, far deadlier to the indigenous peoples were the European diseases that the natives had no immunity against. Estimates range from 75% to 90% of Native American people died from smallpox, measles, and other epidemic diseases in the years after contact with Europeans.
8. In 1994 Africa, the outbreak of civil war in this small country led to an organized killing spree in which some 500,000 to 800,000 people lost their lives. Which unfortunate state was this?

Answer: Rwanda

A possible vestige of European colonialism, tensions between the two main ethnic groups in Rwanda, the Tutsi and the Hutu, erupted after the Hutu president was assassinated on April 6, 1994, after he tried to end the civil war. On the following day, Hutus began to systematically murder Tutsis, often using machetes and clubs, which resulted in the deaths of up to 800,000 people over a three month span.

The bloodshed ended with a Tutsi rebel group taking control of the country.
9. On April 13, 1919, an incident occurred in British-ruled India that demonstrated how cruel a government could be to its own citizens when they refused to obey what they considered to be unjust laws. Can you name the incident?

Answer: The Amritsar Massacre

During the campaign to free India from British colonial rule, a large group of people, including women and children, gathered in a garden called the Jallianwala Bagh to protest government policies. Blocking the only exit, British general Reginald Dyer ordered his troops to fire into the crowd, which was a peaceful demonstration, with no apparent rioting or property destruction.

It is estimated that as many as 1,500 people were killed and at least 1,200 were injured. While not the first or last incident where soldiers fired on their own people, the callous nature of the event helped turn world opinion against the British government.
10. A horribly dark chapter in world history has to be the Holocaust, wherein the Nazi government of Germany killed off large numbers of Jews, Gypsies, the handicapped, and other people deemed as "undesirables". How many people are estimated to have been killed by the Nazis between 1933-1945?

Answer: Up to 22 million

As part of their political philosophy, the Nazis preached hatred of Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, and other groups that they blamed for Germany's defeat in World War I and the problems the country experienced in the war's aftermath. Beginning with a euthanasia program aimed at the handicapped and mentally challenged, by the end of World War II the Nazis had set up a network of camps where "enemies of the state" were worked to death or murdered outright as a matter of state policy.

The Nazis killed an estimated 12 to 22 million people in their twelve-year hold on power, six million of them Jews. Exact figures for the number of deaths will probably never be known.
Source: Author Reamar42

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