FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Discoveries That Changed Our World
Quiz about Discoveries That Changed Our World

Discoveries That Changed Our World Quiz


This quiz is about discoveries and inventions that shaped our world into what it is today. It is probably more suitable for older children.

A multiple-choice quiz by AlonsoKing. Estimated time: 3 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. For Children Trivia
  6. »
  7. History for Kids

Author
AlonsoKing
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
358,571
Updated
Mar 02 24
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Very Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
2264
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 71 (9/10), Guest 76 (10/10), rupert774 (10/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Thousands of years ago our ancestors roamed the world in search of food until they discovered something that allowed them to stay in the same place. What had they discovered? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. 6,000 years ago a civilization called the Sumerians discovered a very useful purpose for clay tablets. What did they use those tablets for? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. First our ancestors made tools from stone, then from bronze. later they learnt to work with a material that gave them even better tools. From which material did our ancestors make their tools next? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The Romans had big cities that needed a lot of water for the people who lived there. What did they invent to transport water into the cities? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. About 1200 years ago the Chinese invented something for entertainment. Later they discovered that this invention could also be used for making weapons. What had the Chinese invented? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Somewhere around 1440 a German named Gutenberg made a revolutionary development which made it possible to spread ideas much faster than ever before. Which invention made this possible? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In 1492, according to long-held belief, Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered a new continent. Which continent was he credited with discovering? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Somewhere around 1780 James Watt made a breakthrough which made it possible to make all kinds of machines. What had he improved upon? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In 1796 a man named Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids never contracted smallpox. This gave him an idea which would save millions of lives. What had he discovered? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In the 1920s Scotsman John Logie Baird made a major contribution to an invention that gave us the possibility to see news from all over the world in a moment's time. It also gave us the most popular form of entertainment ever. What had he invented? Hint





Most Recent Scores
Oct 29 2024 : Guest 71: 9/10
Oct 29 2024 : Guest 76: 10/10
Oct 27 2024 : rupert774: 10/10
Oct 23 2024 : Guest 208: 2/10
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 208: 2/10
Oct 19 2024 : Raven361: 10/10
Oct 14 2024 : Guest 18: 8/10
Oct 12 2024 : egads53: 8/10
Oct 12 2024 : Reveler: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Thousands of years ago our ancestors roamed the world in search of food until they discovered something that allowed them to stay in the same place. What had they discovered?

Answer: Agriculture

Once our ancestors knew how to work the land they had a permanent source of food. From then on they didn't have to follow the animals they were hunting any more. Soon villages and cities emerged on the spots that had the most arable land. It's no coincidence that the first civilizations emerged along the banks of great rivers, such as the Nile, where the land is very fertile.
2. 6,000 years ago a civilization called the Sumerians discovered a very useful purpose for clay tablets. What did they use those tablets for?

Answer: To write on

When early civilizations started trading with each other they needed something to keep track of what and how much they were trading. The Sumerians (who lived in present day Iraq) did this by making wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets. This developed into an early form of writing. Later other forms of writing emerged, such as hieroglyphs and the alphabet we still use today.
3. First our ancestors made tools from stone, then from bronze. later they learnt to work with a material that gave them even better tools. From which material did our ancestors make their tools next?

Answer: Iron

For a very long time our ancestors could only work with stone. Eventually they learnt the art of metallurgy. This means they could smelt the metal ore they found and make tools from it. Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin. Because copper is difficult to find only the rich could afford bronze tools. Bronze is also a soft material what means the tools broke easily.

Smelting iron ore is more difficult because you need to generate more heat. Once our ancestors discovered how to smelt iron they could make much better tools. Unfortunately they also used iron to make better weapons.
4. The Romans had big cities that needed a lot of water for the people who lived there. What did they invent to transport water into the cities?

Answer: Aqueducts

Aqueducts are small canals in which water is transported from its source to the city. Usually they run underground but sometimes they had to cross a gorge. In that case the Romans they built large structures to cross those gorges.

Having lots of water in the cities was vital for drinking and hygiene. Because of the invention of aqueducts cities could grow bigger than ever before. This also allowed the Romans to build their famous bath houses. They also built sewage systems to get rid of the contaminated water.
5. About 1200 years ago the Chinese invented something for entertainment. Later they discovered that this invention could also be used for making weapons. What had the Chinese invented?

Answer: Gunpowder

At first the Chinese used gunpowder only for fireworks during festivities. Later they discovered that the explosive force coming from gunpowder could propel heavy objects. That's how the first guns and cannons were invented. In the 14th century gunpowder became known in the west and from then on knights and archers in armies of that time were steadily replaced by firearms.

The three wrong answers are Chinese inventions, too.
6. Somewhere around 1440 a German named Gutenberg made a revolutionary development which made it possible to spread ideas much faster than ever before. Which invention made this possible?

Answer: Printing press

The Chinese had already invented printing long before Gutenberg but he adapted this invention in such a way that books could be produced in large quantities. Before the invention of the printing press every book had to be written manually. This made books extremely expensive. Only a few people could read anyway.

The printing press made it possible to print a lot of books very fast. This also meant that more people could afford books. In 1517 a priest called Martin Luther didn't agree with the pope and used the printing press to spread his ideas. This started a religious revolution we call the reformation.
7. In 1492, according to long-held belief, Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered a new continent. Which continent was he credited with discovering?

Answer: America

While schoolchildren were taught for many years to consider Christopher Columbus as the European discoverer of the New World, the Vikings had arrived in what is now Canada centuries earlier. Columbus was attempting to find a sea route to Asia by travelling west, instead of south and east, sailing around Africa to reach the Indian Ocean to reach India and the East Indies.

When he reached the Caribbean, he actually believed that he had reached islands that lay off the coast of Asia (hence their name, West Indies), and only suggested that there was a large landmass nearby, without actually going there. So he never really confirmed the presence of north America at all! But when he reported the islands after returning to Europe, more explorers followed across the Atlantic.

Mainland America was discovered later by Amerigo Vespucci. From him America got its name. The discovery of America brought Europe many new products such as potatoes and tomatoes. Lots of Europeans went to America to gain new lands. They also took lots of gold and silver from America.

Unfortunately, many Native Americans were killed by the Europeans or died of European diseases. Many people started plantations in America to produce sugar, tobacco and coffee for the European markets. They imported slaves from Africa to work in those plantations.
8. Somewhere around 1780 James Watt made a breakthrough which made it possible to make all kinds of machines. What had he improved upon?

Answer: The steam engine

Steam engines already existed before Watt made his invention but they didn't work very well. Watt's invention made many applications possible, such as steam trains or textile machines. All sorts of goods that previously were made by hand could now be made by machines in large quantities. This is what we call the industrial revolution. Roads and canals were built to transport all those new products to markets all over the world.

Many people who previously lived in the country moved to the city to work in factories. The people who worked in those new factories were very poorly paid and lived in miserable circumstances. Children from the age of six had to do dirty and dangerous work. Another drawback of all this is that all those machines need energy to work. Fossil fuels like coal or oil were burnt to provide that energy. This has led to pollution and the problem of global warming we're facing today.
9. In 1796 a man named Edward Jenner noticed that milkmaids never contracted smallpox. This gave him an idea which would save millions of lives. What had he discovered?

Answer: Vaccination

Milkmaids work with cows a lot and often contract cowpox. This disease is quite harmless for humans. It also makes them immune for the far more dangerous smallpox disease, from which many people were suffering in the 18th century. This gave Jenner the idea to inject people with cowpox. This way the person who is injected will develop antibodies against smallpox and can't contract that disease any more.

Later vaccines for all sorts of diseases were developed. Before the invention of vaccination a third of all children died before the age of five due to all sorts of diseases that cause few troubles today.
10. In the 1920s Scotsman John Logie Baird made a major contribution to an invention that gave us the possibility to see news from all over the world in a moment's time. It also gave us the most popular form of entertainment ever. What had he invented?

Answer: Television

There are many people who made inventions that made the television possible but it was John Logie Baird who was the first to publicly demonstrate a television system. Although this happened in the 1920s it wasn't until the 1950s that the television became commonplace in most homes. Since then television has been the most popular medium for news and entertainment.

This popularity made it suitable for advertising and a good way for politicians to present their policies.
Source: Author AlonsoKing

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor NatalieW before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us