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Scandal: The Dreyfus Affair Trivia Quiz

This is a quiz on an infamous miscarriage of justice which spanned more than a decade and deeply divided French society. You may be surprised. Enjoy.

A multiple-choice quiz by fiachra. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
fiachra

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
177,430

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
11 / 15

Plays
2130

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 31 (13/15), Guest 147 (11/15), Guest 107 (14/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. What career path had Alfred Dreyfus chosen? Hint

Education

Medicine

Army

Politics

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Question 2 of 15

2. What charges were brought against Dreyfus in 1894? Hint

Embezzlement

Libel

Treason

Murder

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Question 3 of 15

3. Was Dreyfus found guilty?

Yes

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Question 4 of 15

4. What was Devil's Island? Hint

Cemetery

Hospital

Prison

Asylum

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Question 5 of 15

5. What was Dreyfus' background? Hint

Catholic

German

Protestant

Jewish

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Question 6 of 15

6. Were secrets passed on after Dreyfus's conviction?

Yes

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Question 7 of 15

7. In what branch of the French army did Colonel Picquart work? Hint

Artillery

Logistics

Medical Corps

Intelligence

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Question 8 of 15

8. Did Colonel Picquart inform his superiors of his discovery that the 'evidence' against Dreyfus was a forgery?

Yes

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Question 9 of 15

9. Was Esterhazy tried?

Yes

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Question 10 of 15

10. What famous French writer published a damning letter indicting the government for a cover up? Hint

Hugo

de Maupassant

Balzac

Zola

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Question 11 of 15

11. Was Dreyfus found innocent at his second trial?

Yes

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Question 12 of 15

12. Who pardoned Dreyfus in 1899? Hint

President

Prison governor

Army

Parole board

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Question 13 of 15

13. What became of Esterhazy, the real culprit? Hint

Fled to England

Imprisoned

Executed

Promoted

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Question 14 of 15

14. Dreyfus's conviction was reversed in 1906. Did he re-enter the army?

Yes

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Question 15 of 15

15. When did the French Army admit they had been wrong? Hint

1906

1935

1918

1995

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 29 2024 : Guest 31: 13/15
Oct 24 2024 : Guest 147: 11/15
Oct 22 2024 : Guest 107: 14/15
Sep 20 2024 : CardoQ: 13/15
Sep 20 2024 : Luckycharm60: 15/15
Sep 20 2024 : robbonz: 10/15
Sep 20 2024 : rivenproctor: 13/15
Sep 20 2024 : fado72: 15/15
Sep 20 2024 : pfryguy: 11/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What career path had Alfred Dreyfus chosen?

Answer: Army

Dreyfus was a Captain in the French army.

2. What charges were brought against Dreyfus in 1894?

Answer: Treason

Dreyfus was accused of passing secrets to the Germans. There must have been a great deal of spying going on, as the papers indicating secrets were being passed on were 'found' in the dustbin of a German military attach�.

3. Was Dreyfus found guilty?

Answer: Yes

He was tried in secret by court martial, and was not allowed access to the evidence against him. He was stripped publicly of his rank in a humiliating ritual.

4. What was Devil's Island?

Answer: Prison

This was a notorious French prison on a jungle island in the Caribbean Sea. Dreyfus's sentence amazes me. Death by firing squad was the normal penalty for an Army officer committing treason, yet he was given life on the island.

5. What was Dreyfus' background?

Answer: Jewish

Dreyfus was Jewish. Anti-semitism was very widespread indeed in France at the time, especially among on the extreme right and grew as a result of his conviction.

6. Were secrets passed on after Dreyfus's conviction?

Answer: Yes

This should have alerted the authorities to the fact that there had been a major blunder.

7. In what branch of the French army did Colonel Picquart work?

Answer: Intelligence

Colonel Picquart discovered that the 'evidence' against Dreyfus was a forgery some months after Dreyfus's conviction. The real culprit was one Major Esterhazy.

8. Did Colonel Picquart inform his superiors of his discovery that the 'evidence' against Dreyfus was a forgery?

Answer: Yes

The army were more interested in their image and would not admit to making a mistake. When Picquart tried to re-open the case, he was transferred to Tunisia (at that time a French colony.)

9. Was Esterhazy tried?

Answer: Yes

In what can only be called a sham trial, the army acquitted Esterhazy and ignored all the evidence against him.

10. What famous French writer published a damning letter indicting the government for a cover up?

Answer: Zola

In an article called 'J'accuse', Zola exposed the cover up from the French president down. This brought all the divisions in French society to the surface and divided the public into "Dreyfusards" and "Anti-Drefusards".

11. Was Dreyfus found innocent at his second trial?

Answer: No

He was brought back to France for his re-trial again found guilty and then returned to Devil's Island. An amazing addition was added to the verdict, "guilty with extenuating circumstances".

12. Who pardoned Dreyfus in 1899?

Answer: President

The pardon by the president of France, �mile Loubet, allowed Dreyfus to return to France and be with his wife and family. He must have been bitter to be pardonned for a crime he had not committed.

13. What became of Esterhazy, the real culprit?

Answer: Fled to England

Realising that the game was up he fled to England, where he died in 1923.

14. Dreyfus's conviction was reversed in 1906. Did he re-enter the army?

Answer: Yes

Dreyfus apparently never lost faith in the army, he was publicly given back the insignia of his rank and given the Legion of Honour. He fought in and survived WW1.

15. When did the French Army admit they had been wrong?

Answer: 1995

It took them 101 years to admit that they were wrong: 'Time Magazine' September 25, 1995, in an article entitled 'A Century Late The Truth Arrives'.

Source: Author fiachra

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