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Quiz about Legal Murder A History of the Death Penalty

Legal Murder: A History of the Death Penalty Multiple Choice Quiz | 10 Questions

Enjoy your brief trip through the history of capital punishment.

A multiple-choice quiz by snoozer998. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
snoozer998

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
331,130

Updated
Jul 23 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
440

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The first death penalty laws date back as far as the 18th century B.C. For how many different crimes could one be sentenced to death? Hint

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Question 2 of 10

2. Back in the 5th century B.C., according to the Roman Law of the Twelve Tables, all of were forms of execution prescribed, except one. What was the one exception? Hint

impalement

crucifixion

stoning

burning alive

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Question 3 of 10

3. In the 10th century A.D., this became the primary method of execution in Britain. What was it? Hint

beheading

feeding to lions

hanging

burying alive

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Question 4 of 10

4. A whopping 222 crimes were punishable by death in England in the period from about 1725-1820. One could be executed for which of the following? Hint

indecent exposure

attempted suicide

disrupting a church service

assaulting a baronet

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Question 5 of 10

5. The first recorded execution in the colonies was of Captain George Kendall in 1608. For which crime was this? Hint

being a spy

stealing crops

adultery

sabotaging cargo ships

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Question 6 of 10

6. Until what year were all executions carried out in public in the U.S.? Hint

1819

1850

1841

1834

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Question 7 of 10

7. Michigan abolished the death penalty in 1846. It was followed shortly by which of these states? Hint

Rhode Island

Missouri

Vermont

Texas

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Question 8 of 10

8. New York was the first state to use this method later known as "Old Sparky". What was this another name for? Hint

beheading

firing squad

electric chair

lethal injection

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Question 9 of 10

9. 1924 saw the beginning of a new method of execution in the U.S. Which of these was it? Hint

cyanide gas in a gas chamber

hanging

firing squad

drowning

10. In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court banned the execution of any person with mental retardation in Ford v. Wainwright. This was overturned however, just three years later in which Supreme Court decision? Hint

Atkins v. Virginia

Roper v. Simmons

Coker v. Georgia

Penry v. Lynaugh

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The first death penalty laws date back as far as the 18th century B.C. For how many different crimes could one be sentenced to death?

Answer: 25

As you can imagine, the forms of execution used were quite barbaric.

2. Back in the 5th century B.C., according to the Roman Law of the Twelve Tables, all of were forms of execution prescribed, except one. What was the one exception?

Answer: stoning

Stoning was, however, adopted later by the Romans as a form of execution.

3. In the 10th century A.D., this became the primary method of execution in Britain. What was it?

Answer: hanging

It was fairly quick, easy, and there was usually no mess to clean up afterwards.

4. A whopping 222 crimes were punishable by death in England in the period from about 1725-1820. One could be executed for which of the following?

Answer: attempted suicide

The reasoning was that attempted suicide was an attempt to take human life and thus comparable to attempted murder. The penalty for attempted suicide was drastically reduced in the 1820s and abolished in 1960.

5. The first recorded execution in the colonies was of Captain George Kendall in 1608. For which crime was this?

Answer: being a spy

He was convicted of spying for Spain.

6. Until what year were all executions carried out in public in the U.S.?

Answer: 1834

Pennsylvania was the first state to start conducting executions in a correctional facility.

7. Michigan abolished the death penalty in 1846. It was followed shortly by which of these states?

Answer: Rhode Island

Both Rhode Island and Wisconsin abolished the death penalty shortly after Michigan.

8. New York was the first state to use this method later known as "Old Sparky". What was this another name for?

Answer: electric chair

You can guess why it acquired the nickname "Old Sparky"!

9. 1924 saw the beginning of a new method of execution in the U.S. Which of these was it?

Answer: cyanide gas in a gas chamber

The gas chambers used by the Nazis were built and used for gassing on an 'industrial' scale and bore little resemblance to the ones used in the U.S.

Answer: Penry v. Lynaugh

Atkins v. Virginia (2002) reversed the 1989 decision and rebanned the execution of anyone with mental retardation. Coker v. Georgia (1977) banned the death penalty for anyone convicted of raping an adult woman, deeming it unconstitutional. Roper v. Simmons (2005) banned the death penalty for anyone under the age of 18 at the time of their crime(s).

Source: Author snoozer998

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