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Quiz about Terra Australis Incognita
Quiz about Terra Australis Incognita

Terra Australis Incognita Trivia Quiz


That's Antarctica to you and me. There have been hundreds of expeditions to this most inhospitable part of our planet. This quiz will focus on just a few of them.

A multiple-choice quiz by romeomikegolf. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
287,990
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
523
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Question 1 of 10
1. There have been many expeditions to Antarctica over the years, the Greeks in the first century AD even had an idea that a large land mass existed far to the south. One man though had to be the first to enter the Antarctic Circle. Who was this intrepid explorer? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. There is some dispute as to who was the first person to actually sight Antarctica for the first time. One man, though, is generally credited with this action, but only by a space of two days. Can you name him? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. One expedition achieved a number of 'firsts' on the continent, including reaching the southern magnetic pole and climbing Mount Erebus. Who led this expedition which took place in 1908/9? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The British Antarctic Expedition of 1910, led by Robert Falcon Scott, was an attempt to reach the geographic South Pole. They succeeded in their goal in January 1912, only to discover that Roald Amundsen and his team had beaten them by a month. Which of the listed is one of the major reasons for Scott's failure? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Between 1839 and 1843 an Antarctic expedition was led by British naval officer James Clark Ross. This voyage mapped much of the Antarctic coastline. Which of the following features was neither named by him, or in honour of him? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In 1914 the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, led by Ernest Shackleton set out to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. Their ship, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was crushed before they even reached the continent. The expedition members then trekked across Elephant Island. Shackleton and five others then set out in a boat to fetch help. Where did they reach land? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. A quiz on Antarctica wouldn't be complete without mentioning the race between Scott and Amundsen. Much is known about these two men, but what were the names of the ships that they used? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. After Scott and Amundsen reached the pole in 1911 it was another 47 years before it was reached again overland.


Question 9 of 10
9. The 1958 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition led by Dr Vivian Fuchs was funded by several Commonwealth countries. Which of the listed nations did not take part or provide funding? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In January 1978 something happened in Antarctica for the first time. It took place at Hope Bay. What happened? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. There have been many expeditions to Antarctica over the years, the Greeks in the first century AD even had an idea that a large land mass existed far to the south. One man though had to be the first to enter the Antarctic Circle. Who was this intrepid explorer?

Answer: James Cook

It was during Cook's second voyage, in command of the Resolution, that he became the first man to cross the Antarctic Circle. This, according to records, happened on January 17th 1773. He reached a latitude of 71 degrees 10 minutes south, coming within 75 miles of the continent itself. Only the presence of field ice made him turn back.
Weddell and Ross came later and Furneaux was in command of the other ship, Adventure, that was involved in Cook's expedition.
2. There is some dispute as to who was the first person to actually sight Antarctica for the first time. One man, though, is generally credited with this action, but only by a space of two days. Can you name him?

Answer: F. G. von Bellinghausen

According to their ship's log Fabian Gottlieb von Bellinghausen, of the Russian Imperial Navy, first sighted an icy shelf on January 27th 1820, beating Bransfield, of the Royal Navy, by just two or three days. Von Bellinghausen sited what is now called Princess Martha Coast and Bransfield saw what is today known as Trinity Peninsular.
3. One expedition achieved a number of 'firsts' on the continent, including reaching the southern magnetic pole and climbing Mount Erebus. Who led this expedition which took place in 1908/9?

Answer: Ernest Shackleton

This was the so called Nimrod Expedition, named after the ship that they sailed in. Mount Erebus is noted for being the southernmost active volcano on the planet. The magnetic pole was reached on January 15th 1909, and was the first time that a motor vehicle was used on the continent.

A party led by Shackleton himself set off to reach the geographical pole, but had to turn back just 97 miles short of their target.
4. The British Antarctic Expedition of 1910, led by Robert Falcon Scott, was an attempt to reach the geographic South Pole. They succeeded in their goal in January 1912, only to discover that Roald Amundsen and his team had beaten them by a month. Which of the listed is one of the major reasons for Scott's failure?

Answer: Lack of leadership

Scott's expedition took a variety of transport with them, motors, horses and dogs. Scott, however, failed to outline to his party what their exact roles were, and so there was considerable confusion as to what they were supposed to do. Amundsen had learned from earlier expeditions to the North Pole that preparation was vital.

He also learned the importance of using dogs rather than horses. Even though Scott used Siberian ponies, they were of a very poor quality because the man that bought them knew very little about them. Amundsen's earlier trips north had prepared him for the hardships of the journey to the south.
5. Between 1839 and 1843 an Antarctic expedition was led by British naval officer James Clark Ross. This voyage mapped much of the Antarctic coastline. Which of the following features was neither named by him, or in honour of him?

Answer: Cape Denison

Mount Erebus and Mount Terror were named by Ross after his vessels. Victoria Land was named by him in honour of Queen Victoria and is one of the closest parts of the continent to Australia and New Zealand. The Ross Sea, Ross Dependency and the Ross Ice Shelf were named after him. James Ross had considerable experience of cold climates having taken part in five Arctic expeditions.

It was during one of those that on June 1st 1831 that Ross located the Magnetic North Pole.
6. In 1914 the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, led by Ernest Shackleton set out to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. Their ship, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was crushed before they even reached the continent. The expedition members then trekked across Elephant Island. Shackleton and five others then set out in a boat to fetch help. Where did they reach land?

Answer: South Georgia

Although Tierra Del Fuego was the nearest inhabited land, prevailing winds prevented Shackleton heading in that direction. He decided that the only real option was to make the 800 mile (1500km) journey to South Georgia where there were whaling stations.

The journey was made in a 22ft open boat which Shackleton had named the James Caird. It took 17 days for them to reach land. Because of the condition of the boat and two of the crew, Shackleton and the other two men walked across the island to reach Stromness. Because of the Antarctic winter it was three months before a rescue mission could set out for Elephant Island.

Not a single member of the expedition died.
7. A quiz on Antarctica wouldn't be complete without mentioning the race between Scott and Amundsen. Much is known about these two men, but what were the names of the ships that they used?

Answer: Fram and Terra Nova

Amundsen's ship, Fram, had been used many times on expeditions to the Arctic and was probably the strongest wooden ship to have been built at the time. Terra Nova was built for the Dundee whaling fleet and served for 10 years off the coast of Labrador. Both ships survived but Terra Nova finally sank off Greenland in 1943. Fram was preserved and put on exhibition in Oslo. Discovery was the ship that Scott used on his first expedition, Explorer was a cruise ship that sank in 2007 after hitting an iceberg. Scotia was a Scottish vessel that was used to explore the Weddell Sea in 1902/4, Altair and Dagrun were Norwegian merchant vessels during the 1940s. Polheim is the only one that was not a ship.

The name means 'Pole Home' and was the name of Amundsen's base camp.
8. After Scott and Amundsen reached the pole in 1911 it was another 47 years before it was reached again overland.

Answer: True

The team that became only the third to reach the pole was lead by Sir Edmund Hillary. They were the New Zealand part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1958. They were also the first to reach the pole using motor transportation.
9. The 1958 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition led by Dr Vivian Fuchs was funded by several Commonwealth countries. Which of the listed nations did not take part or provide funding?

Answer: Canada

One of the aims of the expedition was to complete the first overland crossing of the continent via the pole. Fuchs set out from Shackleton Base using a combination of specially adapted tractors and tracked vehicles. Another party, led by Sir Edmund Hillary set out from Scott Base on the other side of the continent.

Their job was to lay supply depots for Fuchs' onward journey. After meeting at the pole on January 19th 1958, Fuchs and his team set out to complete the journey. They reached Scott Base on March 2nd, taking 99 days to cross the continent, a trip of some 2158 miles (3473km). Shackleton's dream had finally been realised.
10. In January 1978 something happened in Antarctica for the first time. It took place at Hope Bay. What happened?

Answer: A birth

Emilio Marcos de Palma was born on January 7th 1978 to Argentinian parents. He was the first person to be born in Antarctica, and at the time was the person born the furthest south. The military action also took place at Hope Bay, but this took place in 1952 when Argentine forces fired over the heads of personnel of the British Antarctic Survey who were unloading supplies. An official apology was given.

The air crash happened over Mount Erebus in 1979 when an Air New Zealand DC-10 crashed killing all on board. Nuclear weapons are strictly forbidden by the Antarctic Treaty which came into force in 1961.
Source: Author romeomikegolf

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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