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Antarctic Explorers Trivia

Antarctic Explorers Trivia Quizzes

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4 Antarctic Explorers quizzes and 40 Antarctic Explorers trivia questions.
1.
  Scott's Antarctic Adventurers    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
One of the major aims of Scott's 1910-13 expedition was to reach the South Pole. Here are some of the men involved in that heroic and tragic enterprise.
Average, 10 Qns, davejacobs, Sep 19 19
Average
davejacobs
Sep 19 19
95 plays
2.
  Terra Australis Incognita   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
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.
Tough, 10 Qns, romeomikegolf, Apr 03 11
Tough
romeomikegolf gold member
524 plays
3.
  Race to the South Pole    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
2011/2012 is the 100th anniversary of the first men to reach the South Pole. Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott competed in a bid to reach the pole that remains fascinating to this day.
Average, 10 Qns, Marcuspug, Apr 26 14
Average
Marcuspug
543 plays
4.
  Exploring Antarctica    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Adventuresome souls from many different countries participated in the exploration of Antarctica. This international spirit culminated in the Antarctic Treaty, preserving the continent for peaceful scientific research. Here are some high points.
Tough, 10 Qns, chessart, Mar 20 13
Tough
chessart gold member
1423 plays

Antarctic Explorers Trivia Questions
1. Using dog sledges and experience gained in the Arctic, who was the first to reach the South Pole on December 14th, 1911?

From Quiz Race to the South Pole

Answer: Roald Amundsen

Amundsen was the quintessential explorer if there ever was such a job description. Methodical and professional, he used his experience living with the Canadian Inuit to find the best tools for the job. Sledging technique, dog teams, clothing and even snow goggles were all borrowed from the Inuit.

2. Who became, in 1773, the first explorer to cross the Antarctic Circle?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: Captain James Cook

3. On January 17th, 1912 the British Antarctic Expedition reached the South Pole. Who wrote in his journal, "Great God! this is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority"?

From Quiz Race to the South Pole

Answer: Robert F. Scott

Not only the physical hardship, but the psychological shock of being beaten by Amundsen must have been devastating. From then on, their trek was a race against time, bad weather, failing strength, and starvation. Edward Atkinson was a doctor left in charge of the Cape Evans base. Apsley Cherry-Garrard later wrote a classic of polar exploration aptly called "The Worst Journey in the World."

4. 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?

From Quiz Terra Australis Incognita

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.

5. Who became, in 1820, the first to see the Antarctic Continent?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: Thaddeus von Bellingshausen

6. What method did the British Antarctic Expedition primarily use for pulling their sledges?

From Quiz Race to the South Pole

Answer: Man-hauling

Although the British used all four methods, poor planning, inexperience, sick ponies and unreliable tractors led them to rely mostly on man-hauling. Pulling a heavy sledge over snow and ice is some of the most gruelling work ever devised. Those man-hauling never had enough food to replace the energy expended.

7. 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?

From Quiz Terra Australis Incognita

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.

8. Whose expedition was trapped in the ice in 1898 and drifted helplessly for a year, thereby becoming the first to survive an Antarctic winter?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: Adrien de Gerlache

9. Whose crew became the first to winter on the Antarctic continent when they built huts and spent the 1899 winter on Cape Adare?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: Carsten Borchgrevink

10. Who won the race to become the first to reach the South Pole when he arrived there on December 14, 1911?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: Roald Amundsen

Amundsen's original intention was to go to the North Pole. But he changed his plans after he learned in 1909 that the North Pole had been reached. However, for the next year he kept his change of plans a secret from everyone but a few trusted associates, not even telling most of his crew until 3 hours before it was time to depart for Antarctica.

11. What country was the last port of call for the British Antarctic Expedition before going south?

From Quiz Race to the South Pole

Answer: New Zealand

The last port of call was Port Chalmers near Dunedin, New Zealand. The last main port of call was Lyttelton, New Zealand. For many years, Lyttelton saw many a ship depart for "the ice." As a young boy I remember seeing my first U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker in port. The U. S. Navy still maintains support forces in Christchurch, New Zealand for Antarctica.

12. Which country's flag was planted upon first arrival at the South Pole?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: Norway

Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who raced against Robert Falcon Scott of England to see who would be the first to reach the South Pole. Amundsen took dogs, dogs and more dogs, while Scott took all manner of machinery to try and get there first. Scott and his party perished on the return journey.

13. How did the British Antarctic Expedition polar party know they were beaten by the Norwegians in the race to the South Pole?

From Quiz Race to the South Pole

Answer: They came across sled tracks and dog droppings near the pole

Scott was hindered by the scientific requirements of his expedition. Amundsen's only goal was to reach the pole.

14. 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?

From Quiz Terra Australis Incognita

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.

15. Who lost the race to the South Pole, arriving there on January 18, 1912, only to find that his rival had already been there a month earlier?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: Robert F. Scott

Terribly discouraged after making the tortuous journey, Scott and all his team members died on the return trip. The bodies of Scott and two of his crew members were not discovered until the following November, when they were found dead in their tent.

16. What member of the British Antarctic Expedition polar party, in an effort to save his compatriots and willingly going to his own death, purportedly said "I am just going out and may be some time"?

From Quiz Race to the South Pole

Answer: Captain Lawrence Oates

The death of Captain Oates is near legendary in polar history. His martyrdom and the later death of the remaining members elevated Scott's last expedition to tragic hero status. Today, revisionist historians have taken a different approach to the mythology of Captain Scott.

17. Who was the first to fly over the South Pole, accomplishing this on November 28, 1929?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: Richard Byrd

Ellsworth became, in 1935, the first to fly all the way across the continent.

18. What was the ultimate fate of the British Antarctic Expedition polar party?

From Quiz Race to the South Pole

Answer: They died of cold, frostbite, hunger and scurvy

PO Evans died near the foot of the Beardmore glacier and was never found; neither was the body of Captain Oates. The remaining three were left in their tent on the Ross Ice Shelf, 11 miles from possible safety at One Ton Depot.

19. 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?

From Quiz Terra Australis Incognita

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.

20. In what year did the International Geophysical Year begin, in which scientists from 67 countries cooperated in Antarctic research?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: 1957

21. Amundsen was in some ways overshadowed by the "heroic" death of the British Antarctic Expedition polar party. What was the final fate of Amundsen?

From Quiz Race to the South Pole

Answer: Lost in the Arctic searching for survivors of the "Italia" expedition

Always searching for the path less travelled, he spent years in the Arctic, but never returned to Antarctica. Amundsen disappeared in a search plane while looking for Umberto Nobile in the lost airship "Italia."

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

From Quiz Terra Australis Incognita

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.

23. The Antarctic Treaty, guaranteeing that the continent 'shall forever be used exclusively for peaceful purposes', took effect in what year?

From Quiz Exploring Antarctica

Answer: 1961

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