Apropos of Nothing, What Happened? Quiz / Test | History

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What was the main purpose of Australia in its early days as a British colony?

Answer: A penal colony where criminals were sent

As the English prisons were overcrowded, Australia started out as a prison for criminals, or "transports", illustrated in contemporary folk songs such as "Van Diemen's Land" and "Roll Down". After serving their sentences the convicts were free to make a living as best they could, but a free return trip to Britain was out of the question.

2. Which artist is famous for having created art out of desert objects?

Answer: Georgia O'Keeffe

One famous story is that O'Keeffe once stuck a rose in the eye socket of a skull because she didn't know what to do with it. She was struck by the effect and later painted it.

3. What name did the ancient Romans give to the area that includes present-day Morocco, northern Algeria, and Tunisia?

Answer: Numidia

Rome gained northern Africa from Carthage during the Punic Wars. To the Romans, Egypt was known as Egypt, and strictly speaking Africa referred only to the area that encompassed the northern part of present-day Libya.

4. Canada was involved in three major wars in the twentieth century.

Answer: True

Canadians served proudly in the World Wars and Korea. Canadian troops played a major part in D-Day, and without them the Allies might not have been successful. I am always outraged when my American friends make fun of Canada's military, because we really did do our part for the Allied cause.

5. What is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world?

Answer: USS Constitution

The difference between the "Victory" (oldest commissioned warship) and the "Constitution" (oldest one afloat) is that the "Victory" is in dry dock and the "Constitution" is in the water -- a distinction that must have been invented for the "Constitution" to give her a special status.

6. Which of the following was a landmark Supreme Court case that declared school prayers in the U.S. unconstitutional?

Answer: Engel v. Vitale

"Engel v. Vitale", decided in 1962, paved the way for over five decades of establishment-of-religion cases, including "Lemon v. Kurtzman", "Jaffree v. Wallace", "Lee v. Weisman", and "Elk Grove v. Newdow".

7. What was Captain Kidd's first name?

Answer: William

I saw a program on the History Channel that stated firmly that Kidd never committed the murder he was hanged for, which is what historians seem to believe across the board. Even if he was nothing but an authorized pirate, he still shouldn't have been hanged (if you want my opinion).

8. Which of the following men did NOT sign the U.S. Constitution?

Answer: John Hancock

John Hancock is famous for his signature on the Declaration of Independence, but he was not a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and did not sign the Constitution.

9. King John of England was accused of being a witch.

Answer: False

King John was actually believed to be a werewolf. After John died, a group of monks moved his body from its resting place because they didn't want a servant of the Devil buried in consecrated ground.

10. Which of these things could NOT be considered among Charlemagne's famed exploits?

Answer: Securing profitable marriages for his daughters

Charlemagne's daughters never married, as Charlemagne didn't believe any man was worthy of being their husband. The only reason he allowed Jews is because they could trade with the Muslims and make money for him. Moreover, he had no time for "theological objections" to the Jews.

11. What children's book was the first to receive the Newbery Award in 1922?

Answer: "The Story of Mankind," Hendrik Willem van Loon

"The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle" won in 1923, "The Dark Frigate" in 1924, and "Adam of the Road" in 1943.

12. In what year did Canada achieve Confederation?

Answer: 1867

Confederation is the event that organised Canada into its own country. During the conferences that led to Confederation, many names for the country were considered, such as "Borealia," "Superior," and "Transatlantia."

13. What is the name of the man who from 1882-1898 collected a variety of folk songs, published under the name of "The English and Scottish Traditional Ballads"?

Answer: William Child

William Child's ballads include well-known songs like "Barbara Allen" and "Minorie." He also numbered them, so one might refer to "Child #106." It tends to remind one of the Mozart K. numbers.

14. What would you do with a "Bluenose"?

Answer: Travel in it

The "Bluenose" is the schooner featured on the Canadian dime. She was launched in 1921, then won many races for Canada and did some mercantile work, before going down off the coast of Haiti in 1946. Thus, you would not eat, wear, or throw away the "Bluenose" (heaven forbid!), but rather travel in her.

"Bluenose" is also the term for any ship which has sailed Arctic/Antarctic waters, distinguished by having the end of the bowsprit painted blue instead of white.

15. And finally, what was the full name of the man who led the Scottish Jacobites in their failed uprising of 1745?

Answer: Charles Edward Stuart

I couldn't resist putting this question in, considering my name (jacobite1745, if you didn't catch that). Bonnie Prince Charlie, as he is known to his fans, was an annoying, priggish young man who was raised in France and thus had difficulty understanding the Scots dialect of his men.

He had no concept of military strategy and it was no wonder that the Jacobites were defeated. While his men were being slaughtered after their failure, Prince Charlie returned to Europe and died a drunkard.

Source: Author jacobite1745

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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