At a Glance: A History of Caribbean Nations Multiple Choice Quiz | History

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. On October 14, 1983, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was placed under house arrest and was ousted from power during a military coup. What Caribbean nation was he the Prime Minister of?

Answer: Grenada

Power was seized by Grenada's former Deputy Minister Bernard Coard during a bloody coup in front of over 1000 American medical students. Coard's strong Marxist views posed a threat and deep concern among various Caribbean nations as well as in Washington D.C.

The U.S. Army invaded Grenada on October 25, 1983 and quickly took control of the island. The U.S. Army left Grenada in 1985. President Maurice Bishop, who was freed by many of his supporters, was executed on October 19, 1983.

2. Early Amerindian cultures on the island of St. Lucia commonly referred to this island as "Hewanorra". What is the meaning of this Amerindian word?

Answer: Island of the Iguanas

Arawak Indians referred to this island as "Hewanorra" or "Iouanalao". It is possible that they referred to it as this due to a large amount of reptiles situated on the islands. Most historians agree that the Arawak Indians were the first inhabitants of the island of St.Lucia around the year 200 A.D. Sadly, the Arawak culture had become pretty much extinct by 800 A.D. and eventually replaced by the Carib culture.

http://www.geographia.com/st-lucia/lchis01.htm

3. Barbados was probably named in reference to the fig trees on the island that looked like "large beards". What European sailors first founded Barbados giving it this unique name?

Answer: The Portuguese

Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos discovered the island of Barbados en route to his destination in Brazil. In seeing the fig trees on the island, it is reported that Campos and his crew named the island "Los Barbados" or "Bearded One" as fig trees have natural aerial roots that hang from the tree resembling a bearded figure.

4. Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a black activist and a labor leader. He founded one of Jamaica's first political parties in the late 1920s and was also a key figure in creating a workers association during the early 1930s. The Ras Taffari brotherhood or "Rastafarians" were a political and religious organization in Jamaica that owe their origins and success to Garvey. The Ras Taffari organization began worshipping what African monarch as their god in 1935?

Answer: Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie was the last emperor of Ethiopia and ruled from the early 1930s until he was dethroned in 1974. He was known as "Jah" or "god" in the eyes of the Rastafarians.

Garvey was seen as a controversial figure to the American government due to his strong and unusual political views. In 1923, he was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia for fraud, and was subsequently shipped to Jamaica in 1927. By 1935, Garvey was in extreme debt, left Jamaica, and moved to Britain where he died five years later.

5. Which of these locations is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Catholicism on the island of Aruba?

Answer: Chapel of Alto Vista

Historical records show that the first Catholic Church on Aruba was officially built on April 20, 1750. A Spanish descendant from Venezuela, Domingo Antonio Silvestre, was the first religious leader in charge of the church and dedicated the church to our Mother of the Rosary.

6. In 1919, the United States passed what act, that unintentionally allowed the Bahamas to become one of the more prosperous nations in the world during the rum-running years?

Answer: Volstead Act

The Volstead Act was passed in 1919 and prohibited the manufacture, transport, and sale or posession of any alcoholic beverages within the United States. The Bahamas became a base for those involved in the illegal manufacturing and transportation of alcoholic beverages to the United States.

7. Although the nation of Haiti was poor and unstable prior to 1957, the vast majority of Haitians would become subject to rigged political elections, terror, police repression, and would suffer severe economical and educational instability with the election of a new president. Which of the following became president of Haiti in 1957, abused his power and declared himself "President for Life" in 1964?

Answer: Francois Duvalier

"Papa Doc" Duvalier would lead the country of Haiti beginning in 1957 using his "Tontons Macoutes" to instill fear into the Haitian people. Upon his death in 1971, his son Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier would continue his father's legacy and continue to leave Haiti in ruins. By 1986, the situation in Haiti had become so bad that Jean-Claude would fled from Haiti.

8. Which of the following aircraft or ships was *not* reported to have gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle?

Answer: Princess Sophia

The Princess Sophia was a Canadian steamer which sank off the coast of Alaska on October 25, 1918 killing 398 crew members.

Flight 19 is probably one of the most famous aircraft to have gone missing while travelling through the Bermuda Triangle. This incident involved five U.S. Navy Avenger Bombers that were on a training flight on December 5, 1945. This flight mysteriously disappeared a short while after reporting a number of odd visual effects. This flight and its crew members have never been found.

The Sylvia L. Ossa was a 590 foot ore carrier that mysteriously disappeared between October 13-15, 1976 with a crew of 37. This ship disappeared approximately 140 kilometers off the coast of Bermuda.

The Rubicon was a Cuban cargo freighter that was found abandoned off the coast of Florida that disappeared in October 1944. Mysteriously enough, all hands aboard the ship had disappeared, however, all personal effects were still on board the ship.

Portions of this information were obtained at: http://byerly.org/bt.htm

9. Which of the following sailed from Dominica to the Orinoco River to commemorate the rememberance of the journey taken by the Ortoroid people 3000 years before?

Answer: Gli Gli

The Gli Gli represented the journey that was made by the first settlers to the island nation of Dominica. The Ortoroid peoples had travelled from the South American mainland around 3100 BC and moved northwards towards the chain of Caribbean Islands where they eventually settled.

http://www.skyviews.com/dominica/history.html

10. In 1782, the French invaded the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis against the British. The British garrison withstood a month-long siege by the French before succumbing at which of the following fortresses?

Answer: Brimstone Hill

This was the second invasion of St. Kitts and Nevis by the French during the 18th century. In 1706, the French succeeded in defeating the British on these islands and took over various sugar plantations and 3000 slaves. After the attacks in 1782, the British gained full control of the islands in 1783 under the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.

Source: Author apathy100

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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At a Glance: A History of Caribbean Nations Quiz

The history of the Caribbean spans over thousands of years and cannot be thouroughly covered in one quiz. This quiz, however, takes a look at various important historical events that have happened in this region. Have fun and good luck!

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