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Western Civ Trivia Quiz

A quiz for anyone who has ever taken Western Civ I in college, written by someone who has taught the course many times!

A multiple-choice quiz by doomyjoe. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
doomyjoe

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
22,667

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
5084

Last 3 plays: Guest 104 (6/10), Guest 50 (7/10), Guest 78 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What Frankish king was crowned 'Emperor' in 800 AD, in a ceremony that underscored his desire to revive Roman culture in the west? Hint

Theodoric

Clovis

Charlemagne

Pepin the Short

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Question 2 of 10

2. Who was both the pupil of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great? Hint

Socrates

Aristotle

Thales

Aristophanes

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Question 3 of 10

3. Who is considered the first known monotheist? Hint

Akhenaton

Jesus

Moses

Mohammed

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Question 4 of 10

4. What Pope excommunicated Emperor Henry IV, initiating a struggle between sacred and secular authority that changed the course of Western History? Hint

Innocent III

John XXIII

Urban II

Gregory VII

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Question 5 of 10

5. Of the following four phases of Greek art, which was the last? Hint

Archaic

Classical

Hellenistic

Geometric

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Question 6 of 10

6. What do we call a grant of land given a vassal in return for military service? Hint

a castle

a fief

an homage

a territoriale

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Question 7 of 10

7. What Mesopotamian culture invented writing? Hint

Assyrian

Sumerian

Babylonian

Chaldean

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Question 8 of 10

8. Who was the first Christian Roman Emperor? Hint

Charlemagne

Constantine

Diocletian

Marcus Aurelius

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Question 9 of 10

9. What Greek thinker wrote 'The Elements'--the greatest mathematical text of antiquity? Hint

Aristotle

Archimedes

Aristarchos

Euclid

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Question 10 of 10

10. Who emerged victorious at the Battle of Marathon? Hint

Sparta

Carthage

Rome

Athens

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 15 2024 : Guest 104: 6/10
Nov 19 2024 : Guest 50: 7/10
Oct 31 2024 : Guest 78: 5/10
Oct 28 2024 : Guest 107: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What Frankish king was crowned 'Emperor' in 800 AD, in a ceremony that underscored his desire to revive Roman culture in the west?

Answer: Charlemagne

Charlemagne means 'Charles the Great'. He was simply crowned 'August Caesar' without reference to any place or empire.

2. Who was both the pupil of Plato and the teacher of Alexander the Great?

Answer: Aristotle

Aristotle's astronomy and physics were influential for centuries, although there were many Greeks with lesser reputations who did superior work.

3. Who is considered the first known monotheist?

Answer: Akhenaton

A toughie? Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV before he changed his name) attempted to eliminate all gods but Aton during his reign as Pharaoh, making him history's first monotheist.

4. What Pope excommunicated Emperor Henry IV, initiating a struggle between sacred and secular authority that changed the course of Western History?

Answer: Gregory VII

Gregory VII was pope from 1073-1085. Not content with excommunicating Henry IV once, Gregory VII did so twice. In effect, the pope wiped the floor with the Empire in the massive struggle that followed.

5. Of the following four phases of Greek art, which was the last?

Answer: Hellenistic

Hellenistic means 'Greek like'.

6. What do we call a grant of land given a vassal in return for military service?

Answer: a fief

The latin feudus (fief) gives us the term feudalism.

7. What Mesopotamian culture invented writing?

Answer: Sumerian

The Sumerians settled southern Mesopotamia in the fourth millenium B.C.

8. Who was the first Christian Roman Emperor?

Answer: Constantine

Constantine allegedly converted before a battle when he saw a Christian symbol in the sky.

9. What Greek thinker wrote 'The Elements'--the greatest mathematical text of antiquity?

Answer: Euclid

What Euclid accomplished--a mathematical text which not only included all known proofs but placed them in order--has never been duplicated.

10. Who emerged victorious at the Battle of Marathon?

Answer: Athens

Yes, the race is named for the distance that the heroic run of the Greek messenger Phidippides from Marathon to Athens after the Greek victory over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon.

Source: Author doomyjoe

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