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Quiz about Celebrities From Scottish History

Celebrities From Scottish History Quiz

Though being 'numerically' a small nation, the Scots have done great deeds in many fields. See how well aware you are of Scottish greatness.

A multiple-choice quiz by flem-ish. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
flem-ish

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
73,199

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
903

Last 3 plays: Johnmcmanners (10/10), Guest 51 (3/10), GoodVibe (1/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of these is usually associated with the invention of the steam engine? Hint

James Watt

John Fulton

Dr Watson

James Stephenson

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Question 2 of 10

2. Thomas Telford (1757-1834) was the son of a shepherd. He became a civil engineer and was active in various fields. Which of these 4 items was NOT a speciality of his? Hint

building roads

building railway lines

building bridges

building canals

3. David Hume,(1711-1776), the Scottish philosopher was very popular in France where he had lived from 1734 till 1737. He was on very good terms with some of the French philosophers. For which of them did he even secure a British pension after having brought him to Britain? Hint

d'Alembert

Montesquieu

Diderot

Jean Jacques Rousseau

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which of these was the author of 'An Inquiry into the Nature and Cause of the Wealth of Nations' , an important economic analysis in which free trade was advocated as the best means of increasing wealth ? Hint

Milton Keynes

Adam Smith

John Maynard Keynes

James Adam

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Question 5 of 10

5. One of the main attractions in Culzean Castle - used as a Headquarters by General Eisenhower during World War II - is the Oval Staircase laid out by a famous Scottish architect. Who was he? Hint

William Adam

Robert Adam

Nicholas Hawksmoor

Inigo Jones

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Question 6 of 10

6. It would be a gross mistake to think that Scots only excel in 'engineering' and 'technique' as sometimes is believed. There are great Scottish authors too. One of them Robbie Burns. Surprising it may be, but Burns published his first volume of poetry primarily because he needed to raise enough money for his planned emigration. To which country? Hint

Australia

Jamaica

America

New Zealand

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Question 7 of 10

7. A famous literary fraud was the volume of Fingal-poems in 1762, the authorship of which was ascribed to a mysterious Celtiec poet named Ossian. Who was the real author of those poems? Hint

Bishop Percy

Dr. Johnson

James Boswell

James MacPherson

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Question 8 of 10

8. In spite of his Scottish sounding name Sir Walter Scott(1771-1832), the author of such 'Scottish' works as 'Ivanhoe' (1820) and the 'Fair Maid of Perth' (1828) was himself NOT a Scot.

True

False

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Question 9 of 10

9. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), the author of 'Treasure Island' 1882; 'Kidnapped' 1886; 'Catriona' 1893; 'The Master of Ballantrae' 1889 was in such poor health that he had to stay in Switzerland and the Mediterranean to protect himself from the obnoxious effects of the Scottish climate on his lungs. Where did he finally die? Hint

Cuba

U.S.A.

Corsica

Samoa

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Question 10 of 10

10. Stevenson always had been a traveller. He claimed that he had got his lung disease when making a voyage in an emigrant ship that was to take him to the U.S.A. What had been the primary purpose of that journey ? Hint

he wanted to study the Native Americans

he wanted to find back a woman he had met in France

he wanted to visit his relatives in New York

he had been invited for a lecturing tour

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 15 2024 : Johnmcmanners: 10/10
Dec 08 2024 : Guest 51: 3/10
Dec 05 2024 : GoodVibe: 1/10
Dec 05 2024 : Guest 47: 5/10
Dec 04 2024 : Kalibre: 3/10
Dec 04 2024 : Guest 101: 5/10
Dec 04 2024 : Guest 136: 7/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these is usually associated with the invention of the steam engine?

Answer: James Watt

John Fulton is usually associated with the 'invention' , or more correctly the practical commercialisation, of the steamship. Dr Watson was the 'confidant' of the great detective Sherlock Holmes, as created by Arthur Conan Doyle, btw another Scotsman.

Born in Edinburgh on May 22,1859. George,not James, Stephenson (b. 1781- d. in 1848.)is usually credited with the invention of the train engine. Newcastle was his native town. So he was NOT a Scot. James Watt was born at Greenock 1736 and died in 1819.

He 'perfected' the steam engine that had already been invented by others,such as Newcomen and Calley.

2. Thomas Telford (1757-1834) was the son of a shepherd. He became a civil engineer and was active in various fields. Which of these 4 items was NOT a speciality of his?

Answer: building railway lines

Telford was born in Westerkirk Scotland. Among his achievements: the Caledonian Canal, the Menai Suspension Bridge and the North Wales coastal road between Chester and Bangor.

Answer: Jean Jacques Rousseau

Some works by Hume: 'Treatise on Human Nature', {1738-40;} 'Essays Moral and Political', 1741 {;} 'Philosophical Essays Concerning Human Understanding',1748. When he was censured for purchasing Lafontaine's 'Contes' for the library of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Hume angrily resigned .

In 1763 Hume became secretary of the Embassy in Paris. From 1767 till 1769 he was Under Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Answer: Adam Smith

James Maynard Keynes was born in 1883 at Cambridge and died at Firle, Sussex, in 1946. No Scottish connection. James Adam was a Scot indeed and one of the Adam family of architects. Milton Keynes is a well-known garden-town near London. Adam Smith (1723-1790),a true Scot, born at Kirkcaldy, wrote his masterpiece in 1776.

5. One of the main attractions in Culzean Castle - used as a Headquarters by General Eisenhower during World War II - is the Oval Staircase laid out by a famous Scottish architect. Who was he?

Answer: Robert Adam

Robert Adam, also born in Kirkcaldy in 1728 is one of the greatest architects in Scotland and a superb representative of the Georgian style.His father William and his brothers John(1721-1792) and James(1731-1794) were architects too.He was King George III 's personal architect until he went into politics and became M.P. for Kinrosssshire in 1768. Among his other achievements :the Adelphi and Syon House in London.

Inigo Jones ( b. in London 1573 -d. 1652)was the architect of Banqueting House,Covent Garden in London and of the Queen's House in Greenwich. Hawksmoor was a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren. Lived from 1661 till 1736.With Vanbrugh he built Blenheim Palace and also Castle Howard.It was he who added the towers to Westminster Abbey.Played a major role in the lay-out of central Oxford.Born in Nottinghamshire.

Answer: Jamaica

Burns was born in 1759 and died in 1796.

7. A famous literary fraud was the volume of Fingal-poems in 1762, the authorship of which was ascribed to a mysterious Celtiec poet named Ossian. Who was the real author of those poems?

Answer: James MacPherson

Dr. Johnson(1709-1784) was born in Lichfeld as the son of a bookseller. He was not a Scot. Bishop Percy published the 'Reliques of Ancient English Poetry' (1765). They contained such classics as {'Edward,Edward';} 'The Ballad of Chevy Chase' and 'Barbara Allen'. James Boswell(1740-1795) was born in Edinburgh. James MacPherson was born in Ruthven, Badenoch (1736) and died at Badenoch in 1796. From 1764 till 1766 he had had an administrative post in Florida.

8. In spite of his Scottish sounding name Sir Walter Scott(1771-1832), the author of such 'Scottish' works as 'Ivanhoe' (1820) and the 'Fair Maid of Perth' (1828) was himself NOT a Scot.

Answer: False

Sir Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh, on 15th of August, 1771.

9. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), the author of 'Treasure Island' {1882;} 'Kidnapped' {1886;} 'Catriona' {1893;} 'The Master of Ballantrae' 1889 was in such poor health that he had to stay in Switzerland and the Mediterranean to protect himself from the obnoxious effects of the Scottish climate on his lungs. Where did he finally die?

Answer: Samoa

He died at Vaillina in Samoa where he was very popular with the locals.

Answer: he wanted to find back a woman he had met in France

When in France, Stevenson had fallen in love with a Mrs.Osbourne, a married American woman. After Mrs. Osbourne had obtained a divorce, he married her. When he returned to Scotland his health had deteriorated so much that he never again felt o.k. in the British climate.

After his stay in Davos and in the Mediterranean, he tried to survive in Bournemouth but he soon returned to USA in 1887. After a cruise in the Pacific , he definitely opted for Samoa.

Source: Author flem-ish

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