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10 Questions about Famous Britons | People

The following quotes are familiar to us all, but can you match them up to the famous Briton who first coined the phrase?

A multiple-choice quiz by haricot. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
haricot

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
330,002

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
669

Last 3 plays: Guest 94 (6/10), moonraker2 (3/10), Guest 86 (5/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which great Briton, in time of war, said, 'Thank God, I have done my duty.'? Hint

Winston Churchill

Elizabeth I

Henry VIII

Admiral Lord Nelson

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Question 2 of 10

2. Never one to hide his light under a bushel, who said, 'I have nothing to declare but my genius.'? Hint

Benjamin Disraeli

George Bernard Shaw

Oscar Wilde

Shakespeare

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which famous Englishman wrote, 'To err is human, to forgive, divine.'? Hint

Sir Thomas More

John Bunyan

Shakespeare

Alexander Pope

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Question 4 of 10

4. 'A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy.' Who uttered these words at a time of great crisis in English history? Hint

Oliver Cromwell

Neville Chamberlain

Guy Fawkes

Winston Churchill

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which influential Englishwoman wrote, 'A place for everything and everything in its place.'? Hint

Virginia Woolf

Margaret Thatcher

Mrs Beeton

Queen Victoria

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Question 6 of 10

6. Who passed judgement on his countrymen's musical taste (or lack of it!), when he said, 'The English may not love music, but they absolutely love the sound it makes.'? Hint

Edward Elgar

Sir Thomas Beecham

Benjamin Britten

John Lennon

7. Which famous Briton pushed a love of the natural word to the point where they were able to admit, 'I just come and talk to the plants, really - very important to talk to them, they respond I find.'? Hint

Gertrude Jekyll

David Attenborough

Charles, Prince of Wales

Charles Darwin

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Question 8 of 10

8. To which English monarch are these words attributed: 'We are not amused.'? Hint

Henry VIII

Queen Victoria

Elizabeth I

Elizabeth II

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which British public figure was moved to lament, 'It's not easy when someone pulls your ponytail.'? Hint

David Beckham

'Prinny', Prince of Wales (Later George IV)

Diana, Princess of Wales

Beau Brummell

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Question 10 of 10

10. Who had the wit to make this famous put-down, 'Who's your fat friend?'

Hint

Victoria Beckham

John Cleese

Beau Brummell

Naomi Campbell

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 06 2024 : Guest 94: 6/10
Oct 21 2024 : moonraker2: 3/10
Sep 22 2024 : Guest 86: 5/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which great Briton, in time of war, said, 'Thank God, I have done my duty.'?

Answer: Admiral Lord Nelson

Admiral Nelson uttered these words as he lay dying below decks of his flag ship HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, having defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets. His victory is commemorated by Trafalgar Square in central London, at the centre of which stands 'Nelson's Column', a tall pillar topped by a statue of the admiral who lost both his right eye and right arm in action.

2. Never one to hide his light under a bushel, who said, 'I have nothing to declare but my genius.'?

Answer: Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Anglo-Irish dramatist and poet renowned for his wit. His most famous works include 'The Importance of being Earnest', 'Lady Windemere's Fan' and 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol'. He was a flamboyant figure, whose notorious homosexual relationship with Alfred Douglas was to lead to his trial and eventual downfall.

3. Which famous Englishman wrote, 'To err is human, to forgive, divine.'?

Answer: Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) was an English poet and essayist who was crippled at the age of 12 by a spinal infection. His most famous works include 'The Rape of the Lock', and 'An Essay on Criticism', from which this quote is taken.

4. 'A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy.' Who uttered these words at a time of great crisis in English history?

Answer: Guy Fawkes

These words are attributed to Guy Fawkes during questioning after his arrest in 1605 for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot. The plan was to blow up the House of Lords, thus killing James I, and to restore a Catholic monarch to the English throne.

5. Which influential Englishwoman wrote, 'A place for everything and everything in its place.'?

Answer: Mrs Beeton

Isabella Mary Beeton (1836-1865) wrote the hugely popular and influential 'Book of Household Management' which became the indispensible handbook for Victorian housewives. The book is still available today, although with substantial alterations. It is not longer considered necessary, for example, to boil rice for 2 hours before serving!

6. Who passed judgement on his countrymen's musical taste (or lack of it!), when he said, 'The English may not love music, but they absolutely love the sound it makes.'?

Answer: Sir Thomas Beecham

Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961), was a British conductor who founded both the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was an outspoken figure, famed for his mordant wit, of which this quote is a prime example!

Answer: Charles, Prince of Wales

Prince Charles made this comment during a radio interview in 1986. He is both ridiculed and admired, in equal measure, for his strong views on the environment, both natural and man-made.

8. To which English monarch are these words attributed: 'We are not amused.'?

Answer: Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria (1819-1901), was Britain's longest reigning monarch. A stern and autocratic figure, these words are attributed to her, although there is no firm evidence that she actually spoke them. It is suggested that she may have made the remark in response to a somewhat risque joke, and that she employed the plural 'we' on behalf of both herself and her ladies in waiting.

9. Which British public figure was moved to lament, 'It's not easy when someone pulls your ponytail.'?

Answer: David Beckham

David Beckham, sometime captain of English football, made this comment in 2003 during an interview for 'The Independent' newspaper, proving that he is as famous for his sartorial quirks as for his skills on the football pitch.

10. Who had the wit to make this famous put-down, 'Who's your fat friend?'

Answer: Beau Brummell

George Bryan (Beau) Brummell was an English dandy and leader of early 19th century fashionable society. One-time crony of the then Prince Regent(later George IV), he quarrelled with his patron and eventually fled to France to escape gambling debts, dying in abject poverty in a lunatic asylum at the age of 46.

This remark, made at a time when their relationship had deteriorated, was a reference to the Prince who had greeted Brummell's companion, whilst deliberately ignoring Brummell himself.

Source: Author haricot

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