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Got your 'Bering'? Let's explore! Quiz

Vitus Jonassen Bering was an 18th century explorer whose name adorns the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska, among other places. How much do you know about him?

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

Author
reedy

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
346,044

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
5553

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Vitus Bering was born in 1681 and began sailing as an officer with the Russian Navy in 1703. What was his country of origin? Hint

Finland

Denmark

Norway

Sweden

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Question 2 of 10

2. During the Great Nordic War (1700-1721), Bering served in the Russian Baltic fleet. Who were the Russians fighting against? Hint

Prussia

Sweden

England

Poland

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Question 3 of 10

3. In 1725 Bering was selected to lead an expedition to the North Pacific. Who was the recently proclaimed 'Emperor of All Russia' who commissioned Bering for this undertaking? Hint

Ivan V

Peter the Great

Catherine I

Peter II

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Question 4 of 10

4. The goal of Bering's first expedition was to see how far the territory of an Eastern Russian peninsula extended toward the Americas. Which peninsula? Hint

Lokhaniemi

Chukchi

Kamchatka

Nemetski

5. On his first expedition, Bering had only one ship, while for his second expedition (much more ambitious in scope than the first) he used two. Which of these was NOT one of the ships' names? Hint

Gabriel

Michael

Sviatoi Piotr (St. Peter)

Sviatoi Pavel (St. Paul)

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Question 6 of 10

6. Bering's second expedition (1741) off Russia's east coast had the goal of mapping the Russia-Siberian coast as well as the western part of North America. What settlement did Bering establish as a launching point for his expedition? Hint

Petropavlovsk

Klyuchi

Yelizovo

Okhotsk

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Question 7 of 10

7. Bering's second expedition, despite its grand plan, fell apart soon after departure when Bering fell ill, and adverse conditions forced them to turn back. They sheltered on an island (later to be named Bering Island) in what island group? Hint

Aleksander Archipelago

Aleutian Islands

Commander Islands

Queen Charlotte Islands

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Question 8 of 10

8. Although the true cause of Bering's death remains a matter of dispute, what was originally reported as the reason? Hint

Exposure

Poison

Gunshot wound

Scurvy

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Question 9 of 10

9. In addition to the Bering Strait and Bering Island, there are three other geographical features that took Bering's name. Which of these is NOT one of them? Hint

Bering Peninsula

Bering Glacier

Bering Sea

Bering Land Bridge

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Question 10 of 10

10. In December of 1741 Bering died on the island that later bore his name. In what year was his burial site (along with that of five other sailors) rediscovered? Hint

1991

1974

1935

2010

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Vitus Bering was born in 1681 and began sailing as an officer with the Russian Navy in 1703. What was his country of origin?

Answer: Denmark

Bering was born on 12th August, 1681 to Jonas Svendsen Halmstad and Anne Pedersdatter Bering in Horsens, Denmark. Horsens is located in East Jutland at the end of the Horsens fjord. It lies approximately 200 kilometers from Copenhagen.

2. During the Great Nordic War (1700-1721), Bering served in the Russian Baltic fleet. Who were the Russians fighting against?

Answer: Sweden

Bering served with distinction during his tour of duty during the war, and while that conflict was still ongoing, he was sent in 1710 to Russia's fleet in the Azov Sea to take part in the Russo-Turkish war.

Incidentally, Russia (along with her allies Denmark-Norway, Saxony-Poland-Lithuania, Hanover, and Brandenburg-Prussia) successfully fought the Swedish Empire for dominance in north Central and Eastern Europe.

3. In 1725 Bering was selected to lead an expedition to the North Pacific. Who was the recently proclaimed 'Emperor of All Russia' who commissioned Bering for this undertaking?

Answer: Peter the Great

Tsar Peter I (Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov) ruled the Tsardom of Russia (later the Empire of Russia) from 1682 (jointly with Ivan V until 1696) until his death in 1725, coincidentally the same year that Bering was commissioned for what would be his first expedition to the North Pacific. He didn't actually depart until three years later, in 1728.

4. The goal of Bering's first expedition was to see how far the territory of an Eastern Russian peninsula extended toward the Americas. Which peninsula?

Answer: Kamchatka

In all, Bering led two Kamchatkan expeditions; the first in 1728 and the second in 1741. The first expedition was a commission from the government, while the second was an approved proposal forwarded by Bering himself. After the successes of his first expedition, Bering was rewarded with ennoblement.

5. On his first expedition, Bering had only one ship, while for his second expedition (much more ambitious in scope than the first) he used two. Which of these was NOT one of the ships' names?

Answer: Michael

Bering sailed on 'Gabriel' on his first expedition, up through the strait that would one day bear his name. The second expedition saw Bering commission two new ships, naming them Sviatoi Piotr and Sviatoi Pavel.

Answer: Petropavlovsk

Bering arrived in the Avacha Bay on July 10, 1740, and established the port, naming it, appropriately, Petropavlovsk (Peter and Paul). Today, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the administrative center of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Answer: Commander Islands

The expedition discovered some of the Aleutian Island group (the Shumagin Islands - named for one of their sailors who died and was buried there), as well as the Aleksander Archipelago (discovered by the one ship while separated from the other). However, it was in the Commander Islands in the southwest Bering Sea (as it is now called), near the Kamchatkan coast, where they ended up.

The expedition never made it as far as the Queen Charlotte Islands, which are located along the coast of British Columbia.

8. Although the true cause of Bering's death remains a matter of dispute, what was originally reported as the reason?

Answer: Scurvy

Bering died along with 28 other crew members. They were buried on the uninhabited island that (again) would one day bear his name. The expedition experienced further hardship when one of the ships (Sviatoi Piotr) was shipwrecked. The ship's carpenter managed to build another vessel from the wreckage, and more than half of the ship's complement survived to return home.

9. In addition to the Bering Strait and Bering Island, there are three other geographical features that took Bering's name. Which of these is NOT one of them?

Answer: Bering Peninsula

Bering's two expeditions, while not truly successful when measured against their original goals, nevertheless became a major part of what later came to be known as the Great Northern Expedition - the totality of Russia's exploration efforts in the North Pacific.

10. In December of 1741 Bering died on the island that later bore his name. In what year was his burial site (along with that of five other sailors) rediscovered?

Answer: 1991

The six bodies were exhumed and transported to Moscow for forensic study. Scientists used Bering's remains to create a digital reconstruction of what he looked like. A year later, in 1992, Bering and the others were returned to their burial site on Bering Island.

Source: Author reedy

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