History for grades 5–6: questions with answers
The History questions for grades 5–6 from the game, with the correct answers and an explanation for each.
In which year did the French Revolution begin?
- 1789
- 1799
- 1815
- 1830
Correct answer: 1789 — The storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 is the symbolic start; 14 July is still France's national day.
Who led the first expedition to sail around the world?
- Christopher Columbus
- Ferdinand Magellan
- Francis Drake
- James Cook
Correct answer: Ferdinand Magellan — Magellan set out from Spain in 1519 and was killed in the Philippines; one ship of five returned in 1522 under Elcano.
Which city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
- Rome
- Athens
- Alexandria
- Constantinople
Correct answer: Constantinople — Constantinople (today's Istanbul) was the capital from 330 until the Ottomans took it in 1453.
The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed much of which city?
- Paris
- Rome
- Lisbon
- London
Correct answer: London — The fire burned for four days and destroyed some 13,000 houses; Christopher Wren rebuilt St Paul's Cathedral afterwards.
Which explorer first sailed from Europe to India around Africa?
- Marco Polo
- Bartolomeu Dias
- Vasco da Gama
- Amerigo Vespucci
Correct answer: Vasco da Gama — Da Gama reached Calicut in 1498, opening Portugal's sea route to Asian spices.
Which empire did Hernán Cortés conquer for Spain?
- Olmec
- Maya
- Inca
- Aztec
Correct answer: Aztec — Cortés took the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan in 1521; Mexico City stands on its site.
In which year did the United States declare independence?
- 1776
- 1783
- 1789
- 1795
Correct answer: 1776 — The Declaration of Independence was adopted on 4 July 1776; the war with Britain lasted until 1783.
Who led the Bolsheviks in the Russian Revolution of 1917?
- Lenin
- Trotsky
- Stalin
- Kerensky
Correct answer: Lenin — Lenin's Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917 (November by the modern calendar) and founded the Soviet Union in 1922.
In which country was Magna Carta sealed in 1215?
- France
- Spain
- England
- Germany
Correct answer: England — King John sealed Magna Carta at Runnymede; it established that even the king was subject to the law.
Who was the first emperor of Rome?
- Julius Caesar
- Augustus
- Nero
- Constantine
Correct answer: Augustus — Augustus, Caesar's adopted heir, took power in 27 BC; the month of August is named after him.
Which country did Napoleon invade in 1812, losing most of his army?
- Egypt
- Spain
- Austria
- Russia
Correct answer: Russia — Napoleon entered Moscow but retreated in winter; of some 600,000 men, only a small fraction returned.
Which war ended in 1953 with the peninsula still divided?
- the Chinese Civil War
- the Korean War
- the Vietnam War
- the Gulf War
Correct answer: the Korean War — The war lasted 1950–1953 and ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty; the border is still near the 38th parallel.
The Silk Road connected China with which region?
- the Americas
- the Mediterranean
- southern Africa
- Australia
Correct answer: the Mediterranean — For centuries caravans carried silk, spices and ideas between China and the Mediterranean world.
In which year did Mao Zedong proclaim the People's Republic of China?
- 1900
- 1912
- 1937
- 1949
Correct answer: 1949 — Mao proclaimed the People's Republic in Beijing on 1 October 1949 after winning the civil war against the Nationalists.
The Ottoman Empire was centred on which modern country?
- Egypt
- Iran
- Greece
- Turkey
Correct answer: Turkey — The Ottoman Empire lasted from about 1300 to 1922; modern Turkey was founded by Atatürk in 1923.
In which country did Martin Luther launch the Reformation in 1517?
- Germany
- Switzerland
- England
- France
Correct answer: Germany — Luther posted his theses in Wittenberg in 1517, challenging the sale of indulgences and splitting Western Christianity.
Which two countries fought the Hundred Years' War?
- England and France
- Spain and Portugal
- France and Germany
- England and Scotland
Correct answer: England and France — The war ran, with pauses, from 1337 to 1453; Joan of Arc fought in its final phase.
In which year did the Soviet Union cease to exist?
- 1983
- 1985
- 1989
- 1991
Correct answer: 1991 — The Soviet flag came down over the Kremlin on 25 December 1991; fifteen independent states emerged.
Alexander the Great was king of which ancient kingdom?
- Macedonia
- Sparta
- Athens
- Persia
Correct answer: Macedonia — Alexander became king in 336 BC and conquered the Persian Empire before dying at 32 in Babylon.
Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
- Mother Teresa
- Marie Curie
- Jane Addams
- Rosalind Franklin
Correct answer: Marie Curie — Curie won the Physics prize in 1903 and the Chemistry prize in 1911 — still the only person with Nobels in two sciences.
Which empire took over Egypt after Cleopatra's death in 30 BC?
- The Persian Empire
- The Ottoman Empire
- The Roman Empire
- The Byzantine Empire
Correct answer: The Roman Empire — Octavian's victory at Actium ended the Ptolemaic kingdom and made Egypt Rome's richest province, its grain feeding the capital.
In which century did the Renaissance begin?
- 13th
- 14th
- 15th
- 16th
Correct answer: 14th — It started in city-states like Florence with a new interest in Greek and Roman texts, then spread north over the next 200 years.
Who was the last emperor of Russia?
- Nicholas II
- Alexander III
- Peter III
- Paul I
Correct answer: Nicholas II — He abdicated in March 1917 and was shot with his family the next year, ending three centuries of Romanov rule.
Who led the Soviet Union in its final years?
- Leonid Brezhnev
- Mikhail Gorbachev
- Nikita Khrushchev
- Boris Yeltsin
Correct answer: Mikhail Gorbachev — His reforms, perestroika and glasnost, loosened the system faster than he could steer it; he resigned in December 1991.
Joan of Arc led the armies of which country?
- England
- Spain
- France
- Burgundy
Correct answer: France — A teenage peasant, she lifted the siege of Orleans in 1429 and was burned at the stake two years later.
Britain handed Hong Kong back to which country in 1997?
- Japan
- Taiwan
- Singapore
- China
Correct answer: China — The island had been ceded to Britain in 1842 and the surrounding territory leased for 99 years from 1898.
Which continent did the Iron Curtain divide?
- Europe
- Asia
- Africa
- South America
Correct answer: Europe — Churchill used the phrase in a 1946 speech for the line separating Soviet-controlled eastern Europe from the west.
Which South American country was colonized by Portugal?
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Peru
Correct answer: Brazil — It was claimed in 1500 and stayed Portuguese until 1822, which is why Portuguese is spoken there and Spanish next door.