History for grades 7–8: questions with answers
The History questions for grades 7–8 from the game, with the correct answers and an explanation for each.
In which year was the Berlin Wall built?
- 1950
- 1953
- 1956
- 1961
Correct answer: 1961 — The wall went up overnight on 13 August 1961 to stop East Germans fleeing west; it stood for 28 years.
Suleiman the Magnificent ruled which empire?
- Byzantine
- Ottoman
- Safavid
- Mughal
Correct answer: Ottoman — Suleiman ruled 1520–1566, besieged Vienna in 1529 and gave the empire its legal code — hence 'the Lawgiver' in Turkish.
The assassination of which archduke in Sarajevo triggered the First World War?
- Franz Joseph
- Rudolf
- Franz Ferdinand
- Maximilian
Correct answer: Franz Ferdinand — Gavrilo Princip shot the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne on 28 June 1914; war followed within five weeks.
Which treaty of 1919 formally ended the First World War with Germany?
- Versailles
- Vienna
- Westphalia
- Tordesillas
Correct answer: Versailles — Signed on 28 June 1919, it made Germany accept blame and pay reparations — a grievance Hitler later exploited.
Who was the first prime minister of independent India?
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- Vallabhbhai Patel
- Indira Gandhi
Correct answer: Jawaharlal Nehru — Nehru led India from independence in 1947 until his death in 1964; his daughter Indira later held the same office.
Which city was the capital of the Inca Empire?
- Lima
- Quito
- La Paz
- Cusco
Correct answer: Cusco — Cusco, high in the Andes, was the Inca capital until the Spanish conquest in the 1530s; its old centre is a World Heritage Site.
Which African country defeated Italy in 1896 and kept its independence?
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Ghana
- Nigeria
Correct answer: Ethiopia — Ethiopia's victory at Adwa in 1896 let it keep its independence through the age of colonial conquest, when almost all of Africa was carved up.
The failed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961 targeted which country?
- Cuba
- Panama
- Nicaragua
- Vietnam
Correct answer: Cuba — CIA-backed Cuban exiles landed in April 1961 and were defeated within three days, strengthening Fidel Castro.
Which explorer charted Australia's east coast for Britain in 1770?
- Francis Drake
- Walter Raleigh
- Abel Tasman
- James Cook
Correct answer: James Cook — Cook charted the east coast in 1770 and claimed it for Britain; the first British settlement followed in 1788.
In which year did the Ottomans capture Constantinople?
- 1140
- 1204
- 1389
- 1453
Correct answer: 1453 — Mehmed II took the city on 29 May 1453 after a 53-day siege, ending the Byzantine Empire.
Which admiral won the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805?
- Wellington
- Nelson
- Drake
- Cook
Correct answer: Nelson — Nelson's fleet crushed the combined French and Spanish fleets off Spain in 1805; he was killed in the battle.
Which country did Iraq invade in 1990, starting the Gulf War?
- Iran
- Kuwait
- Syria
- Saudi Arabia
Correct answer: Kuwait — Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990; a US-led coalition drove it out in early 1991.
The Meiji Restoration of 1868 modernised which country?
- China
- Korea
- Thailand
- Japan
Correct answer: Japan — The Meiji Restoration returned power to the emperor and turned Japan into an industrial power within decades.
At which 1945 conference did Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin plan post-war Europe?
- Casablanca
- Tehran
- Yalta
- Potsdam
Correct answer: Yalta — At Yalta in February 1945 the three leaders agreed on the occupation of Germany and the borders of post-war Europe.
Which country was the first to give women the vote, in 1893?
- New Zealand
- Finland
- Norway
- the United States
Correct answer: New Zealand — New Zealand gave women the vote in 1893; Finland followed in 1906 as the first in Europe.
Who unified Germany in 1871?
- Frederick the Great
- Metternich
- Otto von Bismarck
- Wilhelm II
Correct answer: Otto von Bismarck — Bismarck, Prussia's chancellor, unified the German states after the war with France; the empire was proclaimed at Versailles.
Which country was led by Josip Broz Tito?
- Poland
- Hungary
- Romania
- Yugoslavia
Correct answer: Yugoslavia — Tito led Yugoslavia's partisans in the war and ruled the country from 1945 until his death in 1980, independent of Moscow.
Which of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World stood in Alexandria?
- the Colossus
- the Hanging Gardens
- the Mausoleum
- the Lighthouse
Correct answer: the Lighthouse — The Pharos of Alexandria, built in the 3rd century BC, was among the tallest structures of the ancient world.
The Crusades were fought mainly for control of which city?
- Jerusalem
- Constantinople
- Damascus
- Cairo
Correct answer: Jerusalem — Between 1096 and 1291 European Christians fought a series of wars to control Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
Which US president resigned over the Watergate scandal?
- Lyndon Johnson
- Richard Nixon
- Gerald Ford
- Jimmy Carter
Correct answer: Richard Nixon — Nixon resigned in August 1974, the only US president to do so, after the cover-up of a break-in at the Watergate building.
What was the capital of the Aztec Empire called?
- Tikal
- Teotihuacan
- Tenochtitlan
- Chichen Itza
Correct answer: Tenochtitlan — It was built on an island in a lake, linked to shore by causeways; Mexico City stands on its ruins.
Which country did the Soviet Union invade in 1979?
- Iran
- Pakistan
- Turkey
- Afghanistan
Correct answer: Afghanistan — Soviet troops stayed nine years against US-backed guerrillas and withdrew in 1989 without winning.
Who was the first woman in space?
- Sally Ride
- Valentina Tereshkova
- Svetlana Savitskaya
- Helen Sharman
Correct answer: Valentina Tereshkova — She orbited alone for three days in 1963, two years after Gagarin; the next woman flew only 19 years later.
Francisco Franco won the civil war in which country?
- Portugal
- Greece
- Spain
- Italy
Correct answer: Spain — The war ran from 1936 to 1939 and he ruled until his death in 1975.
Which city did Western planes supply by air for almost a year in 1948-49?
- Vienna
- Prague
- Warsaw
- Berlin
Correct answer: Berlin — The Soviets cut the road and rail links to the western sectors, so everything, including coal, came by plane.
Which country built the Panama Canal, opened in 1914?
- France
- Britain
- United States
- Spain
Correct answer: United States — A French company tried first and went bankrupt; the Americans finished it after backing Panama's split from Colombia.
After which war did the Ottoman Empire break up?
- The Crimean War
- The Balkan Wars
- The First World War
- The Second World War
Correct answer: The First World War — It fought on Germany's side, lost its Arab provinces, and was replaced by the Turkish republic in 1923.
Which Mughal emperor built the Taj Mahal?
- Akbar
- Babur
- Aurangzeb
- Shah Jahan
Correct answer: Shah Jahan — He raised it in Agra as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631.