History for grades 9–10: questions with answers
The History questions for grades 9–10 from the game, with the correct answers and an explanation for each.
Which US president bought Louisiana from France in 1803?
- George Washington
- John Adams
- Thomas Jefferson
- James Madison
Correct answer: Thomas Jefferson — The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States for about 15 million dollars.
In which year did the Spanish Armada sail against England?
- 1588
- 1605
- 1666
- 1683
Correct answer: 1588 — Philip II's fleet was meant to invade England; storms and the English navy scattered it.
Akbar the Great ruled which empire?
- Mughal
- Ottoman
- Safavid
- Maratha
Correct answer: Mughal — Akbar ruled 1556–1605, expanded the empire across northern India and practised religious tolerance.
Which Roman emperor legalised Christianity with the Edict of Milan in 313?
- Nero
- Diocletian
- Constantine
- Theodosius
Correct answer: Constantine — The Edict of Milan ended the persecution of Christians; Constantine also founded Constantinople in 330.
The Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494 divided newly found lands between which two countries?
- England and France
- Spain and Portugal
- Spain and England
- Portugal and the Netherlands
Correct answer: Spain and Portugal — Spain and Portugal moved an earlier papal line westward: Portugal got Africa's coasts and, as it turned out, Brazil; Spain most of the Americas.
Who was the first European to sail around the Cape of Good Hope?
- Bartolomeu Dias
- Christopher Columbus
- Vasco da Gama
- Ferdinand Magellan
Correct answer: Bartolomeu Dias — Dias rounded the cape in 1488; ten years later Vasco da Gama followed the route to India.
Which battle in 1815 ended Napoleon's rule for good?
- Austerlitz
- Trafalgar
- Leipzig
- Waterloo
Correct answer: Waterloo — Wellington and Blücher defeated Napoleon near Brussels on 18 June 1815; he was exiled to Saint Helena.
Which pharaoh built the Great Pyramid of Giza?
- Djoser
- Khufu
- Tutankhamun
- Ramesses II
Correct answer: Khufu — The Great Pyramid, built around 2560 BC, was the tallest structure in the world for nearly 4,000 years.
In which year did the Cuban Missile Crisis take place?
- 1962
- 1968
- 1973
- 1978
Correct answer: 1962 — For 13 days in October 1962 the US and the USSR stood close to nuclear war over Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Which dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644?
- Tang
- Song
- Ming
- Qing
Correct answer: Ming — The Ming built much of the Great Wall as it stands today and sent Zheng He's fleets as far as Africa.
In which country did a revolution begin in 1910 against the dictator Porfirio Díaz?
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Cuba
- Mexico
Correct answer: Mexico — The revolution overthrew Porfirio Díaz and lasted a decade; Zapata and Pancho Villa became its legends.
Which peace treaty of 1648 ended the Thirty Years' War?
- Westphalia
- Utrecht
- Vienna
- Versailles
Correct answer: Westphalia — The Peace of Westphalia ended a war that killed a third of the population in parts of Germany and shaped the modern state system.
The Rosetta Stone was the key to deciphering which script?
- cuneiform
- Linear B
- Egyptian hieroglyphs
- Maya glyphs
Correct answer: Egyptian hieroglyphs — The stone, found in 1799, carries the same text in three scripts; Champollion cracked the hieroglyphs in 1822.
Which Carthaginian general crossed the Alps with elephants to attack Rome?
- Hamilcar
- Hasdrubal
- Jugurtha
- Hannibal
Correct answer: Hannibal — Hannibal crossed the Alps in 218 BC and won at Cannae, but Carthage lost the Second Punic War.
Who led the Haitian Revolution against French rule?
- Simón Bolívar
- Toussaint Louverture
- José Martí
- Che Guevara
Correct answer: Toussaint Louverture — Louverture, a former slave, led the revolt; he died in a French prison in 1803, months before Haiti became the first independent Black republic in 1804.
The Peloponnesian War was fought between Athens and which rival?
- Sparta
- Thebes
- Corinth
- Persia
Correct answer: Sparta — The war of 431–404 BC ended with Athens' defeat; Thucydides wrote its history.
Which country nationalised the Suez Canal in 1956?
- Britain
- France
- Israel
- Egypt
Correct answer: Egypt — Nasser's nationalisation prompted an invasion by Britain, France and Israel, which the US and USSR forced to stop.
Which German general was known as the Desert Fox?
- Guderian
- Rommel
- Manstein
- Paulus
Correct answer: Rommel — Rommel commanded the Afrika Korps in North Africa 1941–1943 and was later forced to take his own life after the plot against Hitler.
Who was the Aztec emperor when Cortés arrived in 1519?
- Moctezuma II
- Cuauhtémoc
- Atahualpa
- Pachacuti
Correct answer: Moctezuma II — Moctezuma II received Cortés in 1519 and died during the Spanish occupation of Tenochtitlan the next year.
Which empire built Angkor Wat?
- Siamese
- Burmese
- Cham
- Khmer
Correct answer: Khmer — Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century in present-day Cambodia — the largest religious monument in the world.
Who was the first European to see the Pacific from the Americas?
- Vasco Nunez de Balboa
- Francisco Pizarro
- Hernan Cortes
- Juan Ponce de Leon
Correct answer: Vasco Nunez de Balboa — He crossed the isthmus of Panama in 1513 and claimed the ocean and every shore touching it for Spain.
Who commanded the huge Chinese treasure fleets of the early 1400s?
- Kublai Khan
- Qianlong
- Li Zicheng
- Zheng He
Correct answer: Zheng He — His seven voyages reached India, Arabia and East Africa; decades later the court stopped the expeditions.
In which year did revolutions break out across much of Europe?
- 1789
- 1830
- 1848
- 1871
Correct answer: 1848 — Uprisings hit France, the German states, Italy and the Habsburg lands within months; almost all were put down within a year.
Which treaty ended the American War of Independence in 1783?
- The Treaty of Paris
- The Treaty of Ghent
- The Treaty of Utrecht
- The Treaty of Vienna
Correct answer: The Treaty of Paris — Britain recognized the United States and handed over the land east of the Mississippi.
Which Union general took Lee's surrender at Appomattox in 1865?
- William Sherman
- George McClellan
- George Meade
- Ulysses S. Grant
Correct answer: Ulysses S. Grant — He later became president; Lee's surrender in a Virginia farmhouse effectively ended the Civil War.
Which uprising against the East India Company began in 1857?
- The Quit India Movement
- The Indian Rebellion
- The Salt March
- The Bengal Partition
Correct answer: The Indian Rebellion — It started with Indian soldiers of the company's army and ended with the British crown taking direct rule of India.
Which city was Japan's capital before Tokyo?
- Kyoto
- Osaka
- Nara
- Nagasaki
Correct answer: Kyoto — The emperor lived there for over a thousand years until the court moved east in 1868.
Which African country was founded as a home for freed American slaves?
- Sierra Leone
- Ghana
- Senegal
- Liberia
Correct answer: Liberia — Settlers arrived from 1822 and declared independence in 1847; the capital, Monrovia, is named after a US president.