Don’t Know Much About History . . .

Cara/Andrea here, Today, I’m going to be talking about history. Okay, no surprise there, as our regular readers know that all of us Wenches are pretty passionate about the subject. But rather than wax poetic over some fascinating bit of research I’ve uncovered, I thought I’d share a really fun test of knowledge that fellow author Jody Novins recently e-mailed to me.

Yale-stone-reader

Yale-gryffin-windowNow, I have to confess, I usually feel “above the salt” when it comes to British history. The Regency and Edwardian eras are the periods I know best, but I read enough to feel comfortable in other era . ..so when I saw that Jodie had forwarded the link to a History Prize competition that British 13-14yr. olds are invited to take, I thought . . . piece of cake.

Yeah, me and Marie Antoinette. In other words, I was toast.

Suitably humbled, I was intrigued enough to do a little research on the competition. According to its website, “The Townsend-Warner History Prize, started 126 years ago, is one of the oldest institutions in the preparatory school world. It has proved endurably popular in encouraging the study of history.  It is not linked to any national testing or examinations, but aims to provoke interest and delight in historical reading, facts and analysis . . .”

PrinceRegentThey go on to explain, “The Prize consists of two papers.  The first has 100 questions demanding one-word, or one-sentence, answers from world history, but with a strong emphasis on British history. Many are straightforward, some a little more obscure. Two hundred candidates qualify from Paper 1 to sit Paper 2.  This is in the form of essay questions, but allows candidates a very wide choice so that they can write on what they know, but also show analytical skill and historical imagination . . .”

Westminster-1Over 700 students took the first part of the exam, and according to the administrators, some of the answers proved quite amusing (I was relived to see that I wasn’t the only one a little fuzzy on some of the specifics.)  When asked about the Quakers, many linked them to oatmeal (porridge in “English”) and some students thought that the seventeenth century radical group, the Levellers, ‘took part in the Highland Clearances’. (I give them an A for Logic.)

WrexhamTowerSo, ready to test your knowledge of English and World History? Sharpen your pencils and let’s see how you fair on the following! (I shall also point out that the one of the students in the top 30 was a ten-year-old boy. Maybe we should ask him to make a guest appearance.) I’ve included a link to the Townsend-Warner website in case you wish to see the entire text of each section.

1.   Answer these questions about rulers of England and Britain.

a)   Which English king signed Magna Carta?
b)   Which thirteenth century English king was nicknamed ‘Longshanks’?
c)   Who was the Black Prince?
d)   Which member of the Tudor family was England’s first crowned queen?
e)   Which Stuart king wrote A Counterblast to Tobacco?
f)   Which royal house followed the Stuarts as rulers of Britain?
g)  Who was Queen Victoria’s husband?
h)  Which king abdicated in 1936?

2.   Answer these questions on Roman Britain.
a)   Who led the first invasions in 55 and 54 BC?
b)   What is the modern name of the Roman town of Verulamium?
c)   What was the name of the tribe led by Boudicca in her rebellion?
d)   What was the name of the Roman road linking Londinium with Eboracum (modern York)?
e)   What supposedly happened to the Roman Ninth Legion?
f)   What was the name of the wall built north of Hadrian
’s Wall and held by the Romans for twenty years or so?. .
. to continue to the entire test click here

YaleWindow1ESSAY SECTION
1. Write fully on TWO of the following:

Boudicca’s Rebellion (61)
Roman Roads in Britain
The Fall of the Roman Empire (410 on)
St Augustine of Canterbury (d 604)
The Vikings
The Great Wall of China
The importance of the Battle of Stamford Bridge
The importance of Norman Castles
The achievements of Henry II (1054-1089)
WellingtonRichard I (1089-1099)
The Wool Trade in Medieval England
Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) . . . to continue to the entire test click here

So how did you fare? Was there any question you found particularly stumping? Would you like to see American schoolkids take such a test? . . . And how do you think they would do? (Sadly enough, I shudder to think of it.)

130 thoughts on “Don’t Know Much About History . . .”

  1. A dear friend of my teaches social studies.. was talking about the Irish immigration due to the potato famine… on student want to know if the famine followed the Irish to America.. groan..

    Reply
  2. A dear friend of my teaches social studies.. was talking about the Irish immigration due to the potato famine… on student want to know if the famine followed the Irish to America.. groan..

    Reply
  3. A dear friend of my teaches social studies.. was talking about the Irish immigration due to the potato famine… on student want to know if the famine followed the Irish to America.. groan..

    Reply
  4. A dear friend of my teaches social studies.. was talking about the Irish immigration due to the potato famine… on student want to know if the famine followed the Irish to America.. groan..

    Reply
  5. A dear friend of my teaches social studies.. was talking about the Irish immigration due to the potato famine… on student want to know if the famine followed the Irish to America.. groan..

    Reply
  6. My younger sister just (as in less than an hour ago) took the AP US history test, which is a pretty intensive test on US history for possible college credit. Most of the people taking that are about 15-17, though.
    I think, if I’d actually taken a class on British history, then maybe I’d know some of these answers. As it is, I haven’t taken a class on British history in years, so most of what I read about and know is 1700-1900

    Reply
  7. My younger sister just (as in less than an hour ago) took the AP US history test, which is a pretty intensive test on US history for possible college credit. Most of the people taking that are about 15-17, though.
    I think, if I’d actually taken a class on British history, then maybe I’d know some of these answers. As it is, I haven’t taken a class on British history in years, so most of what I read about and know is 1700-1900

    Reply
  8. My younger sister just (as in less than an hour ago) took the AP US history test, which is a pretty intensive test on US history for possible college credit. Most of the people taking that are about 15-17, though.
    I think, if I’d actually taken a class on British history, then maybe I’d know some of these answers. As it is, I haven’t taken a class on British history in years, so most of what I read about and know is 1700-1900

    Reply
  9. My younger sister just (as in less than an hour ago) took the AP US history test, which is a pretty intensive test on US history for possible college credit. Most of the people taking that are about 15-17, though.
    I think, if I’d actually taken a class on British history, then maybe I’d know some of these answers. As it is, I haven’t taken a class on British history in years, so most of what I read about and know is 1700-1900

    Reply
  10. My younger sister just (as in less than an hour ago) took the AP US history test, which is a pretty intensive test on US history for possible college credit. Most of the people taking that are about 15-17, though.
    I think, if I’d actually taken a class on British history, then maybe I’d know some of these answers. As it is, I haven’t taken a class on British history in years, so most of what I read about and know is 1700-1900

    Reply
  11. I’m running a sad 35% on these answers, I think.
    I’m a history buff, but I have a poor memory for facts and dates and names.

    Reply
  12. I’m running a sad 35% on these answers, I think.
    I’m a history buff, but I have a poor memory for facts and dates and names.

    Reply
  13. I’m running a sad 35% on these answers, I think.
    I’m a history buff, but I have a poor memory for facts and dates and names.

    Reply
  14. I’m running a sad 35% on these answers, I think.
    I’m a history buff, but I have a poor memory for facts and dates and names.

    Reply
  15. I’m running a sad 35% on these answers, I think.
    I’m a history buff, but I have a poor memory for facts and dates and names.

    Reply
  16. I got all of Question 1 correct. Yay! I got all of Question 2 wrong. I guess I’ve read a little too much about the royal families of Britain.
    I took the World History AP when I was in 10th grade. We ran through pre-history to the Cold War in nine months.

    Reply
  17. I got all of Question 1 correct. Yay! I got all of Question 2 wrong. I guess I’ve read a little too much about the royal families of Britain.
    I took the World History AP when I was in 10th grade. We ran through pre-history to the Cold War in nine months.

    Reply
  18. I got all of Question 1 correct. Yay! I got all of Question 2 wrong. I guess I’ve read a little too much about the royal families of Britain.
    I took the World History AP when I was in 10th grade. We ran through pre-history to the Cold War in nine months.

    Reply
  19. I got all of Question 1 correct. Yay! I got all of Question 2 wrong. I guess I’ve read a little too much about the royal families of Britain.
    I took the World History AP when I was in 10th grade. We ran through pre-history to the Cold War in nine months.

    Reply
  20. I got all of Question 1 correct. Yay! I got all of Question 2 wrong. I guess I’ve read a little too much about the royal families of Britain.
    I took the World History AP when I was in 10th grade. We ran through pre-history to the Cold War in nine months.

    Reply
  21. Yoiks. I guess I’ll be glued to the Internet looking up these answers. and here I thought I knew so much history!!
    As some above, I don’t retain names and dates, but, still … !
    I agree with the writers above, I’m sure it’s all because I haven’t taken a class on British history. Yup. That must be it.

    Reply
  22. Yoiks. I guess I’ll be glued to the Internet looking up these answers. and here I thought I knew so much history!!
    As some above, I don’t retain names and dates, but, still … !
    I agree with the writers above, I’m sure it’s all because I haven’t taken a class on British history. Yup. That must be it.

    Reply
  23. Yoiks. I guess I’ll be glued to the Internet looking up these answers. and here I thought I knew so much history!!
    As some above, I don’t retain names and dates, but, still … !
    I agree with the writers above, I’m sure it’s all because I haven’t taken a class on British history. Yup. That must be it.

    Reply
  24. Yoiks. I guess I’ll be glued to the Internet looking up these answers. and here I thought I knew so much history!!
    As some above, I don’t retain names and dates, but, still … !
    I agree with the writers above, I’m sure it’s all because I haven’t taken a class on British history. Yup. That must be it.

    Reply
  25. Yoiks. I guess I’ll be glued to the Internet looking up these answers. and here I thought I knew so much history!!
    As some above, I don’t retain names and dates, but, still … !
    I agree with the writers above, I’m sure it’s all because I haven’t taken a class on British history. Yup. That must be it.

    Reply
  26. Section 1: I answered a, b, g & h.
    Section 2: I answered c & e
    I’d take a stab at writing a paper on Boudicca’s rebellion.
    Other than that, I failed miserably on everything else.
    I’d like to use the excuse that I’ve been out of school for years. And years. My memory is failing? I’m getting old? I don’t tend to focus on those areas of history?
    *sigh*
    It was worth a try…

    Reply
  27. Section 1: I answered a, b, g & h.
    Section 2: I answered c & e
    I’d take a stab at writing a paper on Boudicca’s rebellion.
    Other than that, I failed miserably on everything else.
    I’d like to use the excuse that I’ve been out of school for years. And years. My memory is failing? I’m getting old? I don’t tend to focus on those areas of history?
    *sigh*
    It was worth a try…

    Reply
  28. Section 1: I answered a, b, g & h.
    Section 2: I answered c & e
    I’d take a stab at writing a paper on Boudicca’s rebellion.
    Other than that, I failed miserably on everything else.
    I’d like to use the excuse that I’ve been out of school for years. And years. My memory is failing? I’m getting old? I don’t tend to focus on those areas of history?
    *sigh*
    It was worth a try…

    Reply
  29. Section 1: I answered a, b, g & h.
    Section 2: I answered c & e
    I’d take a stab at writing a paper on Boudicca’s rebellion.
    Other than that, I failed miserably on everything else.
    I’d like to use the excuse that I’ve been out of school for years. And years. My memory is failing? I’m getting old? I don’t tend to focus on those areas of history?
    *sigh*
    It was worth a try…

    Reply
  30. Section 1: I answered a, b, g & h.
    Section 2: I answered c & e
    I’d take a stab at writing a paper on Boudicca’s rebellion.
    Other than that, I failed miserably on everything else.
    I’d like to use the excuse that I’ve been out of school for years. And years. My memory is failing? I’m getting old? I don’t tend to focus on those areas of history?
    *sigh*
    It was worth a try…

    Reply
  31. ps: I found the answers to the questions you posted (not the entire test) but won’t post them unless you say okay 🙂

    Reply
  32. ps: I found the answers to the questions you posted (not the entire test) but won’t post them unless you say okay 🙂

    Reply
  33. ps: I found the answers to the questions you posted (not the entire test) but won’t post them unless you say okay 🙂

    Reply
  34. ps: I found the answers to the questions you posted (not the entire test) but won’t post them unless you say okay 🙂

    Reply
  35. ps: I found the answers to the questions you posted (not the entire test) but won’t post them unless you say okay 🙂

    Reply
  36. Theo, in our defense, we Americans aren’t expected to know British history as well as these schoolboys. (We would probably know more than they do about American history , , ,I hope.) Still, for those of us who love British history and have read a lot of it, I thought it was a fun challenge.
    And yes, please DO share the answers—I’m sure everyone would love to see them here! Thanks!

    Reply
  37. Theo, in our defense, we Americans aren’t expected to know British history as well as these schoolboys. (We would probably know more than they do about American history , , ,I hope.) Still, for those of us who love British history and have read a lot of it, I thought it was a fun challenge.
    And yes, please DO share the answers—I’m sure everyone would love to see them here! Thanks!

    Reply
  38. Theo, in our defense, we Americans aren’t expected to know British history as well as these schoolboys. (We would probably know more than they do about American history , , ,I hope.) Still, for those of us who love British history and have read a lot of it, I thought it was a fun challenge.
    And yes, please DO share the answers—I’m sure everyone would love to see them here! Thanks!

    Reply
  39. Theo, in our defense, we Americans aren’t expected to know British history as well as these schoolboys. (We would probably know more than they do about American history , , ,I hope.) Still, for those of us who love British history and have read a lot of it, I thought it was a fun challenge.
    And yes, please DO share the answers—I’m sure everyone would love to see them here! Thanks!

    Reply
  40. Theo, in our defense, we Americans aren’t expected to know British history as well as these schoolboys. (We would probably know more than they do about American history , , ,I hope.) Still, for those of us who love British history and have read a lot of it, I thought it was a fun challenge.
    And yes, please DO share the answers—I’m sure everyone would love to see them here! Thanks!

    Reply
  41. Though I agree that we should know more about our own history, I fear we are sadly lacking in that department if DD2 is any indication. Then again, last year, she asked me if Easter was on a Sunday again, so maybe she’s not the best example…
    😉
    And the answers to the questions you posted are below:
    Section 1.
    a) John
    b) Edward I
    c) Edward, Prince of Wales 1330-1376
    d) Mary Tudor
    e) James VI of Scotland
    f) House of Hanover
    g) Albert of Saxe-Coburg
    h) Edward VIII
    Section 2.
    a) Julius Caesar
    b) St Albans
    c) Iceni
    d) Ermine?
    e) There is no definitive explanation but it’s likely they were attacked by a horde of Celtic Tribes and wiped out, possibly led by Boudicca
    f) The Antonine Wall
    You all are on your own for the essays :o)

    Reply
  42. Though I agree that we should know more about our own history, I fear we are sadly lacking in that department if DD2 is any indication. Then again, last year, she asked me if Easter was on a Sunday again, so maybe she’s not the best example…
    😉
    And the answers to the questions you posted are below:
    Section 1.
    a) John
    b) Edward I
    c) Edward, Prince of Wales 1330-1376
    d) Mary Tudor
    e) James VI of Scotland
    f) House of Hanover
    g) Albert of Saxe-Coburg
    h) Edward VIII
    Section 2.
    a) Julius Caesar
    b) St Albans
    c) Iceni
    d) Ermine?
    e) There is no definitive explanation but it’s likely they were attacked by a horde of Celtic Tribes and wiped out, possibly led by Boudicca
    f) The Antonine Wall
    You all are on your own for the essays :o)

    Reply
  43. Though I agree that we should know more about our own history, I fear we are sadly lacking in that department if DD2 is any indication. Then again, last year, she asked me if Easter was on a Sunday again, so maybe she’s not the best example…
    😉
    And the answers to the questions you posted are below:
    Section 1.
    a) John
    b) Edward I
    c) Edward, Prince of Wales 1330-1376
    d) Mary Tudor
    e) James VI of Scotland
    f) House of Hanover
    g) Albert of Saxe-Coburg
    h) Edward VIII
    Section 2.
    a) Julius Caesar
    b) St Albans
    c) Iceni
    d) Ermine?
    e) There is no definitive explanation but it’s likely they were attacked by a horde of Celtic Tribes and wiped out, possibly led by Boudicca
    f) The Antonine Wall
    You all are on your own for the essays :o)

    Reply
  44. Though I agree that we should know more about our own history, I fear we are sadly lacking in that department if DD2 is any indication. Then again, last year, she asked me if Easter was on a Sunday again, so maybe she’s not the best example…
    😉
    And the answers to the questions you posted are below:
    Section 1.
    a) John
    b) Edward I
    c) Edward, Prince of Wales 1330-1376
    d) Mary Tudor
    e) James VI of Scotland
    f) House of Hanover
    g) Albert of Saxe-Coburg
    h) Edward VIII
    Section 2.
    a) Julius Caesar
    b) St Albans
    c) Iceni
    d) Ermine?
    e) There is no definitive explanation but it’s likely they were attacked by a horde of Celtic Tribes and wiped out, possibly led by Boudicca
    f) The Antonine Wall
    You all are on your own for the essays :o)

    Reply
  45. Though I agree that we should know more about our own history, I fear we are sadly lacking in that department if DD2 is any indication. Then again, last year, she asked me if Easter was on a Sunday again, so maybe she’s not the best example…
    😉
    And the answers to the questions you posted are below:
    Section 1.
    a) John
    b) Edward I
    c) Edward, Prince of Wales 1330-1376
    d) Mary Tudor
    e) James VI of Scotland
    f) House of Hanover
    g) Albert of Saxe-Coburg
    h) Edward VIII
    Section 2.
    a) Julius Caesar
    b) St Albans
    c) Iceni
    d) Ermine?
    e) There is no definitive explanation but it’s likely they were attacked by a horde of Celtic Tribes and wiped out, possibly led by Boudicca
    f) The Antonine Wall
    You all are on your own for the essays :o)

    Reply
  46. Hell’s teeth, that’s difficult, and I like history and studied it until I was 18. In the UK, too. Major fail here, I think.
    Spent rather too long doing it and banging head on desk over stuff I nea-er-early knew but couldn’t quite remember . . . .
    Got desperate in the end and decided that Joseph Paxton had to have invented a cheese — on the mad grounds that Paxton & Whitfield, in Jermyn Street (where Georgette Heyer’s villains tended to hole up) was founded in 1797. For a photo of the (original) shopfront see http://www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk/visit-us/
    Um- Paxton actually designed the Crystal Palace for Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition of 1851.
    I’m not going to look up anything else. I’m NOT.
    Thank you for posting, Cara/Andrea. I think.

    Reply
  47. Hell’s teeth, that’s difficult, and I like history and studied it until I was 18. In the UK, too. Major fail here, I think.
    Spent rather too long doing it and banging head on desk over stuff I nea-er-early knew but couldn’t quite remember . . . .
    Got desperate in the end and decided that Joseph Paxton had to have invented a cheese — on the mad grounds that Paxton & Whitfield, in Jermyn Street (where Georgette Heyer’s villains tended to hole up) was founded in 1797. For a photo of the (original) shopfront see http://www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk/visit-us/
    Um- Paxton actually designed the Crystal Palace for Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition of 1851.
    I’m not going to look up anything else. I’m NOT.
    Thank you for posting, Cara/Andrea. I think.

    Reply
  48. Hell’s teeth, that’s difficult, and I like history and studied it until I was 18. In the UK, too. Major fail here, I think.
    Spent rather too long doing it and banging head on desk over stuff I nea-er-early knew but couldn’t quite remember . . . .
    Got desperate in the end and decided that Joseph Paxton had to have invented a cheese — on the mad grounds that Paxton & Whitfield, in Jermyn Street (where Georgette Heyer’s villains tended to hole up) was founded in 1797. For a photo of the (original) shopfront see http://www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk/visit-us/
    Um- Paxton actually designed the Crystal Palace for Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition of 1851.
    I’m not going to look up anything else. I’m NOT.
    Thank you for posting, Cara/Andrea. I think.

    Reply
  49. Hell’s teeth, that’s difficult, and I like history and studied it until I was 18. In the UK, too. Major fail here, I think.
    Spent rather too long doing it and banging head on desk over stuff I nea-er-early knew but couldn’t quite remember . . . .
    Got desperate in the end and decided that Joseph Paxton had to have invented a cheese — on the mad grounds that Paxton & Whitfield, in Jermyn Street (where Georgette Heyer’s villains tended to hole up) was founded in 1797. For a photo of the (original) shopfront see http://www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk/visit-us/
    Um- Paxton actually designed the Crystal Palace for Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition of 1851.
    I’m not going to look up anything else. I’m NOT.
    Thank you for posting, Cara/Andrea. I think.

    Reply
  50. Hell’s teeth, that’s difficult, and I like history and studied it until I was 18. In the UK, too. Major fail here, I think.
    Spent rather too long doing it and banging head on desk over stuff I nea-er-early knew but couldn’t quite remember . . . .
    Got desperate in the end and decided that Joseph Paxton had to have invented a cheese — on the mad grounds that Paxton & Whitfield, in Jermyn Street (where Georgette Heyer’s villains tended to hole up) was founded in 1797. For a photo of the (original) shopfront see http://www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk/visit-us/
    Um- Paxton actually designed the Crystal Palace for Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition of 1851.
    I’m not going to look up anything else. I’m NOT.
    Thank you for posting, Cara/Andrea. I think.

    Reply
  51. Ha, ha, ha, Jenny! Join the crowd!
    Love your guess on Paxton. On my last visit to London, I spent some time in the cheese shop chatting with the staff about its history. It’s very close to Floris, which is another wonderful historic shop.

    Reply
  52. Ha, ha, ha, Jenny! Join the crowd!
    Love your guess on Paxton. On my last visit to London, I spent some time in the cheese shop chatting with the staff about its history. It’s very close to Floris, which is another wonderful historic shop.

    Reply
  53. Ha, ha, ha, Jenny! Join the crowd!
    Love your guess on Paxton. On my last visit to London, I spent some time in the cheese shop chatting with the staff about its history. It’s very close to Floris, which is another wonderful historic shop.

    Reply
  54. Ha, ha, ha, Jenny! Join the crowd!
    Love your guess on Paxton. On my last visit to London, I spent some time in the cheese shop chatting with the staff about its history. It’s very close to Floris, which is another wonderful historic shop.

    Reply
  55. Ha, ha, ha, Jenny! Join the crowd!
    Love your guess on Paxton. On my last visit to London, I spent some time in the cheese shop chatting with the staff about its history. It’s very close to Floris, which is another wonderful historic shop.

    Reply
  56. Well, that was fun. I was amazed at how much I remembered and how much I have forgot, if I ever did know.
    I also thought it interesting that some bits were US history.
    When do they post the answers?

    Reply
  57. Well, that was fun. I was amazed at how much I remembered and how much I have forgot, if I ever did know.
    I also thought it interesting that some bits were US history.
    When do they post the answers?

    Reply
  58. Well, that was fun. I was amazed at how much I remembered and how much I have forgot, if I ever did know.
    I also thought it interesting that some bits were US history.
    When do they post the answers?

    Reply
  59. Well, that was fun. I was amazed at how much I remembered and how much I have forgot, if I ever did know.
    I also thought it interesting that some bits were US history.
    When do they post the answers?

    Reply
  60. Well, that was fun. I was amazed at how much I remembered and how much I have forgot, if I ever did know.
    I also thought it interesting that some bits were US history.
    When do they post the answers?

    Reply
  61. Yo, Cara/Andrea, can I take off points because you misspelled my name? Jody or Joanna (but never Jodie, Jodi, or Jo )

    Reply
  62. Yo, Cara/Andrea, can I take off points because you misspelled my name? Jody or Joanna (but never Jodie, Jodi, or Jo )

    Reply
  63. Yo, Cara/Andrea, can I take off points because you misspelled my name? Jody or Joanna (but never Jodie, Jodi, or Jo )

    Reply
  64. Yo, Cara/Andrea, can I take off points because you misspelled my name? Jody or Joanna (but never Jodie, Jodi, or Jo )

    Reply
  65. Yo, Cara/Andrea, can I take off points because you misspelled my name? Jody or Joanna (but never Jodie, Jodi, or Jo )

    Reply

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