World History Quiz

25 questions · 11 eras · Answers explained · Updated 15 October 2026

Tap an answer to start. No sign-up.

1. Ancient Egypt

   1. Why did Rome declare war on Cleopatra rather than on Mark Antony?

   1. Antony had already been exiled by the Senate
   2. Cleopatra had invaded Roman territory in Syria
   3. Antony had promised to surrender without a fight
   4. Octavian wanted a foreign war, not another civil war against a Roman
   Show the answer

   D. Octavian wanted a foreign war, not another civil war against a Roman. Romans were weary of civil war. Fighting “the Egyptian queen” let Octavian rally Italy behind him while Antony appeared as her servant. Read the full story →

2. Ancient Egypt

   2. According to Plutarch, Cleopatra was smuggled to Caesar rolled up in a carpet.

   1. True
   2. False
   Show the answer

   B. False. Plutarch says she was carried in a bedding sack. The carpet is a later embellishment, popularised by plays and films. Read the full story →

3. Ancient Egypt

   3. When was Nefertiti's famous bust discovered?

   1. 1892
   2. 1902
   3. 1912
   4. 1922
   Show the answer

   C. 1912. The famous bust of Nefertiti was discovered in 1912 at Amarna.

4. Ancient Greece

   4. Alcibiades returned to Athens in triumph in 407 BCE.

   1. True
   2. False
   Show the answer

   A. True. After his victories in the Hellespont, the city that had condemned him to death welcomed him home and gave him supreme command. It lasted a year. Read the full story →

5. Ancient Greece

   5. How did Demosthenes die in 322 BCE?

   1. He was executed in the agora of Athens
   2. He was killed fighting at Crannon
   3. He died in exile in Persia
   4. He took poison in a temple to avoid capture
   Show the answer

   D. He took poison in a temple to avoid capture. Cornered by Antipater's men in the temple of Poseidon on Kalaureia, he took poison he carried with him. Read the full story →

6. Ancient Greece

   6. Who taught Alexander when he was a teenager?

   1. Plato
   2. Socrates
   3. Aristotle
   4. Demosthenes
   Show the answer

   C. Aristotle. Philip hired Aristotle, who had studied at Plato's Academy, to teach his son from about 343 BCE. Read the full story →

7. Ancient Rome

   7. Why did Caesar's pardons fail to win over men like Brutus and Cassius?

   1. Caesar charged heavy fines to everyone he pardoned
   2. The pardons were cancelled once the war ended
   3. Pardoned men were barred from holding office
   4. A pardon implied Caesar held power over their lives
   Show the answer

   D. A pardon implied Caesar held power over their lives. Clemency was the virtue of a superior toward an inferior. Proud aristocrats who had once been Caesar's equals resented owing their lives and careers to his mercy, even as he promoted them. Read the full story →

8. Ancient Rome

   8. Caesar's own account of the civil war describes his crossing of the Rubicon.

   1. True
   2. False
   Show the answer

   B. False. Caesar's Civil War moves from his speech to the troops at Ravenna straight to his arrival at Ariminum (Rimini). The river and the famous words come from Suetonius and Plutarch, writing more than 150 years later. Read the full story →

9. Ancient Rome

   9. What happened to Pompey after his defeat at Pharsalus?

   1. He took his own life at Utica in Africa
   2. Caesar captured and pardoned him in Greece
   3. He died fighting at Munda in Spain
   4. He was killed on arriving in Egypt
   Show the answer

   D. He was killed on arriving in Egypt. Pompey sought refuge in Egypt, but advisers of Ptolemy XIII had him killed in 48 BCE to win Caesar's favour. It was Cato who died at Utica, and Pompey's sons who fought on at Munda. Read the full story →

10. Medieval Europe

    10. Why were John's barons in revolt by 1215?

    1. He had refused to join his brother's crusade
    2. His harsh demands for money ended in defeat in France
    3. He had handed their castles to the French king
    4. He had tried to abolish the courts of law
    Show the answer

    B. His harsh demands for money ended in defeat in France. John raised money through heavy fines and payments to win back Normandy. When his allies were beaten at Bouvines in 1214, the barons had paid for a failure, and rebelled. Read the full story →

11. Medieval Europe

    11. Where did Harold defeat Harald Hardrada in September 1066?

    1. Fulford
    2. Pevensey
    3. Hastings
    4. Stamford Bridge
    Show the answer

    D. Stamford Bridge. Harold destroyed the Norwegian army at Stamford Bridge on 25 September. Hardrada had beaten the northern earls at Fulford five days earlier; William landed at Pevensey on 28 September. Read the full story →

12. Renaissance

    12. What was Erasmus's most famous work?

    1. The Prince
    2. Utopia
    3. In Praise of Folly
    4. The Imitation of Christ
    Show the answer

    C. In Praise of Folly. Erasmus's 'In Praise of Folly' satirized medieval corruption and promoted religious reform.

13. Renaissance

    13. Who commissioned the Sistine Chapel ceiling?

    1. Pope Leo X
    2. Pope Sixtus IV
    3. Pope Julius II
    4. Pope Alexander VI
    Show the answer

    C. Pope Julius II. Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

14. Age of Exploration

    14. What was the capital of the Aztec Empire?

    1. Lima
    2. Cuzco
    3. Havana
    4. Tenochtitlan
    Show the answer

    D. Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City, was the capital of the Aztec Empire.

15. Age of Exploration

    15. Which Dutch company, founded in 1602, dominated European trade with Asia?

    1. Dutch West India Company
    2. Hudson's Bay Company
    3. Dutch East India Company
    4. Royal Trading Company
    Show the answer

    C. Dutch East India Company. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) is often called the world's first multinational corporation.

16. French Revolution

    16. What was Robespierre's nickname?

    1. The Terrible
    2. The Great
    3. The Just
    4. The Incorruptible
    Show the answer

    D. The Incorruptible. Robespierre was known as 'the Incorruptible' for his personal honesty and devotion to revolutionary ideals.

17. French Revolution

    17. Where was Marie Antoinette originally from?

    1. Spain
    2. Russia
    3. Austria
    4. Italy
    Show the answer

    C. Austria. Marie Antoinette was born in Austria, daughter of Empress Maria Theresa.

18. Industrial Revolution

    18. How many hours per day did factory workers typically work?

    1. 8-10 hours
    2. 10-12 hours
    3. 12-16 hours
    4. 16-18 hours
    Show the answer

    C. 12-16 hours. Factory workers typically worked 12-16 hours per day, six days a week.

19. Industrial Revolution

    19. What period is called the 'Second Industrial Revolution'?

    1. 1850-1870
    2. 1870-1914
    3. 1914-1945
    4. 1945-1970
    Show the answer

    B. 1870-1914. The Second Industrial Revolution (1870-1914) introduced electricity, steel, and the internal combustion engine.

20. World War I

    20. What treaty ended Russia's participation in World War I?

    1. Treaty of Versailles
    2. Treaty of Paris
    3. Treaty of Trianon
    4. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
    Show the answer

    D. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918) ended Russia's participation in World War I.

21. World War I

    21. When did the United States enter World War I?

    1. 1915
    2. 1916
    3. 1917
    4. 1918
    Show the answer

    C. 1917. The United States declared war on Germany in April 1917.

22. World War II

    22. What was Hitler's term for German expansion seeking 'living space'?

    1. Lebensraum
    2. Blitzkrieg
    3. Anschluss
    4. Final Solution
    Show the answer

    A. Lebensraum. Lebensraum was the Nazi concept of territorial expansion to provide 'living space' for Germans.

23. World War II

    23. On what date did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?

    1. November 7, 1941
    2. December 7, 1941
    3. January 7, 1942
    4. February 7, 1942
    Show the answer

    B. December 7, 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941.

24. Cold War

    24. When did the Korean War begin?

    1. 1946
    2. 1948
    3. 1950
    4. 1952
    Show the answer

    C. 1950. The Korean War began in June 1950 when North Korean forces invaded South Korea.

25. Cold War

    25. Who popularized the term 'Iron Curtain' in a famous 1946 speech?

    1. Winston Churchill
    2. Harry Truman
    3. Joseph Stalin
    4. Franklin Roosevelt
    Show the answer

    A. Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill popularized the term 'Iron Curtain' in his 1946 speech at Fulton, Missouri, describing the division of Europe.

About this quiz

Twenty-five questions that travel through world history in order, from the pyramids of Egypt and the Greek city-states to the Renaissance, two world wars and the Cold War. Tap an answer to see if you are right and why.

The questions come from the lessons in Aurelius: Learn History, where each one follows a short illustrated story. They are written and checked by the Aurelius editorial team.

More history quizzes

• World War 2 QuizTest yourself with 25 World War II questions, from the rise of Hitler to Hiroshima.
• American History QuizA free US history trivia game: 25 quiz questions on the American Revolution and the Civil War, from the Boston Tea Party to Appomattox, answers explained..
• Ancient Rome QuizHow well do you know Ancient Rome? 20 questions from Romulus and the Republic to the Punic Wars, Caesar, Augustus and the fall of the West, answers explained..
• History QuizPlay a free history quiz: 20 questions across 13 eras, from Ancient Egypt to the Cold War, with every answer explained.
• 100 History Trivia Questions and Answers100 history trivia questions with answers and explanations, grouped by era from Ancient Egypt to the Cold War.