A Long and Illustrious History: practice questions

1. Who were the first people to live in Britain?

• The Celts, who crossed from mainland Europe
• The Romans, who arrived with Julius Caesar
• Hunter-gatherers, living in what is called the Stone Age
• The Anglo-Saxons, who settled after the Ice Age

The first people to live in Britain were hunter-gatherers, in what is called the Stone Age. For much of the Stone Age, Britain was connected to the continent by a land bridge.

2. In which English county does the monument Stonehenge stand?

• Dorset
• Cornwall
• Wiltshire
• Somerset

Stonehenge still stands in what is now the English county of Wiltshire. It was probably a special gathering place for seasonal ceremonies, built by the first farmers who arrived in Britain about 6,000 years ago.

3. Which Roman Emperor led a successful invasion of Britain in AD 43?

• Julius Caesar
• Augustus
• Claudius
• Hadrian

In AD 43, Emperor Claudius led the Roman army in a new invasion of Britain. Julius Caesar had previously led an unsuccessful attempt in 55 BC, and Britain remained separate from the Roman Empire for nearly 100 years.

4. Why did the Romans build Hadrian's Wall in the north of England?

• To mark the boundary between England and Scotland for trade purposes
• To keep out the Picts, ancestors of the Scottish people, who were never conquered by Rome
• To protect against Viking raids from the north sea coast
• To form a defensive line against the Anglo-Saxon tribes

The Emperor Hadrian built a wall in the north of England to keep out the Picts, who were the ancestors of the Scottish people. Areas of what is now Scotland were never conquered by the Romans.

5. Which groups invaded Britain after the Roman army left in AD 410?

• The Normans and the Franks
• The Visigoths and the Vandals
• The Jutes, the Angles and the Saxons
• The Danes and the Norwegians

After the Roman army left Britain in AD 410, the country was invaded by tribes from northern Europe: the Jutes, the Angles and the Saxons. The languages they spoke are the basis of modern-day English.

6. From which countries did the Vikings come, and when did they first visit Britain?

• Sweden and Finland; they first arrived in AD 850
• Denmark and Norway; they first visited in AD 789
• Iceland and Greenland; they first arrived in AD 1000
• Germany and the Netherlands; they first visited in AD 600

The Vikings came from Denmark and Norway. They first visited Britain in AD 789 to raid coastal towns and take away goods and slaves. They later began to settle and form their own communities.

7. In which year did William, the Duke of Normandy, defeat the Saxon king Harold at the Battle of Hastings?

• 1042
• 1066
• 1086
• 1215

In 1066, an invasion led by William, the Duke of Normandy, defeated Harold, the Saxon king of England, at the Battle of Hastings. Harold was killed in the battle, and William became King of England.

8. In what year was Magna Carta signed?

• 1066
• 1215
• 1348
• 1415

In 1215, King John was forced by his noblemen to agree to a number of demands. The result was the Magna Carta, a charter that established the idea that even the king was subject to the law.