World History MCQs
World History Multiple Choice Quiz Questions (MCQs) on Ancient World History, Medieval World History and Modern World History for various UPSC, PCS and other Competitive Examinations.
31. Which country was the location of the “Potsdam Conference”?
[A] Russia
[B] Poland
[C] Germany
[D] Denmark
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Germany]
Notes:
The Potsdam Conference was held in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945. The participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, represented respectively by Premier Joseph Stalin, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, and President Harry S. Truman. They gathered to decide how to administer Germany, which had agreed to unconditional surrender nine weeks earlier on the 8th of May (Victory in Europe Day). The goals of the conference also included the establishment of the postwar order, peace treaty issues, and countering the effects of the war.
32. In the “Great Offensive”, which country fought against the Kingdom of Greece in 1922?
[A] Italy
[B] Egypt
[C] Germany
[D] Turkey
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Turkey]
Notes:
The Great Offensive was the largest and final military operation of the Turkish War of Independence, fought between the Turkish Armed Forces loyal to the government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the Kingdom of Greece, ending the Greco-Turkish War. The offensive began on 26 August 1922 with the Battle of Dumlup?nar. The operation ended on 18 September 1922 with the liberation of Erdek and Biga. The staggering defeat caused great dissent within the Greek army and a general loss of morale, which led to an unwillingness to continue fighting.
33. Which of the following was the period of the event “Haitian Revolution”?
[A] 1791 – 1804
[B] 1791 – 1805
[C] 1791 – 1806
[D] 1791 – 1807
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [1791 – 1804]
Notes:
1791 – 1804 was the period of the event “Haitian Revolution”. The Haitian Revolution was a successful insurrection by self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt began on 22 August 1791 and ended in 1804 with the former colony’s independence.
34. Consider the following statements:
- The British Empire was the biggest in the world in terms of number of people over whom it ruled, but the French Empire was biggest in the world in terms of the area under its rule.
- Liberia was the only country in Africa that was free from the colonial rule at the end of WWI.
Which of the above is / are correct?
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 2
[C] Both 1 and 2
[D] Neither 1 nor 2
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Neither 1 nor 2 ]
Notes:
At the end of 19th century, the British Empire was the biggest in the world, both in terms of the number of people over whom it rules and the area under its rule. The population of her colonial possessions extending over an area of 23 million square kilometer was about 400 millions. France ruled over an empire of over 10 million square kilometer inhabited by over 50 million people. So, statement 1 is incorrect. Within a short period of time after the beginning of ‘Scramble for Africa’, European imperial powers had carved it out among themselves. In the Berlin Congress, entire Africa was divided between different European powers. At the end of WWI, only Liberia and Ethiopia were free from any sort of colonial control. So, statement 2 is incorrect.
35. Consider the following statements:
- NATO was formed during the cold war as a military alliance of mainly western European and North American countries.
- ‘Warsaw Pact’ was a military block of mainly communist countries.
- Considering the role played by Germany in the WWII, it was kept out of any military alliance.
Which of the above is / are correct?
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 1 and 2
[C] All of the above
[D] Only 2 and 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 1 and 2]
Notes:
A new military alliance had come into being in April, 1949. The USA and most countries of Western Europe- Britain, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Holland, Norway, Denmark, Portugal and Italy- and Iceland and Canada formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). It is believed that the formation of NATO was stimulated by the Berlin blockade by USSR. So, statement 1 is correct. In 1955, when West Germany was admitted as a member of NATO, the Soviet Union and the East European countries ruled by communist parties formed their military alliance which is known as the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact countries, like the NATO countries, had a joint military command. So, statement 2 is correct. Germany was divided into the West and East Germany. While West Germany was admitted into the NATO, the East Germany was incorporated into the ‘Warsaw Pact’. Statement 3 is incorrect.
36. The ideas of the ‘Survival of the Fittest’ and ‘Natural Selection’ emerged from the writings of which of the following?
[A] Charles Darwin
[B] Charles Fourier
[C] Voltaire
[D] Emmanuel Kant
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Charles Darwin]
Notes:
In the 1850s, Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, presented a theory to explain organic evolution by natural selection. In a nutshell, his proposition implied that the species mutated randomly. Among these mutations, successful once survived and continued to live and reproduce. This idea was called the ‘Survival of the Fittest.’ According to Darwin, nature selects the successful variations which are allowed to propagate. This was term as a process of ‘natural selection.’ So, option ‘a’ is the correct answer.
37. Who said, “Adolf Hitler is Germany and Germany is Adolf Hitler. He who pledges himself to Hitler pledges himself to Germany”?
[A] R. Hess
[B] Mussolini
[C] Hitler
[D] Communist International
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [R. Hess]
Notes:
Rudolf Hess, on 25 February 1934, said: “Adolf Hitler is Germany and Germany is Adolf Hitler. He who takes an oath to Hitler takes an oath to Germany!” About a million Nazi Party officials had gathered on this day at points around Germany to swear an oath to Adolf Hitler.
38. Canada was discovered by:
[A] John Cabot
[B] William Henry VII
[C] Jacques Cartier
[D] Christopher Columbus
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Jacques Cartier ]
Notes:
In 1534, Jacques Cartier from France went to the North America and explored the region. He found the Red Indian settlements and named that region as Canada.
39. The Molasses Act levied upon the import of:
[A] Wheat
[B] Sugar
[C] Corn
[D] Cattles
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Sugar]
Notes:
A series of Navigation Acts were passed by the British Parliament to control the trade of the American colonies. These Acts insisted that all the goods of both exports and imports should be carried in ships owned by England. Custom collectors were appointed in the colonies to implement the Navigation Acts. But, the American colonies considered these Acts as infringement of their rights. The Molasses Act levied heavy duties on sugar and molasses imported into the American colonies.
40. Which book was considered as the Bible of the French Revolution?
[A] Social Contract
[B] Social Affairs
[C] Social Reflection
[D] Revolution & Society
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Social Contract]
Notes:
Rousseau was the author of the famous book, Social Contract, which was considered the Bible of the French Revolution. He said that the real sovereignty rests with the people. His famous statement, “Man is born free and is everywhere in chains” kindled the revolutionary spirit of the masses.