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.
1. The Treaty of Portsmouth brought an end to a war in 1905 fought between?
[A] Russia & Japan
[B] Romania & Bulgaria
[C] Russia & Turkey
[D] Russia & USA
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Russia & Japan]
Notes:
Treaty of Portsmouth ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. The treaty was signed on September 5, 1905 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. The treaty was signed by Japanese and Russian diplomats after negotiations from August 6 to August 30. The treaty ended the war that began in 1904. The war was caused by Russian and Japanese expansionism in the Far East. The war contributed to domestic unrest in both countries, which led to the Russian revolution of 1905. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was instrumental in the negotiations and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
2. Kemal Ataturk is known as founder and builder of Modern_______?
[A] Turkey
[B] Georgia
[C] Syria
[D] Kuwait
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Turkey]
Notes:
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk also known as Mustafa Kemal Pasha (died 1938) was a Turkish leader and founder of Republic of Turkey. He is known for numerous progressive reforms that modernized Turkey into a secular, industrializing nation.
3. Which among the following is a correct statement about the French Revolution?
[A] It gave women the right to vote
[B] It gave France a permanent republican government
[C] It continued for 5 years
[D] It awakened the republican goals among the French commoners
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [It awakened the republican goals among the French commoners]
Notes:
The correct statement is that the French Revolution awakened republican goals among the French commoners. The revolution, which began in 1789, aimed to dismantle the monarchy and establish a republic, importantly influencing the political landscape. While it did lead to temporary republican governments, it did not establish a permanent republic until the Third Republic in 1870. Women did not gain the right to vote until 1944 in France, and the revolution lasted more than 5 years, officially ending in 1799 with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.
4. Which country has gifted Manipur a Museum of Peace built on the memories of Battle of Imphal?
[A] Germany
[B] Japan
[C] France
[D] Poland
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Japan ]
Notes:
The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) has been gifted by Japan to Manipur to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal, which was one of the fiercest battles of the Second World War. The museum was inaugurated at Maibam Lokpa Ching popularly known as Red Hill. Around 70,000 Japanese soldiers, alongside those of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA), died in battles with the British-led Allied forces in areas around Imphal and Kohima from March to June 1944. The last of these battles was fought at Red Hill, where the Japanese War Memorial was built in 1944 to mark the 50th anniversary of the battle. The museum symbolizes the reconciliation between Japan & Britain and Japan & India. It is to reinforce the message that history changes and makes us learn from the past.
5. From which nation Algeria got its independence in 1962?
[A] Portugal
[B] Great Britain
[C] France
[D] Italy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [France]
Notes:
France conquered Algeria in 1830. The modern borders of Algeria were established by the French during their colonization. The French in Algeria is known as Colons or Peds Noirs. From 1954 to 1962, Algeria was engaged in a bloody and long fight with France, which lead to its independence from France.
6. Which among the following nations is mainly associated with the “Dirty War”?
[A] Uruguay
[B] Israel
[C] Iran
[D] Argentina
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Argentina]
Notes:
Dirty War was the term used by the then military dictatorship of Argentina to denote US-backed state-terrorism for the period from 1976-1983. Under Operation Condor, military and security forces and right-wing death squads in the form of Argentine Anti Communist Alliance destroyed any political dissidents associated with socialism and left-wing Peronism.
7. The “1989 Tiananmen Square Protests” happened in which nation?
[A] Japan
[B] North Korea
[C] South Korea
[D] China
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [China]
Notes:
The “1989 Tiananmen Square Protests” happened in China. It is also known as the June Fourth Incident. This protests happened in Tiananmen Square of Beijing. The protest’s major goals were to end the corruption of the Communist Party of China; to bring democratic reforms such as freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of association and to bring economic-free market reforms in China. But, these protests were brutally suppressed by the Chinese Government which lead to the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
8. The “Opium Wars” happened in which nation?
[A] Afghanistan
[B] Venezuela
[C] Cuba
[D] China
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [China]
Notes:
China was associated with the Opium Wars. Opium Wars were the group of two wars between the Qing dynasty of China and the western powers. The First Opium War (1839-1842) was between the Qing dynasty and Great Britain. The Second Opium War (1856-1860) was between the Qing dynasty and western powers such as Great Britain and France. The Qing dynasty waged war against the opium trade of western powers in China. But these wars defeated the Qing dynasty and forced it to grant various favourable terms to western powers.
9. Which war in the African continent is known as the “Africa’s First World War”?
[A] Uganda-Tanzania War
[B] First Congo River
[C] Yom Kippur War
[D] Six-Day War
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [First Congo River]
Notes:
First Congo War, happened from 1996 to 1997, was also known as Africa’s First World War. This war’s main aim was to overthrow the Mobutu regime of Zaire. This war happened mostly in Zaire (present-day Democratic Republic of Congo) and also spread into Sudan and Uganda. Rwandan Genocide, Corrupt dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko, economic decline of Zaire were the causes of this war. This war leads to the renaming of Zaire as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
10. The “Velvet Revolution”, also known as the “Gentle Revolution”, happened in which nation/s?
[A] Italy
[B] Austria-Hungary
[C] Czech Republic-Slovakia
[D] Russia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Czech Republic-Slovakia]
Notes:
The Velvet Revolution was a series of peaceful protests and political changes that took place in Czechoslovakia in 1989. It began with a student demonstration in Prague on November 17th and quickly spread throughout the country, leading to the downfall of the communist government and the transition to a democratic, multiparty political system. The name “Velvet Revolution” comes from the non-violent nature of the protests, which were marked by a lack of bloodshed and violence. This peaceful transition of power is widely seen as one of the most successful examples of nonviolent resistance in history.