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. Which of the following is the foundation for many of the international treaties and organizations that currently shape the world after World War II?
[A] Breton Woods Agreement
[B] Atlantic Charter
[C] Bermuda Conference
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Atlantic Charter]
Notes:
The correct answer is the Atlantic Charter. Established in 1941 by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, it outlined principles for post-war peace, including self-determination and economic cooperation. This charter laid the groundwork for the United Nations and influenced many international treaties, promoting a new world order based on collective security and human rights.
2. Which of the following battles foiled Napoleon’s scheme of invading England in 1805?
[A] Battle of Trafalgar
[B] Battle of Leipzing
[C] Battle of Waterloo
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Battle of Trafalgar]
Notes:
The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval battle fought on October 21, 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. It was fought between a British fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson and a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain, near the Cape of Trafalgar. The British fleet emerged victorious, despite being outnumbered by the combined French and Spanish forces. The battle was a significant victory for the British, as it effectively ended the threat of a French invasion of Britain and cemented British naval dominance for the remainder of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle was also notable for the death of Nelson, who was killed during the fighting.
3. 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.
4. Which of the following country was annexed into the Greater Germany by Nazi regime through Anschluss?
[A] Austria
[B] Poland
[C] Italy
[D] Liechtenstein
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Austria]
Notes:
Austria was annexed into Nazi Germany in 1938, an event known as the Anschluss. The annexation lasted until 1945, when the Allied Powers removed Austria from the Third German Reich. The provisional Austrian government, led by Karl Renner, declared the country’s independence after the fall of the Third Reich.
5. Why the Soviet Socialist Revolution on October is celebrated every year on November 7? (UPSC Prelims 1985)
[A] Lenin’s birthday falls on this date
[B] Russia’s victory over Germany coincides with this date
[C] The Provisional Government formed after the collapse of Czarist Government was overthrown on this day in 1917
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [The Provisional Government formed after the collapse of Czarist Government was overthrown on this day in 1917]
Notes:
During October Revolution, urban workers began to organize into councils wherein revolutionaries criticized the provisional government and its actions. Bolshevik Red Guards forces under the Military Revolutionary Committee began the occupation of government buildings on 7 November 1917.
6. Which nation’s economic history is associated with “Chicago Boys”?
[A] USA
[B] Canada
[C] Mexico
[D] Chile
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Chile]
Notes:
Chile’s economic history is associated with the term “Chicago Boys”. Chicago Boys were a group of Chilean economists of 1970s and 1980s, who were trained at the Department of Economics of the University of Chicago, USA. They were trained under Milton Friedman and Arnold Harberger. They were taken into various key positions of the Chilean Government from 1970 to 1990 and transformed the Chilean economy to Latin America’s best-performing economy.
7. The “Kuomintang’s” were the political group of which nation?
[A] People’s Republic of China
[B] Socialist Republic of Vietnam
[C] Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
[D] Republic of Korea
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [People’s Republic of China]
Notes:
Kuomintang’s were in political power in mainland China from 1912 to 1949. Sun Yat-Sen was its founder President. Kuomintang’s lost to the Communist Party of China in the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949. Kuomintang’s lost the control of mainland China and they retreated themselves to Taiwan and formed “Republic of China”. Communist Party of China instead took control of mainland China and proclaimed the establishment of the People ‘s Republic of China in 1949.
8. Which of the following are also known as “farmers of forty centuries”?
[A] Romans
[B] Greeks
[C] Chinese
[D] Mesopotamian’s
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Chinese]
Notes:
The yellow river cause devastating floods in china and thus Chinese conditioned themselves well to meet this annual calamity. They used the dykes, canals, etc to control the floods and became good farmers. They came to be known as “farmers of forty centuries”.
9. The Han dynasty ruled during which of the following period?
[A] 221-206 AD
[B] 221-206 BC
[C] 386-589 AD
[D] 206 BCE-220 AD
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [206 BCE-220 AD]
Notes:
The Han dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty. They ruled China from 206 BCE to 220 AD. The Han dynasty was known as a golden age in Chinese history.
10. Which of the following region came to be known as ‘Magna Grecia’ or Greater Greece?
[A] Arabian
[B] Persian
[C] Mediterranean
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Mediterranean ]
Notes:
Naval competition with ancient Phonicians turned the Greeks into good mariners. Gradually they were able to conquere and colonize the whole of the Mediterranean region. This region came to be known as ‘Magna Grecia’ or Greater Greece.