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.
21. Which country’s human civil rights document is the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen”?
[A] United States of America
[B] United Kingdom
[C] France
[D] Canada
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [France]
Notes:
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, set by France’s National Constituent Assembly in 1789, is a human civil rights document from and inspired by the French Revolution. The Declaration was drafted by the Abbe Sieyes and the Marquis de Lafayette, in consultation with Thomas Jefferson. Influenced by the doctrine of “natural right”, the rights of man are to be held to be universal: valid at all times and in every place.
22. Which country was the location of the “Spartacist Uprising”?
[A] France
[B] Denmark
[C] Russia
[D] Germany
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Germany]
Notes:
Germany was the location of the “Spartacist Uprising”. The Spartacist uprising, also known as the January uprising, happened as part of German Revolution of 1918–1919, was a general strike (and the armed battles accompanying it) in Berlin from 5 to 12 January 1919. The uprising was primarily a power struggle between the moderate Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) led by Friedrich Ebert and the radical communists of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, who had previously founded and led the Spartacist League. The revolt was improvised and small-scale and was quickly crushed by the superior firepower of government troops.
23. The “Filiki Eteria” or Society of Friends was a secret organization formed for what purpose?
[A] To overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state.
[B] To overthrow the French rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state.
[C] To overthrow the Russian rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state.
[D] To overthrow the Austrian rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state.
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [To overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state.]
Notes:
Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Constantinople and the Russian Empire, local political and military leaders from the Greek mainland and islands, as well as several Orthodox Christian leaders from other nations that were under the Hellenic influence, such as Kara?or?e from Serbia Tudor Vladimirescu from Romania, and Arvanite military commanders. One of its leaders was the prominent Phanariote Prince Alexander Ypsilantis. The Society initiated the Greek War of Independence in the spring of 1821.
24. Which two countries invaded Greece in the “Battle of Greece/Operation Marita”?
[A] Italy and Germany
[B] Turkey and Egypt
[C] Austria and Hungary
[D] France and Italy
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Italy and Germany]
Notes:
The Battle of Greece (also known as Operation Marita) is the common name for the invasion of Allied Greece by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in April 1941 during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasion in April 1941. German landings on the island of Crete (May 1941) came after Allied forces had been defeated in mainland Greece. These battles were part of the greater Balkan Campaign of Germany.
25. Which of the following was the period of the event “Guinea-Bissau War of Independence”?
[A] 1963 – 1971
[B] 1963 – 1972
[C] 1963 – 1973
[D] 1963 – 1974
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1963 – 1974]
Notes:
The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence was an armed Independence conflict that took place in Portuguese Guinea between 1963 and 1974. Fought between Portugal and the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, an armed independence movement backed by Cuba and the Soviet Union, the war is commonly referred to as “Portugal’s Vietnam” due to the large numbers of men and amounts of material expended in a long, mostly guerrilla war and the internal political turmoil it created in Portugal. The war ended when Portugal, after the Carnation Revolution of 1974, granted independence to Guinea-Bissau, followed by Cape Verde a year later.
26. From which country, Indonesia was declared independent in 1945?
[A] Portugal
[B] United Kingdom
[C] Netherlands
[D] Japan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Netherlands]
Notes:
Indonesia was declared independent in 1945 from the Netherlands. In 1602, the Dutch established the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and became the dominant European power for almost 200 years. Only in the early 20th century did the Dutch dominance extend to what was to become Indonesia’s current boundaries. The Japanese invasion and subsequent occupation during World War II ended Dutch rule and encouraged the previously suppressed independence movement. Two days after the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta, influential nationalist leaders, proclaimed Indonesian independence and were appointed president and vice-president respectively.
27. Which of the following is also known as the “28 Mordad coup d’etat”?
[A] 1952 Iranian coup d’etat
[B] 1953 Iranian coup d’etat
[C] 1954 Iranian coup d’etat
[D] 1955 Iranian coup d’etat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [1953 Iranian coup d’etat]
Notes:
The 1953 Iranian coup d’etat is also known as the “28 Mordad coup d’etat”. The 1953 Iranian coup d’etat, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup d’etat, was the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favour of strengthening the monarchical rule of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on 19 August 1953. It was orchestrated by the United States (under the name TPAJAX Project or “Operation Ajax”) and the United Kingdom (under the name “Operation Boot”).
28. Which country was the supply route in the “Persian Corridor” by which British aid and American Lend-Lease supplies were transferred to the Soviet Union during World War II?
[A] Iraq
[B] Iran
[C] Afghanistan
[D] Syria
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Iran]
Notes:
Iran was the supply route in the “Persian Corridor” by which British aid and American Lend-Lease supplies were transferred to the Soviet Union during World War II. The Persian Corridor was a supply route through Iran into Soviet Azerbaijan by which British aid and American Lend-Lease supplies were transferred to the Soviet Union during World War II. Of the 17.5 million long tons of U.S. Lend-Lease aid provided to Russia, 7.9 million long tons (45%) were sent through Iran.
29. Which are the two countries that were involved in the “Iran hostage crisis”?
[A] Iran and United Kingdom
[B] Iran and United States of America
[C] Iran and Russia
[D] Iran and Israel
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Iran and United States of America]
Notes:
Iran and the United States of America are the two countries that were involved in the “Iran hostage crisis”. The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran. Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and seized hostages. The hostages were held for 444 days from November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981.
30. Which of the following is also known as the “1958 Iraqi coup d’etat”?
[A] 14 June Revolution
[B] 14 July Revolution
[C] 14 August Revolution
[D] 14 September Revolution
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [14 July Revolution]
Notes:
The 14 July Revolution, also known as the 1958 Iraqi coup d’etat, took place on 14 July 1958 in Iraq and resulted in the overthrow of the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq that had been established by King Faisal I in 1921 under the auspices of the British. King Faisal II, Prince Abd al-Ilah, and Prime Minister Nuri al-Said were killed during the uprising. As a result of the overthrow of the Iraqi Hashemite dynasty, the coup d’etat established the Iraqi Republic.