World History GK MCQ and Quiz (Set 1)

World History General Knowledge Quiz with MCQ

World History General Knowledge quiz with MCQs for APSC, SSC, UPSC, and other competitive exams. This quiz features key questions on important events and figures in world history.


1. Which famous Italian explorer traveled to China and served at the court of Kublai Khan?

a) Christopher Columbus
b) Vasco da Gama
c) Marco Polo
d) Ferdinand Magellan

(c) Marco Polo

2. Who was the founder of the Ottoman Empire?

a) Suleiman the Magnificent
b) Osman I
c) Mehmed II
d) Murad II

(b) Osman I

3. The Battle of Waterloo marked the defeat of which historical figure?

a) Alexander the Great
b) Julius Caesar
c) Napoleon Bonaparte
d) Charlemagne

(c) Napoleon Bonaparte

4. In which year did the United States declare independence?

a) 1776
b) 1789
c) 1812
d) 1821

(a) 1776

5. Who was the first female ruler of ancient Egypt?

a) Nefertiti
b) Cleopatra
c) Hatshepsut
d) Nefertari

(c) Hatshepsut

6. Which city was the center of the Byzantine Empire?

a) Rome
b) Athens
c) Constantinople
d) Alexandria

(c) Constantinople

7. Who was the longest-reigning monarch of England?

a) Queen Elizabeth I
b) Queen Victoria
c) Queen Elizabeth II
d) King George III

(c) Queen Elizabeth II

8. The Great Fire of London occurred in which year?

a) 1555
b) 1666
c) 1766
d) 1866

(b) 1666

9. Who discovered the sea route to India by rounding the Cape of Good Hope?

a) Vasco da Gama
b) Christopher Columbus
c) Ferdinand Magellan
d) Amerigo Vespucci

(a) Vasco da Gama

10. Who was the first emperor of Rome?

a) Julius Caesar
b) Augustus
c) Nero
d) Caligula

(b) Augustus

11. Which African country was never colonized by a European power?

a) Ethiopia
b) Nigeria
c) Kenya
d) Ghana

(a) Ethiopia

12. Who was the ruler of France during the Reign of Terror?

a) Robespierre
b) Louis XIV
c) Napoleon Bonaparte
d) Danton

(a) Robespierre

13. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built in which ancient empire?

a) Greek
b) Persian
c) Babylonian
d) Egyptian

(c) Babylonian

14. The “Iron Curtain” symbolized the division between which two blocs?

a) East Asia and Europe
b) USA and Canada
c) Eastern and Western Europe
d) Africa and the Middle East

(c) Eastern and Western Europe

15. Who was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?

a) Margaret Thatcher
b) Theresa May
c) Elizabeth II
d) Mary I

(a) Margaret Thatcher

16. The city of Hiroshima was bombed in which year?

a) 1942
b) 1945
c) 1947
d) 1950

(b) 1945

17. What is the name of the famous trade route that connected China to the Mediterranean?

a) The Amber Road
b) The Spice Route
c) The Silk Road
d) The Sea Route

(c) The Silk Road

18. Who was the first President of South Africa after apartheid ended?

a) Nelson Mandela
b) F.W. de Klerk
c) Thabo Mbeki
d) Jacob Zuma

(a) Nelson Mandela

19. Who was assassinated in Sarajevo, an event that sparked World War I?

a) Woodrow Wilson
b) Archduke Franz Ferdinand
c) Kaiser Wilhelm II
d) Tsar Nicholas II

(b) Archduke Franz Ferdinand

20. Which empire was led by rulers known as “czars”?

a) Ottoman Empire
b) Russian Empire
c) Byzantine Empire
d) Holy Roman Empire

(b) Russian Empire

21. In which century did the Protestant Reformation begin?

a) 14th
b) 15th
c) 16th
d) 17th

(c) 16th

22. The Treaty of Tordesillas divided the New World between which two countries?

a) England and France
b) Spain and Portugal
c) Portugal and the Netherlands
d) Spain and England

(b) Spain and Portugal

23. The Opium Wars were fought between China and which country?

a) France
b) Germany
c) Great Britain
d) Russia

(c) Great Britain

24. Who was the famous queen of ancient Egypt who had alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony?

a) Cleopatra
b) Hatshepsut
c) Nefertiti
d) Arsinoe

(a) Cleopatra

25. The Magna Carta was signed in which year?

a) 1215
b) 1346
c) 1402
d) 1500

(a) 1215

26. The Renaissance is best associated with which century?

a) 12th
b) 14th
c) 16th
d) 18th

(b) 14th

27. Which country first sent a man into space?

a) USA
b) Germany
c) Soviet Union
d) China

(c) Soviet Union

28. Who led the Haitian Revolution?

a) Toussaint Louverture
b) Simon Bolivar
c) Jean-Jacques Dessalines
d) Fidel Castro

(a) Toussaint Louverture

29. Who famously said, “I think, therefore I am”?

a) Socrates
b) Aristotle
c) Descartes
d) Nietzsche

(c) Descartes

30. The Vietnam War ended in which year?

a) 1970
b) 1975
c) 1980
d) 1985

(b) 1975

31. The “Trail of Tears” was associated with which group of people?

a) African slaves
b) Cherokee Indians
c) Irish immigrants
d) Japanese-Americans

(b) Cherokee Indians

32. Who wrote the influential book “The Prince” during the Renaissance?

a) Shakespeare
b) Machiavelli
c) Dante
d) Petrarch

(b) Machiavelli

33. Who led Germany during World War II?

a) Joseph Stalin
b) Adolf Hitler
c) Kaiser Wilhelm II
d) Otto von Bismarck

(b) Adolf Hitler

34. Who was the longest-reigning pharaoh of ancient Egypt?

a) Tutankhamun
b) Hatshepsut
c) Cleopatra
d) Ramses II

(d) Ramses II

35. The Black Death struck Europe in which century?

a) 11th
b) 13th
c) 14th
d) 15th

(c) 14th

36. The first Olympic Games were held in which country?

a) Italy
b) Egypt
c) Greece
d) Turkey

(c) Greece

37. The Inca Empire was located primarily in which modern-day country?

a) Brazil
b) Mexico
c) Peru
d) Chile

(c) Peru

38. The Treaty of Versailles was signed in which year?

a) 1914
b) 1918
c) 1919
d) 1922

(c) 1919

39. Who invented the telephone?

a) Alexander Graham Bell
b) Thomas Edison
c) Nikola Tesla
d) Marconi

(a) Alexander Graham Bell

40. In which country did the Bolshevik Revolution occur?

a) Germany
b) France
c) Russia
d) Italy

(c) Russia

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