Qin Shi Huang - Quiz
Qin Shi Huang
  • 1. Who wrote the Shiji?
A) Lü Buwei
B) Derk Bodde
C) Sima Qian
D) King Zhuangxiang
  • 2. During which dynasty was the Shiji written?
A) Qin dynasty
B) Zhao dynasty
C) Han dynasty
D) Tang dynasty
  • 3. What was the relationship of the first emperor to Prince Yiren according to the Shiji's main account?
A) Nephew
B) Adopted son
C) Eldest son
D) Youngest son
  • 4. Where was Prince Yiren residing when the first emperor was born, serving as a hostage?
A) State of Wey
B) Court of Zhao
C) State of Qin
D) City of Handan
  • 5. Who was Lü Buwei by profession?
A) Rich merchant
B) Regent prime minister
C) Military general
D) Prince of Qin
  • 6. From which state was Lü Buwei originally?
A) State of Han
B) State of Zhao
C) State of Qin
D) State of Wey
  • 7. What name was given to Lü Buwei's concubine after she became Yiren's wife?
A) Zhao Ji
B) Lady Wey
C) Lady Zhao
D) Queen Dowager Zhao
  • 8. What was the first emperor's given name?
A) Zhao Chengjiao
B) Lü Buwei
C) Zhao Zheng
D) Yiren
  • 9. What did the name Zheng (正) originate from?
A) His month of birth Zhengyue
B) The city of Handan
C) A victory in battle
D) His father's lineage
  • 10. What is Zhengyue?
A) The name of a state
B) A merchant title
C) The first month of the Chinese lunar calendar
D) The last month of the year
  • 11. According to Song Zhong, on what day was the first emperor born?
A) The fifteenth day of Zhengyue
B) The middle of the lunar month
C) The first day of Zhengyue
D) The last day of the year
  • 12. In what year did Yiren become King Zhuangxiang of Qin?
A) 250 BC
B) 246 BC
C) 259 BC
D) 235 BC
  • 13. What alternative claim does the Shiji make regarding the first emperor's biological father?
A) Song Zhong
B) Lord Chang'an
C) Lü Buwei
D) King Zhaoxiang
  • 14. In which city did Zhao Ji give birth to the future emperor?
A) Wey
B) Xianyang
C) Tunliu
D) Handan
  • 15. In what year was the future emperor born in Handan?
A) 246 BC
B) 259 BC
C) 235 BC
D) 250 BC
  • 16. Whose 48th year of reign corresponds to the birth year of the future emperor?
A) Prince Yiren
B) Lü Buwei
C) King Zhaoxiang of Qin
D) King Zhuangxiang
  • 17. What effect did the illegitimacy story have throughout Chinese history?
A) Caused merchants to become the highest social class
B) Brought honor to Lü Buwei
C) Led to his immediate dethronement
D) Contributed to a generally negative view of the First Emperor
  • 18. Which modern scholar described the unusual pregnancy sentence as an interpolation meant to slander the First Emperor?
A) John Knoblock
B) Jeffrey Riegel
C) Derk Bodde
D) Song Zhong
  • 19. Who, along with John Knoblock, called the birth story patently false?
A) Song Zhong
B) Derk Bodde
C) Sima Qian
D) Jeffrey Riegel
  • 20. Why was claiming Lü Buwei as the father meant to be especially disparaging?
A) Later Confucian society regarded merchants as the lowest social class
B) Lü Buwei was a foreigner
C) Merchants were forbidden from having children
D) Merchants were wealthier than kings
  • 21. In what year did King Zhuangxiang die?
A) 235 BC
B) 250 BC
C) 246 BC
D) 259 BC
  • 22. How long was King Zhuangxiang's reign?
A) Forty-eight years
B) Nine years
C) Thirteen years
D) Three years
  • 23. How old was Zhao Zheng when he succeeded to the throne?
A) 20 years old
B) 13 years old
C) 15 years old
D) 9 years old
  • 24. In what year did Zhao Zheng assume full power?
A) 246 BC
B) 235 BC
C) 250 BC
D) 259 BC
  • 25. Why was Lü Buwei banished in 235 BC?
A) His failure in the war against the six states
B) Because he was a merchant
C) For plotting to overthrow the king
D) His involvement in a scandal with Queen Dowager Zhao
  • 26. Who was Zhao Chengjiao, also known as the Lord Chang'an?
A) Lü Buwei's brother
B) Zhao Zheng's biological father
C) King Zhuangxiang's brother
D) Zhao Zheng's legitimate half-brother
  • 27. Where did Zhao Chengjiao rebel and surrender?
A) Xianyang
B) Wey
C) Tunliu
D) Handan
  • 28. What happened to Zhao Chengjiao's remaining retainers and families?
A) They were executed by Zhao Zheng
B) They surrendered to Zhao Ji
C) They were banished to Wey
D) They were appointed as officials
  • 29. What title did Qin Shi Huang invent for himself?
A) Bìxià
B) Huángdì
C) Wáng
D) Zhēnrén
  • 30. Which nomadic group was targeted by campaigns in Inner Asia to conquer the Ordos Plateau?
A) Zhou
B) Xiongnu
C) Han
D) Yue
  • 31. Who later rallied the Xiongnu after campaigns in Inner Asia?
A) Lü Buwei
B) Modu Chanyu
C) Li Si
D) Sima Qian
  • 32. Which minister worked with Qin Shi Huang to enact major economic and political reforms?
A) Lü Buwei
B) Michael Loewe
C) Li Si
D) Sima Qian
  • 33. During which tour of eastern China did Qin Shi Huang die?
A) Second tour
B) Fifth tour
C) Third tour
D) First tour
  • 34. According to sinologist Michael Loewe, the achievements of Qin Shi Huang's reign marked the start of an epoch that closed in what year?
A) 1911
B) 221 BC
C) 210 BC
D) 2011
  • 35. What did the ancestral name (姓) in ancient China comprise?
A) Foreign merchants and scholars
B) A smaller group that showed a branch's current fief
C) A larger group descended from a prominent ancestor
D) Only royal family members born in Handan
  • 36. What did the clan name (氏) in ancient China comprise?
A) All citizens of the Qin state
B) The nomadic tribes of Inner Asia
C) A larger group descended from the Three Sovereigns
D) A smaller group that showed a branch's current fief or recent title
  • 37. Which state's surrender in 221 BC allowed King Zheng to reunite all lands of the former Kingdom of Zhou?
A) Qi
B) Chu
C) Zhao
D) Shang
  • 38. The new title huángdì combined the huáng of the mythical Three Sovereigns and the dì of whom?
A) The Shang dynasty high god
B) The Xiongnu chieftains
C) The legendary Five Emperors
D) The rulers of the Han dynasty
  • 39. Which sinologists are noted for translating huángdì as 'thearch'?
A) King Zhuangxiang and King Zhaoxiang
B) Peter A. Boodberg or Edward H. Schafer
C) Li Si and Lü Buwei
D) Sima Qian and Michael Loewe
  • 40. What first-person pronoun did the First Emperor arrogate for his exclusive use in 212 BC?
A) 朕 (Zhen)
B) 王 (Wang)
C) 帝 (Di)
D) 皇 (Huang)
  • 41. In 212 BC, what did the First Emperor begin calling himself?
A) "First Emperor" (始皇帝; Shǐ Huángdì)
B) "Your Highness" (上; shàng)
C) "The Immortal" (真人; zhēnrén)
D) "Your Majesty" (陛下; bìxià)
  • 42. How were others to address the First Emperor in person?
A) "Your Majesty" (陛下; bìxià)
B) "The Immortal" (真人; zhēnrén)
C) "King" (王; wáng)
D) "Your Highness" (上; shàng)
  • 43. How were others to address the First Emperor in writing?
A) "The Immortal" (真人; zhēnrén)
B) "Emperor" (皇帝; huángdì)
C) "Your Majesty" (陛下; bìxià)
D) "Your Highness" (上; shàng)
  • 44. What was Lao Ai disguised as according to The Record of Grand Historian?
A) A Buddhist monk
B) A eunuch
C) A foreign diplomat
D) A royal guard
  • 45. What title was Lao Ai given?
A) General
B) Marquis
C) Chancellor
D) Duke
  • 46. How was Lao Ai's conspiracy revealed during a dinner party?
A) He drunkenly challenged the king to a duel.
B) He accidentally dropped a secret letter on the floor.
C) He was heard bragging about being the young king's stepfather.
D) A servant confessed the plot to King Zheng.
  • 47. Where was King Zheng travelling when Lao Ai launched his coup?
A) Luoyang
B) Xianyang
C) Handan
D) Yong
  • 48. Who did King Zheng order to attack Lao Ai?
A) The royal guards and eunuchs
B) Li Si and Lü Buwei
C) Lord Changping and Lord Changwen
D) Lady Zhao and Zhao Ji
  • 49. What happened to Lao Ai after the royal army attacked the capital?
A) He was captured immediately and executed.
B) He surrendered to Lord Changping.
C) He successfully fled the battlefield.
D) He committed suicide by poison.
  • 50. What reward was offered for Lao Ai if he was taken alive?
A) 500,000 copper coins
B) 1 million copper coins
C) 2 million copper coins
D) A title of high nobility
  • 51. What reward was offered for Lao Ai if he was dead?
A) Half a million copper coins
B) 1 million copper coins
C) 100,000 copper coins
D) No reward at all
  • 52. What punishment did Queen Zhao Ji receive?
A) She was executed alongside Lao Ai.
B) She was placed under house arrest until her death.
C) She was stripped of all her wealth and made a commoner.
D) She was banished from the Qin state forever.
  • 53. Which state was small, weak, and no match for the Qin?
A) Yan
B) Qi
C) Chu
D) Zhao
  • 54. Who plotted the first assassination attempt against King Zheng?
A) Fan Wuji
B) Crown Prince Dan
C) Meng Tian
D) Gao Jianli
  • 55. What weapon was revealed when the map unrolled?
A) A sword
B) A dagger
C) A bow
D) A zhu
  • 56. What was Gao Jianli's profession?
A) Crown prince
B) Military general
C) Diplomat
D) Zhu player
  • 57. Who was sent to conquer Han in the 17th Year of Qin Shi Huang's reign?
A) Neishi Teng
B) Li Xin
C) Meng Tian
D) Wang Jian
  • 58. Which commandery was established after the conquest of Han?
A) Dukang Commandery
B) Ordos Plateau
C) Shouchun Commandery
D) Yingchuan Commandery
  • 59. Which Qin army commander invaded Zhao in 229 BC alongside Yang Duanhe, Qiang Lei, and Li Xin?
A) Gao Jianli
B) Meng Tian
C) Neishi Teng
D) Wang Jian
  • 60. What factor severely weakened Zhao before the Qin invasion?
A) Assassination of King An
B) Civil war
C) Natural disasters
D) Nomadic raids from the Xiongnu
  • 61. Who established the short-lived state of Dai after escaping Zhao?
A) King Jian
B) King Xi
C) Crown Prince Dan
D) Prince Jia
  • 62. What was the capital of Yan that the Qin captured in 226 BC?
A) Daliang
B) Ji
C) Handan
D) Shouchun
  • 63. Where did King Xi of Yan and the remaining Yan army retreat?
A) Yingchuan
B) Liaodong Peninsula
C) Ordos Plateau
D) Dukang
  • 64. What was the name of the Wei capital that was flooded?
A) Ji
B) Shouchun
C) Handan
D) Daliang
  • 65. Which was recognized as the largest and most powerful of the other Warring States?
A) Chu
B) Qi
C) Yan
D) Han
  • 66. What jade was ordered to be crafted into the Heirloom Seal of the Realm?
A) Heshibi
B) Fan Wuji
C) Zhu
D) Dukang map
  • 67. In which century was the Heirloom Seal of the Realm lost?
A) 3rd century BC
B) 10th century
C) 17th year of Qin
D) 2nd millennium
  • 68. Who led the Qin armies to route the Xiongnu from the Ordos Plateau?
A) Yang Duanhe
B) Wang Jian
C) General Meng Tian
D) Neishi Teng
  • 69. Against which southern tribes did Qin Shi Huang also order military campaigns?
A) Zhao remnants
B) Xiongnu nomads
C) Yan soldiers
D) Yue tribes
  • 70. What period of political chaos did Qin Shi Huang want to avoid a recurrence of?
A) The Zhou dynasty
B) The Three Kingdoms period
C) The Warring States period
D) This is a decoy constraint check
E) The Spring and Autumn period
  • 71. What system of loose alliances and federations did Qin Shi Huang completely abolish?
A) The commandery system
B) The county system
C) The feudal system
D) The meritocracy system
  • 72. How many commanderies were initially organized in the empire?
A) 36
B) 100
C) 40
D) 12
  • 73. To what number did the commanderies later increase?
A) 40
B) 36
C) 50
D) 30
  • 74. What administrative units were organized directly after commanderies in the empire's hierarchy?
A) Hundred-family units
B) Feudal states
C) Counties
D) Townships
  • 75. What administrative units came after counties in the organizational structure?
A) Commanderies
B) Provinces
C) Townships
D) Feudal regions
  • 76. Upon what basis were appointments to be made in the new administrative system?
A) Social status
B) Family wealth
C) Merit
D) Hereditary right
  • 77. What right was explicitly replaced by merit for official appointments?
A) Electoral right
B) Hereditary right
C) Divine right
D) Monopolistic right
  • 78. What coin was used to standardize the currencies of the different states?
A) Ban Liang coin
B) Zhou coin
C) Bronze dagger-money
D) Gold cast coin
  • 79. Which script became the official standard under Li Si?
A) Seal script
B) Regular script
C) Oracle bone script
D) Clerical script
  • 80. What were the Twelve Metal Colossi cast from?
A) Silver armor
B) Bronze weapons
C) Iron tools
D) Gold coins
  • 81. Approximately how much did each of the Twelve Metal Colossi weigh?
A) 460 tons
B) 15 tons
C) 100 tons
D) 70 tons
  • 82. Which philosophy became the mandatory ideology of the Qin dynasty after the Hundred Schools of Thought were eliminated?
A) Legalism
B) Daoism
C) Mohism
D) Confucianism
  • 83. Who criticized the emperor for burying scholars alive?
A) Li Si
B) Fusu
C) Xiang Yu
D) Sima Qian
  • 84. Who burned the palaces of Xianyang in 206 BC?
A) Kong Anguo
B) Xiang Yu
C) Fusu
D) Sima Qian
  • 85. Recent research suggests that the 'burying Confucian scholars alive' event is actually a legend about what group of people?
A) Military generals
B) Alchemists
C) Foreign diplomats
D) Daoist monks
  • 86. Who was the descendant of Confucius that described the alchemists as Confucianists?
A) Kong Anguo
B) Li Si
C) Fusu
D) Sima Qian
  • 87. Which element was believed to have ruled the previous Zhou dynasty?
A) Metal
B) Water
C) Earth
D) Fire
  • 88. Which element was the Qin dynasty ruled by, according to the theory of the five elements?
A) Fire
B) Wood
C) Earth
D) Water
  • 89. What color was preferred for Qin garments, flags, and pennants?
A) Yellow
B) White
C) Black
D) Red
  • 90. What was the preferred cardinal direction associated with the Qin dynasty's element?
A) South
B) North
C) East
D) West
  • 91. Which season was associated with the Qin dynasty's ruling element?
A) Spring
B) Winter
C) Summer
D) Autumn
  • 92. What number was associated with the Qin dynasty's elemental correspondences?
A) Five
B) Twelve
C) Three
D) Six
  • 93. What was the prescribed length of tallies and official hats?
A) 1.4 meters
B) 2 meters
C) 11.5 meters
D) 15 centimetres
  • 94. What was the prescribed width of carriages?
A) 15 centimetres
B) 1.4 meters
C) Two metres
D) 11.5 meters
  • 95. Who did Zhang Liang hire to help execute the assassination?
A) A strongman assassin
B) A skilled archer
C) A poison expert
D) A royal guard
  • 96. What weapon did Zhang Liang and the assassin build for the attack?
A) A poisoned dagger
B) A crossbow
C) A bronze sword
D) A heavy metal cone
  • 97. How much did the metal cone weigh?
A) 80 jin
B) 120 jin
C) 150 jin
D) 100 jin
  • 98. Approximately how much did the metal cone weigh in pounds (lb)?
A) 90 lb
B) 200 lb
C) 160 lb
D) 120 lb
  • 99. Approximately how much did the metal cone weigh in kilograms (kg)?
A) 120 kg
B) 97 kg
C) 75 kg
D) 50 kg
  • 100. Where did the two men hide to wait for the emperor?
A) Behind the city gates
B) Inside a royal palace courtyard
C) Under a bridge
D) Among the bushes along the route over a mountain
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