 - 1. In 1914, how many years did Edward Carson reject as a temporary opt-out period for counties under Home Rule?
A) Three years
B) Six years
C) Five years
D) Ten years
- 2. What was the name of James Craig's home in east Belfast which served as the UVF headquarters?
A) Orange Hall
B) The Barracks
C) Ulster House
D) Craigavon
- 3. How many rifles were smuggled into Ireland in April 1914?
A) 24,000
B) 50,000
C) 100,000
D) 10,000
- 4. Which monarch sponsored peace talks in Ulster in an attempt to avoid civil war?
A) William IV
B) George VI
C) George V
D) Edward VII
- 5. What specific event on 3 August 1914 signified the beginning of World War I?
A) Britain declared war on Germany
B) The shelling of Belfast Lough
C) The assassination of the Archduke
D) German troops crossed into Belgium
- 6. Who commanded the British forces and accepted the UVF as the 36th Ulster Division?
A) Asquith
B) General Herbert Kitchener
C) Winston Churchill
D) Edward Carson
- 7. Who led the minority faction of the Irish Volunteers that refused to fight for the British overseas?
A) James Craig
B) Eoin MacNeill
C) John Redmond
D) Edward Carson
- 8. What percentage of Irish recruits from Ireland were Catholic by early 1916?
A) 75%
B) 33%
C) 25%
D) 57%
- 9. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, how many casualties did the 36th Ulster Division suffer?
A) 10,000
B) 54,000
C) 2,000
D) 5,700
- 10. When did the Government of Ireland Act 1920 officially enter the statute book?
A) 24 May 1921
B) 1 January 1921
C) 23 December 1920
D) 1 July 1916
- 11. Who became the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland?
A) Eoin MacNeill
B) Edward Carson
C) James Craig
D) John Redmond
- 12. Which party won a majority of seats in Ireland in 1918 but refused to sit in the House of Commons?
A) Unionist Party
B) National Volunteers
C) Sinn Féin
D) Irish Parliamentary Party
- 13. Who designed the new Belfast Castle built in 1870?
A) Bonar Law
B) Edward Carson
C) Charles Lanyon
D) George Hamilton Chichester
- 14. In what year was Belfast granted city status by Queen Victoria?
A) 1899
B) 1888
C) 1872
D) 1907
- 15. What river serves as the line of demarcation for Belfast's position between County Antrim and County Down?
A) River Lagan
B) River Thames
C) River Foyle
D) River Bann
- 16. Which ship, launched on 14 January 1899, was the largest man-made moving object built at that time?
A) RMS Titanic
B) The Ulster
C) RMS Oceanic
D) The Home Rule
- 17. Who organized the 1907 dock workers strike in Belfast?
A) Edward Carson
B) Jim Larkin
C) H. H. Asquith
D) Bonar Law
- 18. Who became the leader of the Irish Unionists in 1910?
A) Jim Larkin
B) H. H. Asquith
C) Bonar Law
D) Edward Carson
- 19. What percentage of Belfast's population was Protestant at the start of the 20th century?
A) 90%
B) 75%
C) 25%
D) 50%
- 20. How many people signed the Ulster Covenant?
A) 30,000
B) 10,000
C) 100,000
D) 471,414
- 21. What was the official death toll of the 1886 Belfast riots?
A) 13
B) 31
C) 600
D) 7
- 22. Which political party proposed the Third Home Rule Bill?
A) Liberal government
B) Conservative Party
C) Fenian Party
D) Unionist Party
- 23. What was the primary industrial product that Belfast led the world in producing at the end of the 19th century?
A) Linen
B) Cotton
C) Coal
D) Steel
- 24. Where did the 1872 demonstration for the release of Fenian prisoners take place?
A) Ulster Hall
B) Hannahstown
C) Strandtown
D) Balmoral Grounds
- 25. Which prominent newspaper in 1874 denounced Home Rule as 'Rome Rule'?
A) Daily Chronicle
B) The Unionist
C) The Newsletter
D) Belfast Gazette
- 26. What was the name of the militia raised by Unionists to resist Home Rule?
A) Fenian Brotherhood
B) Orange Militia
C) Ulster Volunteers
D) Belfast Guard
- 27. What specific item did Edward Carson use to sign the Ulster Covenant?
A) Blood
B) Silver pen
C) Fountain pen
D) Red ink
- 28. Which company became one of the largest shipbuilders in the world based in Belfast?
A) Lagan Shipbuilding
B) Harland and Wolff
C) White Star Line
D) Belfast Engineering Co.
- 29. What was the main industrial impact of the Act of Union on Belfast's economic status?
A) It focused solely on agriculture
B) It became Ireland's pre-eminent industrial city
C) It became a center for political exile
D) It lost all its trade status
- 30. Which industry did Belfast initially focus on before shifting to flax?
A) Tobacco
B) Cotton
C) Steel
D) Wool
- 31. What event in 1828 led to the upgrading of Mulholland's Mill to spin deep-soaked flax?
A) A shortage of cotton
B) A royal decree
C) The bankruptcy of the owner
D) The mill accidentally burned down
- 32. Who was the spokesman for northern Presbyterians who opposed O'Connell's repeal movement?
A) John Hixon
B) Rev. Henry Cooke
C) Gustav Wolff
D) Andrew Mulholland
- 33. What did the potato blight that caused the Great Famine originate from?
A) Asia
B) Africa
C) America
D) Europe
- 34. Which royal family members visited Belfast in August 1849?
A) Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
B) King George and Queen Mary
C) Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
D) King Edward and Queen Alexandra
- 35. What artificial island was created using mud dredged from the Victoria Channel?
A) King's Island
B) Lagan Island
C) Queen's Island
D) Belfast Island
- 36. Who was the engineer from Liverpool who initially hired Edward Harland?
A) Henry Cooke
B) Andrew Malcolm
C) Gustav Schwab
D) John Hixon
- 37. Which shipping line ordered all of its ocean vessels from Harland & Wolff starting in 1869?
A) Cunard Line
B) Atlantic Transport Line
C) White Star Line
D) Royal Mail Line
- 38. What was a major consequence of mechanised production in Belfast for rural cottage industries?
A) They were devastated by the inability to compete
B) They modernized their equipment
C) They moved to Belfast to join the factories
D) They began exporting to England
- 39. Which country did Belfast Presbyterians look to for protection in the mid-17th century?
A) The Netherlands
B) France
C) England
D) Scotland
- 40. Who occupied Belfast in 1644?
A) Hugh Montgomery
B) Robert Venables
C) Robert Monro
D) Oliver Cromwell
- 41. How many days did Belfast resist before falling to Robert Venables?
A) Two days
B) Four days
C) One month
D) One week
- 42. Where did Robert Venables defeat the Presbyterian militia on 6 December 1649?
A) The coast of Antrim
B) Belfast city center
C) The Scottish highlands
D) Lisnagarvey
- 43. What major export was Belfast producing half of by 1667?
A) Grain
B) Wool
C) Linen
D) Butter
- 44. Which country paid the highest prices for Belfast butter?
A) The Netherlands
B) Scotland
C) England
D) France
- 45. Which country ordered the largest quantities of Belfast butter?
A) England
B) France
C) The Netherlands
D) Scotland
- 46. What event brought relative peace and prosperity to Belfast following the mid-17th-century turmoil?
A) The Stuart Restoration
B) The union with France
C) The English Civil War
D) The discovery of new trade routes
- 47. What is the capital of Northern Ireland?
A) Londonderry
B) Dublin
C) Carrickfergus
D) Belfast
- 48. Where is the 5,000-year-old henge known as the Giant's Ring located?
A) In the city centre
B) Near Belfast
C) Inside Carrickfergus Castle
D) On Cavehill
- 49. What is the meaning of the Irish word 'fearsaid'?
A) A river mouth
B) A castle fortress
C) A sandbar or tidal ford
D) A mountain pass
- 50. Which river flowed into the River Lagan at the site of early Belfast?
A) The Foyle
B) The Shannon
C) The Farset
D) The Bann
- 51. Which Gaelic dynasty took over the ruined Belfast castle by the mid 14th century?
A) The O'Donnells
B) The Mac Neils
C) The O'Neills
D) The de Burghs
- 52. Who was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1605 and helped develop Belfast?
A) Sir Arthur Chichester
B) Richard Hamilton
C) Thomas Wentworth
D) Hugh Montgomery
- 53. When did the original site of Belfast Castle burn down?
A) 1640
B) 1611
C) 1870
D) 1708
- 54. What trade privilege was relocated from Carrickfergus to Belfast in 1640?
A) The shipbuilding yard
B) The fishing rights
C) The customs house
D) The royal mint
- 55. What theological background did many of the Scottish migrants to Ulster hold?
A) Presbyterian
B) Anglican
C) Roman Catholic
D) Quaker
- 56. Which hill features the modern-day Belfast Castle built in 1870?
A) Tír Eoghain
B) The Lagan Valley
C) Cave Hill
D) Castle Place
- 57. During the Williamite War, how many times did Belfast change hands?
A) Three times
B) Four times
C) Twice
D) Once
- 58. Where did Frederick Schomberg set up his military camp, resulting in many soldier deaths?
A) Dundalk
B) Belfast
C) Carrickfergus
D) Derry
- 59. When did William of Orange land in Carrickfergus?
A) April 1689
B) 14 June 1690
C) 13 April 1778
D) 12 July 1690
- 60. Which ship captained by John Paul Jones captured the HMS Drake in Belfast Lough?
A) The Royalist
B) The Ranger
C) The Patriot
D) The Independence
- 61. In what year was the first Roman Catholic church in Belfast (St. Mary's) established?
A) 1778
B) 1791
C) 1798
D) 1784
- 62. What percentage of the 465 deaths in Belfast during the 1920–1922 conflict were civilian on civilian?
A) 50%
B) 90%
C) 75%
D) 25%
- 63. Where did the round of conflict that led to the violence in Belfast originate in June 1920?
A) Dublin
B) Lisburn
C) Derry
D) Cork
- 64. What was the name of the police force that eventually evolved into the Royal Ulster Constabulary?
A) Black and Tans
B) Irish Volunteers
C) Special Constabulary
D) Home Guard
- 65. Which tier of the Special Constabulary was the largest?
A) A-Specials
B) C-Specials
C) B-Specials
D) D-Specials
- 66. What act was passed in 1922 to stop the chaos in Belfast, allowing for internment?
A) The Irish Free State Act
B) The Partition Act
C) The Security and Order Act
D) Civil Authorities (Special Powers) Act
- 67. What happened to the murder rate in Belfast between 1923 and 1933?
A) It doubled
B) It remained the same as 1922
C) There was not a single sectarian murder
D) It tripled
- 68. How many people died in the conflict in Northern Ireland between July 1920 and July 1922?
A) 1,000
B) 303
C) 557
D) 465
- 69. Who assassinated unionist politician William Twaddell in May 1922?
A) The British Army
B) The IRA
C) Loyalist paramilitaries
D) The RIC
- 70. Which individual sent arms and aid to the northern IRA in 1922?
A) George V
B) Michael Collins
C) David Lloyd George
D) Edward Carson
- 71. Which MP from west Belfast decided to attend the NI Parliament to mitigate damage?
A) Sir Basil Brooke
B) Eoin MacNeill
C) Joseph Devlin
D) James Craig
- 72. Which newspaper leaked the Boundary Commission report in 1925?
A) The Times
B) The Belfast Telegraph
C) Morning Post
D) The Irish Press
- 73. What song did protesters perform during the 1932 unemployed march to avoid sectarianism?
A) Yes, We Have No Bananas
B) God Save the King
C) The Soldier's Song
D) Danny Boy
- 74. Where was the grand parliament building for Northern Ireland finished in 1932?
A) Templemore Avenue
B) Belfast City Hall
C) Custom House
D) Stormont Estate
- 75. How did James Craig describe his religious and political identity in Parliament?
A) A Catholic supporter
B) A socialist leader
C) A neutral bureaucrat
D) An Orange Man first
- 76. On what date did the Belfast Blitz occur?
A) 15 April 1941
B) 12 August 1968
C) 10 October 1993
D) 21 July 1972
- 77. What percentage of Belfast's housing stock was destroyed during the Second World War?
A) 52%
B) 25%
C) 10%
D) 75%
- 78. Which American figure inspired the formation of the NICRA?
A) Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) Martin Luther King Jr
C) Dwight D. Eisenhower
D) John F. Kennedy
- 79. What name was given to the militant faction that split from the IRA?
A) Provisional Irish Republican Army
B) Official IRA
C) Ulster Volunteer Force
D) Northern IRA
- 80. In what year was the British Army deployed to Belfast as a peacekeeping force?
A) 1968
B) 1981
C) 1971
D) 1969
- 81. What was the name of the operation in August 1971 that interned 343 suspected Republican terrorists?
A) Operation Overlord
B) Operation Banner
C) Operation Motorman
D) Operation Demetrius
- 82. Who was the first of ten Republican prisoners to die on hunger strike in 1981?
A) Michael Stone
B) Gerry Adams
C) John Hume
D) Bobby Sands
- 83. Where did the secret peace talks between John Hume and Gerry Adams take place?
A) Stormont Castle
B) A private home on the Shankill Road
C) Queen's University
D) Clonard Monastery
- 84. Which attack in 1993 killed nine Protestant shoppers in a fish shop?
A) McGurk's Bar bombing
B) Bloody Friday
C) Milltown Cemetery attack
D) Shankill Road bombing
- 85. What treaty culminated in the peace process of 1998?
A) St Andrews Agreement
B) Anglo-Irish Treaty
C) Sunningdale Agreement
D) Good Friday Agreement
- 86. In what year did unionists lose control of the Belfast City Council for the first time?
A) 2005
B) 1981
C) 1994
D) 1997
- 87. When was the Laganside Corporation formed?
A) 1998
B) 2021
C) 2012
D) 1989
- 88. What year did the Good Friday Agreement take place?
A) 2012
B) 2024
C) 1998
D) 1989
- 89. How many workers staffed the Primark Bank Buildings upon its 2022 reopening?
A) 300
B) 500
C) 1,000
D) 100
- 90. What was the cause of the sporadic rioting in 2021?
A) A transport worker strike
B) The local election results
C) The Good Friday Agreement
D) The Northern Ireland Protocol
- 91. Who became First Minister following the May 2023 elections?
A) Emma Little-Pengelly
B) A DUP representative
C) Prince Philip
D) Michelle O'Neill
|