Shetland - Exam
  • 1. Which language is predominantly spoken in Shetland?
A) Russian
B) English
C) French
D) Italian
  • 2. What is the capital of the Shetland Islands?
A) Lerwick
B) Inverness
C) Stornoway
D) Kirkwall
  • 3. Which bird species is commonly found in Shetland?
A) Parrot
B) Peacock
C) Puffin
D) Flamingo
  • 4. Which industry is important to the economy of Shetland?
A) Mining
B) Fishing
C) Agriculture
D) Tourism
  • 5. Which body of water surrounds the Shetland Islands?
A) North Sea
B) Arctic Ocean
C) Mediterranean Sea
D) Baltic Sea
  • 6. Which Scottish clan has historical ties to Shetland?
A) Campbell
B) Murray
C) Sinclair
D) MacDonald
  • 7. What is the traditional Shetland knitwear named after the islands?
A) Cable
B) Fair Isle
C) Intarsia
D) Argyle
  • 8. What type of sheep breed is native to Shetland?
A) Merino Sheep
B) Suffolk Sheep
C) Shetland Sheep
D) Dorper Sheep
  • 9. Which famous author has written a novel titled 'Raven Black' set in Shetland?
A) Stephen King
B) Ann Cleeves
C) J.K. Rowling
D) Agatha Christie
  • 10. What is the most populous island in Shetland?
A) Mainland
B) Fetlar
C) Yell
D) Unst
  • 11. When is Up Helly Aa, a fire festival, celebrated in Shetland?
A) March
B) October
C) January
D) July
  • 12. Which Vikings were known to have settled in Shetland?
A) Swedish
B) Danish
C) Finnish
D) Norse
  • 13. Where are the Shetland Islands located in relation to Orkney?
A) About 110 miles to the northeast
B) About 50 miles to the northwest
C) About 50 miles to the northeast
D) About 140 miles to the northeast
  • 14. What type of climate does Shetland have?
A) Mediterranean climate
B) Desert climate
C) Oceanic climate
D) Continental climate
  • 15. When did Norse settlement in Shetland begin?
A) 12th century
B) 11th century
C) 10th century
D) Late 8th and 9th centuries
  • 16. What was the reason for Shetland being pledged by King Christian I of Denmark and Norway?
A) To establish a trade agreement
B) As a gift to Scotland
C) As security for the unpaid dowry of his daughter Margaret
D) To pay off a war debt
  • 17. Which year did the Scottish Parliament issue an act of annexation for Shetland?
A) 1472
B) 1468
C) 1500
D) 1469
  • 18. What is the motto of Shetland?
A) Með lögum skal land byggja
B) Strength through unity
C) Unity in diversity
D) Land of the free
  • 19. What is the traditional fiddle style associated with Shetland?
A) A modern musical style
B) A weak musical tradition
C) A strong musical tradition
D) A classical musical style
  • 20. What is the significance of the phrase 'Með lögum skal land byggja'?
A) It is a modern slogan
B) It appears on the Council's coat of arms
C) It is a famous battle cry
D) It is a tourist slogan
  • 21. How many inhabited islands are there in Shetland?
A) 10
B) 25
C) 16
D) 20
  • 22. What is the area of the largest island in Shetland?
A) 373 sq mi (967 km2)
B) 500 sq mi (1296 km2)
C) 1000 sq mi (2590 km2)
D) 200 sq mi (518 km2)
  • 23. What is the population of Shetland as of 2024?
A) 50,000
B) 23,190
C) 15,000
D) 30,000
  • 24. What is the geographical significance of Shetland's location?
A) It marks the easternmost region of the United Kingdom
B) It marks the westernmost region of the United Kingdom
C) It marks the northernmost region of the United Kingdom
D) It marks the southernmost region of the United Kingdom
  • 25. What is the significance of the discovery of North Sea oil for Shetland?
A) Caused environmental degradation
B) Had no significant impact
C) Led to a decline in Shetland's economy
D) Significantly boosted Shetland's economy, employment and public-sector revenues
  • 26. Which ancient Celtic tribe might the first syllable of 'Shetland' be derived from?
A) Pictish
B) Caledones
C) Haemodae
D) Cat
  • 27. Which Roman author referred to the Shetland islands as 'Haemodae' in AD 43?
A) Pomponius Mela
B) Julius Caesar
C) Pliny the Elder
D) Tacitus
  • 28. What name did Pliny the Elder use for the Shetland islands in AD 77?
A) Thule
B) Haemodae
C) Insi Catt
D) Acmodae
  • 29. Which Roman historian mentioned 'Thule' in his report 'Agricola' in AD 98?
A) Pomponius Mela
B) Pliny the Elder
C) Cicero
D) Tacitus
  • 30. What is the early Irish name for Shetland referring to the tribe called Cat?
A) Insi Hjalt
B) Insi Acmodae
C) Insi Thule
D) Insi Catt
  • 31. Which Pictish people might have influenced the name 'Shetland'?
A) Caledones
B) Acmodae
C) Haemodae
D) Cat
  • 32. What is the oldest known version of the modern name 'Shetland'?
A) Hjaltland
B) Zetland
C) Hetland
D) Acmodae
  • 33. What does 'Hetland' possibly represent according to a hypothesis?
A) Catland
B) Haemodae
C) Hiltland
D) Thule
  • 34. By what year were the islands being referred to as 'Hetland'?
A) 1190
B) AD 77
C) AD 43
D) 1431
  • 35. What was Shetland called in the 16th century?
A) Hetland
B) Zetland
C) Acmodae
D) Hjaltland
  • 36. What language was gradually replaced by the Shetland dialect of Scots?
A) Old English
B) Greek
C) Norn
D) Latin
  • 37. What is the Middle Scots letter that almost matches the original Norn sound /hj/?
A) H
B) C
C) Yogh
D) Z
  • 38. What letter was often used to replace 'yogh' when its use was discontinued?
A) Y
B) H
C) Z
D) C
  • 39. Some island names in Shetland may be derived from which of the following languages?
A) Greek
B) Old English
C) Latin
D) Pictish
  • 40. Which of the following is a possible pre-Celtic derivation for some Shetland island names?
A) False
B) True
C) Norse
D) Latin
  • 41. Which island is known for the Broch of Mousa?
A) St Ninian's Isle
B) Out Stack
C) Noss
D) Mousa
  • 42. What geological feature is distinctive in Unst and Fetlar?
A) Ophiolite
B) Old Red Sandstone
C) Limestone
D) Granite
  • 43. What significant event around 6100 BC affected Shetland?
A) A tsunami caused by the Storegga Slide
B) An earthquake
C) A volcanic eruption
D) A meteor impact
  • 44. What is the highest point in Shetland?
A) Unst Hill
B) St Ninian's Hill
C) Ronas Hill
D) Yell Hill
  • 45. Which island was the capital of Shetland until 1708?
A) Scalloway
B) Unst
C) Lerwick
D) Bressay
  • 46. What is the total area covered by Shetland's national scenic area designation?
A) 60,000 ha
B) 30,000 ha
C) 41,833 ha
D) 50,000 ha
  • 47. Which island is the most northerly castle in the United Kingdom located on?
A) Yell
B) Muness
C) Unst
D) Mainland
  • 48. What is the most northerly settlement in the British Isles?
A) Unst
B) Scalloway
C) Skaw
D) Lerwick
  • 49. Which island is 17 miles west of Walls?
A) Noss
B) Fair Isle
C) Mousa
D) Foula
  • 50. What is the population of Scalloway?
A) Fewer than 1,000 people
B) About 22,920 people
C) About 6,958 people
D) About 10,000 people
  • 51. Which island is the northernmost point of the British Isles?
A) Out Stack
B) Mousa
C) Foula
D) Noss
  • 52. What is the population of Lerwick?
A) 1,000
B) 10,000
C) 6,958
D) 22,920
  • 53. Which island is known for the Stanes of Stofast?
A) Foula
B) Noss
C) Lunnasting
D) Mousa
  • 54. What is the average high temperature in Shetland during July and August?
A) Near 20 °C (68 °F)
B) Near 14 °C (57 °F)
C) Near 10 °C (50 °F)
D) Near 18 °C (64 °F)
  • 55. What causes snow to generally fall in Shetland?
A) Light snow showers
B) Steady snowfall
C) Cumulonimbus or towering cumulus showers
D) Blizzards
  • 56. What is the term used locally in Shetland for almost perpetual daylight in summer?
A) Midnight sun
B) Polar day
C) Simmer dim
D) Eternal light
  • 57. How many hours of bright sunshine does Shetland average annually?
A) 1500 hours
B) 800 hours
C) 900 hours
D) 1110 hours
  • 58. Which of the following is not one of the three settlements with a population over 500 in Shetland?
A) Baltasound
B) Lerwick
C) Brae
D) Scalloway
  • 59. How many 'Tier 1' settlements are identified by the Shetland Islands Council?
A) Eight
B) Five
C) Ten
D) Three
  • 60. What are 'Shetland knives'?
A) Stone tools made from felsite from Northmavine
B) Pottery shards found at Jarlshof
C) Bronze weapons used in the Iron Age
D) Norse artifacts from the Viking Age
  • 61. What unique style of chambered cairn is found in Shetland?
A) Bell barrows
B) Heel-shaped cairns
C) Long barrows
D) Round barrows
  • 62. Who annexed the Northern Isles in 875?
A) King Bridei I of the Picts
B) Viking leader Sigurd the Mighty
C) Norwegian king Harald Hårfagre
D) Earl Rognvald Eysteinsson
  • 63. In what year did King Sverre Sigurdsson place Shetland under direct Norwegian rule?
A) 1098
B) 875
C) 892
D) 1195
  • 64. Who received the Earldom of Orkney from King Harald Hårfagre?
A) Harald Maddadsson
B) Rognvald Eysteinsson
C) Sigurd the Mighty
D) King Olaf I Tryggvason
  • 65. What was the main settlement at Jarlshof from?
A) The Viking Age
B) The Neolithic
C) The Bronze Age
D) The Iron Age
  • 66. What did the jarls owe allegiance to for their territory on mainland Britain?
A) The Scottish crown
B) The Viking leaders
C) The Norwegian crown
D) The Pictish leaders
  • 67. What was the name of the rebellion against King Sverre Sigurdsson of Norway?
A) The Pictish rebellion
B) The Norse rebellion
C) The Eyjarskeggjar rebellion
D) The Shetland uprising
  • 68. Which Scottish monarch began the process of taking control of the islands surrounding Scotland?
A) Alexander III
B) Robert Stewart
C) Alexander II
D) James III
  • 69. Who was the last Norse jarl of Orkney and Shetland?
A) Haakon IV Haakonsson
B) Patrick Stewart
C) Jon Haraldsson
D) William Sinclair
  • 70. In what year were Orkney and Shetland pledged as security against the payment of a dowry?
A) 1380
B) 1470
C) 1469
D) 1266
  • 71. Who was the Scottish king betrothed to Christian I's daughter Margaret?
A) James IV
B) James V
C) James II
D) James III
  • 72. Which league did Shetlanders sell their goods through from the early 15th century?
A) The Norse League
B) The Hanseatic League
C) The Scottish League
D) The British League
  • 73. In which year did Charles I grant Orkney and Shetland to William Douglas, 7th Earl of Morton?
A) 1609
B) 1766
C) 1472
D) 1643
  • 74. During which conflict did 3,000 Shetlanders serve in the Royal Navy?
A) The Crimean War
B) World War I
C) The Napoleonic Wars
D) World War II
  • 75. What was the population of Shetland at its peak in 1861?
A) 25,000
B) 31,670
C) 40,000
D) 17,814
  • 76. What percentage of Shetland was owned by just 32 people by the late 19th century?
A) 90%
B) 50%
C) 30%
D) 70%
  • 77. Which act emancipated crofters from the rule of landlords in Shetland?
A) The Shetland Autonomy Act
B) The Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886
C) The Act of Union 1707
D) The Home Rule Act
  • 78. In what year did herring production peak in Shetland?
A) 1915
B) 1905
C) 1880
D) 1920
  • 79. Which military unit was stationed at Swarbacks Minn during World War I?
A) The Royal Navy
B) The 10th Cruiser Squadron
C) The Gordon Highlanders
D) The Shetland Bus
  • 80. How many trips did the Shetland Bus make across the sea during World War II?
A) 50 trips
B) 300 trips
C) 100 trips
D) Over 200 trips
  • 81. Who was the most highly decorated allied naval officer of World War II from Shetland?
A) James Gordon
B) William Gladstone
C) John Smith
D) Leif Larsen
  • 82. What was the population of Shetland in 1961?
A) 20,000
B) 25,000
C) 31,670
D) 17,814
  • 83. What was the purpose of the Shetland Bus during World War II?
A) Transporting oil
B) Conducting covert operations
C) Tourism
D) Fishing
  • 84. Which of the following is NOT a main revenue producer in Shetland?
A) Agriculture
B) Renewable energy
C) Mining
D) Aquaculture
  • 85. Which country's company planned to launch spacecraft from the SaxaVord Spaceport?
A) United Kingdom
B) United States
C) Norway
D) Germany
  • 86. What type of energy is emphasized in Shetland's transition from oil?
A) Clean renewable energy
B) Nuclear energy
C) Coal energy
D) Natural gas energy
  • 87. What fish makes up more than half of Shetland's catch by weight and value?
A) Cod
B) Haddock
C) Atlantic mackerel
D) Herring
  • 88. What is the annual worth of the salmon harvested in Shetland?
A) £170 million
B) £180 million
C) £150 million
D) £200 million
  • 89. What is the total catch weight in Shetland for the year 2009?
A) 80,000 tonnes
B) 75,767 tonnes
C) 70,000 tonnes
D) 65,000 tonnes
  • 90. Which industry is Shetland less reliant on compared to many Scottish islands?
A) Petroleum
B) Tourism
C) Agriculture
D) Fishing
  • 91. What type of power is planned for use in spacecraft launches from the SaxaVord Spaceport?
A) Nuclear
B) Solar
C) Electric
D) Hydrogen
  • 92. Which of the following is a significant landing in Shetland's fishing industry?
A) Salmon
B) Sardines
C) Tuna
D) Monkfish
  • 93. In which year did oil and gas first land at Sullom Voe?
A) 1980
B) 1978
C) 1975
D) 1985
  • 94. What percentage of Shetland's workforce is employed in the service sector?
A) Three-quarters
B) Two-thirds
C) One-third
D) Half
  • 95. What was the primary opposition to the Viking Wind Farm project?
A) Anticipated visual impact
B) Noise pollution
C) Environmental damage
D) Cost
  • 96. When was Shetland connected to the mainland National Grid via a 600 MW HVDC link?
A) January 2020
B) December 2022
C) June 2023
D) August 2024
  • 97. What is the Shetland sheep known for?
A) High meat yield
B) Fast growth
C) Unusually fine wool
D) Large size
  • 98. What is the Fair Isle design known for?
A) Weaving
B) Knitwear
C) Painting
D) Pottery
  • 99. Which transmitter provides television signals in Shetland?
A) Sumburgh TV Facility
B) Lerwick TV Station
C) Shetland Radio Transmitter
D) Bressay TV transmitter
  • 100. Which radio station is a commercial service in Shetland?
A) Shetland Radio
B) Shetland Sound
C) Shetland FM
D) SIBC
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