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