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River Severn - Quiz
Contributed by: Bull
  • 1. Who is the legendary princess that the River Severn is named after?
A) Gwendolen
B) Hafren
C) Cornwall
D) Estrildis
  • 2. Which author included the story of Princess Hafren in Historia Regum Britanniae?
A) John Rhŷs
B) Brutus of Troy
C) Geoffrey of Monmouth
D) Arthur Granville Bradley
  • 3. Who invaded the kingdom of Lloegyr from Germania?
A) Brutus
B) Locrin
C) Corineus
D) Humber the Hun
  • 4. Who was the father of Locrin?
A) Brutus of Troy
B) Humber the Hun
C) Father Plynlimon
D) King Corineus
  • 5. Where did Locrin build secret apartments for Estrildis?
A) In the kingdom of Germania
B) In a cave underground
C) In a palace in Cornwall
D) Near the River Stour
  • 6. What is the name of the daughter of King Corineus of Cornwall?
A) Hafren
B) Estrildis
C) Rheidolyn
D) Gwendolen
  • 7. Near which river did the battle between Gwendolen and Locrin take place?
A) River Wye
B) River Stour
C) River Rheidol
D) River Severn
  • 8. How was Locrin killed during the civil war battle?
A) By a single arrow
B) By drowning
C) In a sword fight
D) He was captured and executed
  • 9. According to the myth, why did Gwendolen rename the river after Habren?
A) To honor the memory of Locrin
B) To spite the kingdom of Germania
C) To allow the girl to enjoy immortality
D) To celebrate the end of the war
  • 10. In the second Welsh tradition, who is the father of the three sister rivers?
A) King Corineus
B) Humber the Hun
C) Brutus of Troy
D) Father Plynlimon
  • 11. Who first recorded the legend of the three sisters in the 1840s?
A) John Rhŷs
B) Arthur Granville Bradley
C) Brutus of Troy
D) Geoffrey of Monmouth
  • 12. Which river is identified as 'Gwy' in the legend of the three sisters?
A) River Wye
B) River Rheidol
C) River Stour
D) River Severn
  • 13. In the legend where the sisters race to the sea, what does their father promise as a dowry?
A) Palatial apartments underground
B) Title to the mountain of Plynlimon
C) All the territory they can cover before dark
D) The kingdom of Lloegyr
  • 14. In the race to the sea legend, which direction does Hafren take?
A) East
B) West
C) South
D) North
  • 15. What reward did Hafren receive for reaching the sea first?
A) The most fertile country
B) Immortal status
C) The kingdom of Cornwall
D) A crown of gold
  • 16. Approximately how many lives have been lost in disasters on the River Severn?
A) 1000
B) 300
C) 100
D) 500
  • 17. In what year was the Severn Railway Bridge demolished?
A) 1960
B) 1980
C) 1970
D) 1950
  • 18. What were the names of the two barges involved in the 1960 accident?
A) Arkendale H and Wastdale H
B) River King and Bridge Runner
C) Shrewsbury Pride and Bewdley Belle
D) Severn Star and Gloucester Queen
  • 19. Which towns are specifically mentioned as experiencing frequent flooding from the River Severn?
A) Gloucester and Bristol
B) Berkeley and Sharpness
C) Shrewsbury and Bewdley
D) Welshpool and Stourport
  • 20. In which recent years did major floods occur on the River Severn?
A) 2000 and 2010
B) 2007 and 2019-20
C) 2005 and 2015
D) 2012 and 2022
  • 21. Between which two locations is there a public right of navigation on the River Severn?
A) Gloucester and Bristol
B) Shrewsbury and Diglis
C) Welshpool and Gloucester
D) Pool Quay and Stourport
  • 22. Which act of Parliament created the Severn Commissioners?
A) British Waterways Act 1963
B) Transport Act 1947
C) Canal & River Trust Act 2012
D) Severn Navigation Act 1842
  • 23. Which of these is a location where the Severn Commissioners constructed locks and weirs?
A) Welshpool
B) Diglis
C) Berkeley
D) Alney Island
  • 24. What can cause the river to be closed to navigation?
A) Spring freshet
B) Heavy traffic
C) Bridge maintenance
D) Low water levels
  • 25. At Upper Parting, the river flows on either side of which island?
A) Alney Island
B) Stourport Island
C) Lyde Rock
D) Chapel Rock
  • 26. Which channel of the river at Alney Island is no longer navigable?
A) North Channel
B) South Channel
C) West Channel
D) East Channel
  • 27. What marks the Normal Tidal Limit of the East Channel?
A) Gloucester Docks
B) Lower Parting
C) Llanthony Weir
D) Upper Parting
  • 28. Who acts as the competent harbour authority for the tidal section below Gloucester?
A) Severn Commissioners
B) Gloucester Harbour Trustees
C) British Waterways Board
D) Canal & River Trust
  • 29. Where are navigation lights maintained by the Gloucester Harbour Trustees?
A) Holt and Lincomb
B) Chapel Rock and Lyde Rock
C) Diglis and Bevere
D) Shrewsbury and Bewdley
  • 30. In what year was the Severn Tunnel completed?
A) 1886
B) 1856
C) 1950
D) 1906
  • 31. Which railway company commissioned the Severn Tunnel?
A) British Rail
B) Great Western Railway
C) South Wales Railway
D) Gloucester Transport Authority
  • 32. What is the name of the railway line that passes through the Severn Tunnel?
A) Great Western Main Line
B) Gloucester Coastal Line
C) South Wales Main Line
D) Severn Estuary Express
  • 33. Which original line ran from Gloucester before the tunnel was built?
A) Severn Valley Railway
B) Great Western Tunnel Route
C) South Wales Railway
D) Lydney to Newport Line
  • 34. How many round trips did car-transporting trains make daily in the 1950s?
A) Five
B) One
C) Three
D) Ten
  • 35. What type of locomotive pulled the flat bed carriages carrying cars?
A) Electric engine
B) Steam turbine locomotive
C) Pannier tank locomotive
D) Diesel locomotive
  • 36. Why were car owners advised to cover their vehicles with a sheet?
A) Sparks from the steam locomotive
B) Heavy rain in the tunnel
C) Dust from the tunnel walls
D) Falling debris from the track
  • 37. What was the approximate cost to transport a car in the early 1950s?
A) One shilling
B) Five pounds
C) Thirty shillings
D) Ten shillings
  • 38. In which Welsh county does the River Severn lie?
A) Monmouthshire
B) Gwynedd
C) Powys
D) Cardiff
  • 39. What is the first town the Severn encounters downstream of its source?
A) Welshpool
B) Shrewsbury
C) Llanidloes
D) Newtown
  • 40. What is the last town on the Severn's course in Wales?
A) Abermule
B) Welshpool
C) Llandinam
D) Newtown
  • 41. Which English county does the Severn enter after leaving Wales?
A) Herefordshire
B) Gloucestershire
C) Worcestershire
D) Shropshire
  • 42. Which town is known for having the world's first iron arch bridge?
A) Shrewsbury
B) Worcester
C) Bewdley
D) Ironbridge
  • 43. The Severn joins the Warwickshire Avon outside which town?
A) Gloucester
B) Bridgnorth
C) Worcester
D) Tewkesbury
  • 44. What was the name of the ferry used before the first bridge was built in 1966?
A) Wales Ferry
B) Severn Ferry
C) Aust Ferry
D) Gloucester Ferry
  • 45. Which bridge was Thomas Telford's first ever bridge design?
A) Montford Bridge
B) Over Bridge
C) Bewdley Bridge
D) Mythe Bridge
  • 46. Which bridge is the only one to cross the Severn between Worcester and Tewkesbury?
A) Haw Bridge
B) Upton Town Bridge
C) Mythe Bridge
D) Holt Fleet Bridge
  • 47. Which bridge carries the M50 motorway?
A) Haw Bridge
B) Severn Bridge
C) Queenshill Viaduct
D) Over Rail Bridge
  • 48. The River Vyrnwy begins at which location?
A) Wyre Forest
B) Lake Vyrnwy
C) Plynlimon
D) Clent Hills
  • 49. At what location does the River Tern meet the Severn?
A) Stourport-on-Severn
B) Bridgnorth
C) Shrewsbury
D) Attingham Park
  • 50. Where does the River Stour rise?
A) Wyre Forest
B) Clent Hills
C) Plynlimon
D) Lake Vyrnwy
  • 51. The River Stour reaches its confluence with the Severn at which place?
A) Halesowen
B) Stourport-on-Severn
C) Kidderminster
D) Wilden
  • 52. At what location does the River Frome enter the tidal stretch of the Severn?
A) Framilode
B) Chepstow
C) Over
D) Gloucester
  • 53. Which river flows through the Avon Gorge?
A) Warwickshire Avon
B) Bristol Avon
C) Little Avon
D) River Teme
  • 54. Where do the River Usk and the Ebbw River flow into the Severn Estuary?
A) Chepstow
B) Uskmouth
C) Over
D) Framilode
  • 55. Which brook drains the Wyre Forest?
A) Dowles Brook
B) Mochdre Brook
C) Bechan Brook
D) Sylfaen Brook
  • 56. Where does the River Leadon enter the tidal West Channel of the Severn?
A) Uskmouth
B) Chepstow
C) Framilode
D) Over
  • 57. What is the final tributary to enter the Severn before the Severn Bridge?
A) Streams via Oldbury Pill
B) The Lyd
C) Bideford Brook
D) Mounton Brook
  • 58. In what year did the coalition of Danish armies attempt to annex western Mercia?
A) 875
B) 893
C) 900
D) 888
  • 59. The River Severn's current form was shaped in part by what process during the Pleistocene epoch?
A) Severe flooding
B) Tectonic uplift
C) Glaciation
D) Volcanic activity
  • 60. According to the text, the name history of the river shows influence from which group?
A) Roman
B) Celtic
C) Scandinavian
D) Norman
  • 61. What Old Norse word means 'to fare' or 'to travel'?
A) fara
B) Sæfari
C) faren
D) sær
  • 62. The Ironbridge Gorge was formed to provide the Severn with an exit to what?
A) The Irish Sea
B) A glacial lake
C) The sea
D) The Welsh border
  • 63. In the context of the name Sæfern, what does Middle English 'faren' mean?
A) sea
B) river
C) north
D) travel
  • 64. What is the total length of the River Severn?
A) 250 miles
B) 300 miles
C) 220 miles
D) 150 miles
  • 65. Where does the River Severn rise?
A) Cotswolds
B) Pennine Hills
C) Snowdonia
D) Cambrian Mountains
  • 66. What is the altitude of the River Severn at its source?
A) 750 m
B) 610 m
C) 400 m
D) 500 m
  • 67. What was the Romano-British name for the Severn?
A) Hafren
B) Samarosina
C) Sabrina
D) Sæfern
  • 68. The Welsh name 'Afon Hafren' was first recorded in which document?
A) Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
B) Magna Carta
C) Historia Regum Britanniae
D) Domesday Book
  • 69. Which people used the club-rush to make wicker baskets?
A) The Romans
B) The Hwicce
C) The Normans
D) The Vikings
  • 70. What is the Old Welsh form of the name recorded around 800 AD?
A) Sabrina
B) Habren
C) Hafren
D) Hauren
  • 71. What is the estimated drainage basin area of the Severn Estuary?
A) 4,409 square miles
B) 5,000 square miles
C) 3,200 square miles
D) 2,500 square miles
  • 72. What is the most northerly lock on the lower Severn?
A) Gloucester
B) Stourport
C) Lincomb
D) Worcester
  • 73. How far is the Lincomb lock located from Stourport?
A) 10 miles
B) 1 mile
C) 2 miles
D) 5 miles
  • 74. At which location does the Droitwich Barge Canal join the Severn?
A) Framilode
B) Sharpness
C) Lydney
D) Hawford
  • 75. What type of canal is the Droitwich Barge Canal?
A) Tidal
B) Broad beam
C) Narrow beam
D) Abandoned
  • 76. In what year were the two Droitwich canals re-opened?
A) 1986
B) 1920
C) 2010
D) 1966
  • 77. How many locks are included in the Avon Ring?
A) 129
B) 50
C) 200
D) 109
  • 78. Which company operated paddle steamers in the Severn Estuary until the late 1970s?
A) P & A Campbell
B) Waverley Excursions
C) Aust Ferry Company
D) British Waterways
  • 79. What ship has operated occasional sailings to Sharpness and Lydney since 1986?
A) MV Balmoral
B) Glen Usk
C) Cardiff Queen
D) Severn Princess
  • 80. When did the Aust Ferry close?
A) 1950
B) 1986
C) 1970
D) 1966
  • 81. When did the Hampton Loade Ferry stop operating?
A) 2020
B) 2018
C) 2010
D) 2016
  • 82. Where does the Cathedral Ferry operate?
A) Tewkesbury
B) Shrewsbury town centre
C) Ironbridge Gorge
D) Worcester Cathedral
  • 83. Where does the tidal river begin on the West Channel?
A) Maisemore
B) Tewkesbury
C) Llanthony Weir
D) Aust
  • 84. Which location has a tidal range exceeding that of the Severn?
A) Bay of Fundy
B) The English Channel
C) The Thames Estuary
D) Ungava Bay
  • 85. When did UNESCO designate Ironbridge Gorge a World Heritage Site?
A) 1979
B) 1966
C) 1990
D) 1986
  • 86. In what year was the first cast-iron arch bridge constructed across the Severn?
A) 1801
B) 1786
C) 1750
D) 1779
  • 87. Which creature was seen in Bewdley during the winter of 2011/2012?
A) A female grey seal
B) A swan
C) A sturgeon
D) A rare water vole
  • 88. What migratory route does the River Severn form part of?
A) The Great Britain Bird-line
B) Severn-Trent flyway
C) The Western Migration Path
D) The Celtic Corridor
  • 89. Where can the statue of Sabrina be found in Shrewsbury?
A) The Town Square
B) Dingle Gardens at the Quarry
C) Shrewsbury Abbey
D) Near the railway bridge
  • 90. Which deity is represented as mounted on a seahorse and riding the Severn bore?
A) Neptune
B) Poseidon
C) Sabrina
D) Nodens
  • 91. In A. E. Housman's '1887', what is compared to the Severn's overflow?
A) The Nile
B) The Thames
C) The Trent
D) The Danube
  • 92. In Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, who does Hotspur recall fighting on the banks of the Severn?
A) Owain Glyndŵr
B) A group of pirates
C) Henry V
D) Edmund Mortimer
  • 93. Which Gloucestershire composer wrote 'Western Sailors' and 'Severn Meadows'?
A) Edward Elgar
B) Herbert Howells
C) Ivor Gurney
D) Gerald Finzi
  • 94. Who published 'Severn Tide' in 1947 and 'Severn Stream' in 1949?
A) A. E. Housman
B) Brian Waters
C) Julian Barnes
D) Ellis Peters
  • 95. Gerald Finzi's 'A Severn Rhapsody' was written in what year?
A) 1923
B) 1930
C) 1917
D) 1954
  • 96. Who wrote 'The Severn Suite', Opus 87?
A) Ivor Gurney
B) Gerald Finzi
C) Edward Elgar
D) Herbert Howells
  • 97. Herbert Howells wrote which choral work inspired by the river?
A) The Severn Suite
B) Missa Sabrinensis
C) Severn Rhapsody
D) Severn Tide
  • 98. In the song 'The Last Bristolian Pirate', what is the profession of the main character?
A) A disgruntled poet
B) A local fisherman
C) A disgruntled farmer
D) A retired soldier
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