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French history - Quiz
Contributed by: Leonard
  • 1. French history is a rich tapestry that spans centuries and encompasses a wide array of events and influences. From the legacy of the Gauls and the Roman conquest to the reign of Charlemagne and the rise of the Capetian dynasty, France has been shaped by key moments that have defined its identity. The French Revolution, with its ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity, serves as a pivotal point in the nation's history, leading to societal upheaval and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. The 19th and 20th centuries saw France embroiled in two world wars, while also witnessing periods of art, culture, and intellectual flourishing, from the Impressionist movement to existentialist philosophy. Today, France stands as a global leader in politics, culture, and cuisine, with a rich history that continues to influence and inspire.

    Who was the king of France during the French Revolution?
A) Napoleon Bonaparte
B) Louis XIV
C) Louis XVI
D) Philip IV
  • 2. Which event marked the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789?
A) Execution of Marie Antoinette
B) Reign of Terror
C) Battle of Waterloo
D) Storming of the Bastille
  • 3. Which document symbolizes the ideals of the French Revolution?
A) Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
B) Magnacarta
C) Bill of Rights
D) Declaration of Independence
  • 4. Who was the leader of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution?
A) Maximilien Robespierre
B) Jacques Necker
C) Marat
D) George Danton
  • 5. Which French emperor was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815?
A) Napoleon Bonaparte
B) Louis Philippe I
C) Louis XVIII
D) Charles X
  • 6. Who was the first President of France's Fifth Republic?
A) Jacques Chirac
B) Charles de Gaulle
C) François Mitterrand
D) Emmanuel Macron
  • 7. In what year did the French Revolution begin?
A) 1812
B) 1789
C) 1799
D) 1830
  • 8. Which famous French author wrote 'Les Misérables'?
A) Albert Camus
B) Émile Zola
C) Gustave Flaubert
D) Victor Hugo
  • 9. Who was the last queen of France before the French Revolution?
A) Marie Antoinette
B) Anne of Austria
C) Eleanor of Aquitaine
D) Catherine de Medici
  • 10. What was the name of the government body established during the French Revolution to maintain law and order?
A) Council of Elders
B) National Assembly
C) Committee of Public Safety
D) Estates-General
  • 11. Which French king built the Palace of Versailles?
A) Louis XIII
B) Francis I
C) Henry IV
D) Louis XIV
  • 12. In what year did Napoleon Bonaparte become Emperor of France?
A) 1799
B) 1815
C) 1821
D) 1804
  • 13. Which treaty ended the Thirty Years' War and established the principle of state sovereignty?
A) Treaty of Trianon
B) Treaty of Versailles
C) Treaty of Paris
D) Treaty of Westphalia
  • 14. What was the name of the French colonial territory in North America that was ceded to Britain in 1763?
A) Senegal
B) Louisiana
C) Algeria
D) New France
  • 15. Who was the French Prime Minister during the Suez Crisis of 1956?
A) Pierre Mendès France
B) Georges Pompidou
C) Guy Mollet
D) Charles de Gaulle
  • 16. Who wrote the famous French political treatise 'The Spirit of the Laws'?
A) Rousseau
B) Voltaire
C) Montesquieu
D) Diderot
  • 17. In which year did France host the FIFA World Cup and win the championship?
A) 1998
B) 2010
C) 2018
D) 2002
  • 18. In which year did the French colony of Algeria gain independence?
A) 1945
B) 1990
C) 1975
D) 1962
  • 19. Who was the last French monarch before the establishment of the French Republic in 1870?
A) Louis-Philippe
B) Louis XVIII
C) Napoleon III
D) Charles X
  • 20. Who was the French artist known for paintings like 'Impression, Sunrise' and being a leading figure in the Impressionist movement?
A) Édouard Manet
B) Claude Monet
C) Pierre-Auguste Renoir
D) Edgar Degas
  • 21. Which French writer is considered the father of science fiction?
A) Gustave Flaubert
B) Jules Verne
C) Alexandre Dumas
D) Émile Zola
  • 22. In which year was Napoleon Bonaparte defeated at the Battle of Waterloo?
A) 1815
B) 1799
C) 1830
D) 1805
  • 23. Which French president launched the construction of the Eiffel Tower?
A) Charles de Gaulle
B) Sadi Carnot
C) François Mitterrand
D) Jacques Chirac
  • 24. Who was the French playwright known for works like 'The Misanthrope' and 'Tartuffe'?
A) Jean Racine
B) Molière
C) Albert Camus
D) Voltaire
  • 25. Who was the founder of the Vichy regime in France during World War II?
A) Jacques Chirac
B) Georges Clemenceau
C) Charles de Gaulle
D) Philippe Pétain
  • 26. Who was the first female Prime Minister of France?
A) Édith Cresson
B) Nicole Belloubet
C) Simone Veil
D) Ségolène Royal
  • 27. Which French political leader founded the National Front party in 1972?
A) François Fillon
B) Marine Le Pen
C) Jean-Luc Mélenchon
D) Jean-Marie Le Pen
  • 28. What was the name of the French legislative body that declared war on Austria and Prussia in 1792?
A) National Convention
B) Directory
C) National Assembly
D) Committee of Public Safety
  • 29. Which French city served as the center of the medieval kingdom of France?
A) Bordeaux
B) Marseille
C) Lyon
D) Paris
  • 30. What was the name of the French parliamentary body that represented the three estates before the French Revolution?
A) Consulate
B) Legislative Assembly
C) National Convention
D) Estates-General
  • 31. When did France abolish the death penalty for all crimes?
A) 1981
B) 1960
C) 2000
D) 1925
  • 32. Who was the French prime minister known for his radical reforms and attempts to end political corruption in the 1930s?
A) Pierre Laval
B) Raymond Poincaré
C) Léon Blum
D) Édouard Daladier
  • 33. Who was the famous French painter who created 'Liberty Leading the People' during the July Revolution of 1830?
A) Eugène Delacroix
B) Edgar Degas
C) Henri Matisse
D) Claude Monet
  • 34. What was the name of the alliance of Austria, Russia, and other European powers formed against revolutionary France?
A) Central Powers
B) First Coalition
C) Axis Powers
D) Triple Alliance
  • 35. In what year did France become a republic after the fall of the monarchy?
A) 1700
B) 1792
C) 1850
D) 1815
  • 36. Who wrote 'The Social Contract' and 'Émile' during the Enlightenment in France?
A) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B) Diderot
C) Voltaire
D) Montesquieu
  • 37. During which war did Joan of Arc help to secure victory for the French against the English?
A) Hundred Years' War
B) Seven Years' War
C) Napoleonic Wars
D) Thirty Years' War
  • 38. Who was the first King of France?
A) Louis XIV
B) Charlemagne
C) Clovis I
D) Napoleon Bonaparte
  • 39. In which year did France host the FIFA World Cup for the first time?
A) 1966
B) 1950
C) 1938
D) 1974
  • 40. What was the name of the French military leader who became a hero during the Hundred Years' War?
A) Henry V
B) Philip II
C) Edward III
D) Joan of Arc
  • 41. Who was the French philosopher who wrote 'Discourse on the Method' and 'Cogito, ergo sum'?
A) René Descartes
B) Michel Foucault
C) Simone de Beauvoir
D) Jean-Paul Sartre
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