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