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Ely, Cambridgeshire - Test
Contributed by: Vaughan
  • 1. What famous landmark can be found in Ely that dominates the surrounding landscape?
A) Stonehenge
B) Big Ben
C) Ely Cathedral
D) The Shard
  • 2. Ely is known for its association with which historical figure?
A) Oliver Cromwell
B) King Henry VIII
C) William Shakespeare
D) Queen Elizabeth I
  • 3. What is the local football club in Ely known as?
A) Manchester Reds FC
B) Ely City FC
C) Liverpool Blues FC
D) London United FC
  • 4. What is the name of the ancient site near Ely that is believed to have been an important center for ritual and trading activities in the Bronze Age?
A) Secret Valley
B) Enigma Island
C) Flag Fen
D) Mystery Mountain
  • 5. Which plant species can be found abundantly in the wetlands surrounding Ely?
A) Palm Tree
B) Fern
C) Reed
D) Cactus
  • 6. Ely is often referred to as a ____.
A) Metropolis
B) Town
C) Village
D) City
  • 7. What is the name of the long-distance footpath that passes through Ely and follows the course of an ancient chalk ridge?
A) Pacific Crest Trail
B) Appalachian Trail
C) Icknield Way
D) Camino de Santiago
  • 8. In which county is Ely located?
A) Surrey
B) Cambridgeshire
C) Yorkshire
D) Kent
  • 9. Which famous author wrote a detective novel set in Ely called 'Clouds of Witness'?
A) Patricia Highsmith
B) Agatha Christie
C) Dorothy L. Sayers
D) Arthur Conan Doyle
  • 10. What is the approximate distance from Ely to Cambridge?
A) 23 km
B) 24 miles
C) 80 miles
D) 14 miles
  • 11. What is the highest land in the Fens?
A) The Kimmeridge Clay island
B) The River Great Ouse
C) The River Nene
D) The River Witham
  • 12. What type of soil is found in the Fens after they were drained?
A) Rich and fertile soil
B) Rocky soil
C) Clay soil
D) Sandy soil
  • 13. What was a significant means of transport in Ely until the Fens were drained?
A) The River Witham
B) The River Welland
C) The River Great Ouse
D) The River Nene
  • 14. What is one of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Ely?
A) A former Kimmeridge Clay quarry
B) A Victorian garden
C) A Roman amphitheater
D) A medieval castle
  • 15. What is the name of the annual fair granted by Henry II in 1189?
A) Saint Etheldreda's
B) Saint Audrey's
C) The Ely Fair
D) Saint Etheldreda's and Saint Audrey's
  • 16. What does the word 'tawdry' originate from?
A) Expensive jewelry
B) Silk garments
C) Leather goods
D) Cheap lace sold at the fair
  • 17. When was Ely railway station built?
A) 1845
B) 1769
C) 1885
D) 1753
  • 18. Which city is Ely twinned with since 1956?
A) Ribe, Denmark
B) Copenhagen, Denmark
C) Oslo, Norway
D) Helsinki, Finland
  • 19. What is the name of the annual event established in 2004?
A) The Fish Festival
B) The Fen Festival
C) The River Festival
D) The Eel Festival
  • 20. What is the name of the Roman road passing through Ely?
A) Ermine Street
B) Watling Street
C) Akeman Street
D) Icknield Way
  • 21. What type of pottery is Ely known for?
A) Bone china
B) Porcelain
C) Wedgwood
D) Babylon ware
  • 22. What is the population of the built-up area of Ely according to the 2021 census?
A) 18,000
B) 21,000
C) 20,574
D) 19,185
  • 23. What is the name of the coach route improved in 1769?
A) The Fen Line
B) The Roman road
C) The turnpike (toll road)
D) The A10
  • 24. What was an important activity before the Fens were drained?
A) Wheat farming
B) Cattle farming
C) Corn farming
D) Eel fishing
  • 25. What is the name of the medieval agricultural feature found in Ely?
A) Medieval crop rotation
B) Medieval ridge and furrow agriculture
C) Medieval terracing
D) Medieval plowing
  • 26. What is the name of the Roman settlement near Ely?
A) Middle Thetford
B) Big Thetford
C) Little Thetford
D) Great Thetford
  • 27. What is the name of the settlement that is part of the Ely parish?
A) Cambridge
B) London
C) Peterborough
D) Chettisham
  • 28. What is the earliest recorded form of Ely's name as mentioned in Bede's Ecclesiastical History?
A) Eli
B) Helga
C) Elge
D) Elias
  • 29. Which scholar derived the name Ely from the Old Northumbrian term ēlġē?
A) Mills
B) Reaney
C) Ekwall
D) Skeat
  • 30. What does the Old Northumbrian term ēlġē mean according to Skeat?
A) Paradise
B) Eel Island
C) Willow district
D) District of eels
  • 31. What is the modern German word related to the hypothetical word *ġē?
A) Gau
B) Garten
C) Gebirge
D) Gesellschaft
  • 32. Which scholar proposed that Ely's name might derive from 'Elysium'?
A) Mac Dowdy
B) Skeat
C) Miller
D) Reaney
  • 33. What term did Mac Dowdy use to describe Ely's historical significance?
A) Paradise
B) Island
C) District
D) Willow
  • 34. Which chronicler used the term 'Elysium' to describe Ely?
A) Etheldreda
B) Ovin
C) Wilfrid's chronicler
D) Bede's chronicler
  • 35. What is the Old English spelling of Ely as found in charters and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?
A) Helig
B) Elige
C) Elias
D) Elig
  • 36. What is the proposed Celtic origin of Ely's name according to Miller?
A) Helyg or heli
B) Heliopolis
C) Helga
D) Helios
  • 37. What did Bailey point out about the name Ely if it were from ēlġē?
A) It would be accurate
B) It would be common
C) It would be irrelevant
D) It would be anomalous
  • 38. What is the discrepancy in the spelling of Ely's name that Bailey highlighted?
A) The usual English spelling remains Elig
B) The usual English spelling is Elige
C) The usual English spelling is Helig
D) The usual English spelling is Elye
  • 39. What was the term for eels in the region before the 1300s?
A) Eels
B) Fish
C) Agulla or anguilles
D) Piscis
  • 40. What is the meaning of the Brythonic word helig?
A) Paradise
B) Island
C) Willows
D) Eels
  • 41. How many rioters were condemned at the Special Commission assizes in Ely in 1816?
A) 5
B) 19
C) 24
D) 10
  • 42. Which industry provided significant employment in the Ely area between 1850 and 1890?
A) Pottery making
B) Willow crafting
C) Phosphate nodule digging
D) Sugar beet farming
  • 43. Which historian wrote about Ely's cathedral dominating the landscape?
A) George Gilbert Scott
B) John Jones
C) Pamela Blakeman
D) Nikolaus Pevsner
  • 44. What year did the cholera outbreak isolate Ely?
A) 1816
B) 1725
C) 1832
D) 1555
  • 45. How many tiers of local government cover Ely?
A) Two
B) Three
C) One
D) Four
  • 46. What is the local name for the Cretaceous chalks found in east Cambridgeshire?
A) Boulder Clay
B) Clunch
C) Lower Greensand
D) Jurassic limestones
  • 47. What charity was Oliver Cromwell a governor of?
A) Bishop's Charity
B) Holy Trinity Charity
C) Thomas Parsons' Charity
D) Cromwell's Charity
  • 48. In what year was the pavement labyrinth installed at Ely Cathedral?
A) 1924
B) 1870
C) 1954
D) 1845
  • 49. How many households were recorded in the Domesday survey of 1086 in Ely?
A) 110 households
B) 345 households
C) 457 households
D) 800 households
  • 50. Who was the architect responsible for the restoration of Ely Cathedral?
A) John Jones
B) Edward the Confessor
C) Nikolaus Pevsner
D) George Gilbert Scott
  • 51. What is the name of the Grade II listed building that was once the city's courthouse?
A) The Bishop's Palace
B) Shire Hall
C) The Maltings
D) The Lamb Hotel
  • 52. Which king's reforms led to the refounding of the abbey at Ely?
A) William the Conqueror
B) Edward the Confessor
C) King Edgar the Peaceful
D) Queen Victoria
  • 53. Who granted city status to Ely by royal charter?
A) In 1322
B) In 1539
C) In 1083
D) In 1974
  • 54. How many councillors does Ely South return for the East Cambridgeshire District Council?
A) One
B) Two
C) Four
D) Three
  • 55. When was the purpose-built workhouse erected in Ely?
A) 1816
B) 1555
C) 1837
D) 1725
  • 56. What is the meaning of the Brythonic word heli?
A) Fresh water
B) Paradise
C) District
D) Salt water
  • 57. By which year did the population of Ely reach 3,000?
A) 1753
B) 1416
C) 1251
D) 1563
  • 58. Which village was worth 24,000 eels to the abbot of Ely in 1086?
A) Stuntenei
B) Liteltetford
C) Litelport
D) Babylon
  • 59. What is the name of the annual event held on the first Sunday of July in Ely?
A) Ely's annual fireworks display
B) Aquafest
C) Ely Horticultural Society's Great Autumn Show
D) Ely Folk Festival
  • 60. In what year were William Wolsey and Robert Pygot executed?
A) 1555
B) 1539
C) 1816
D) 1607
  • 61. What was the local government body in Ely from 1850 to 1894?
A) City of Ely Council
B) Local board
C) City of Ely Urban District Council
D) East Cambridgeshire District Council
  • 62. Which scholar discussed the Celtic origin of Ely's name in Fenland Notes and Queries?
A) Reaney
B) Skeat
C) Miller
D) Mac Dowdy
  • 63. When was the Stained Glass Museum first granted officially by Henry I to the abbot and convent?
A) 15 July 1189
B) 1 January 1189
C) 23 June 1189
D) 10 October 1189
  • 64. Who encouraged the construction of a turnpike road between Ely and Cambridge in the 1760s?
A) Edmund Carter
B) James Bentham
C) Clement of Thetford
D) John Fordham
  • 65. What geological formation is the Isle of Ely primarily composed of?
A) Kimmeridge Clay
B) Boulder Clay
C) Jurassic limestones
D) Lower Greensand
  • 66. Who led the drainage of the fens in the 17th century?
A) John Wesley
B) Daniel Defoe
C) Cornelius Vermuyden
D) Francis Russell
  • 67. What is the current name of Mount Hill after the tree plantings by James Bentham?
A) Abbey Hill
B) Green Hill
C) Bentham Hill
D) Cherry Hill
  • 68. What role did Oliver Cromwell serve in Ely?
A) Bishop
B) Gaoler
C) Prison reformer
D) Tax collector
  • 69. When did Henry III grant a market to the Bishop of Ely?
A) In 1539
B) In 1083
C) In 1322
D) On 9 April 1224
  • 70. In which year was the diocese of Ely created?
A) 1108
B) 1189
C) 1322
D) 1083
  • 71. Who is thought to have built Ely Castle?
A) Simeon, the first Norman bishop
B) Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester
C) William the Conqueror
D) Henry III of England
  • 72. How long did it take to complete the construction of Ely Cathedral?
A) 50 years
B) 200 years
C) 75 years
D) 116 years
  • 73. Which building in Ely is known for its 'timbered appearance' and was restored in 1905?
A) The Maltings
B) Cromwell's House
C) The Bishop's Palace
D) The Lamb Hotel
  • 74. What was the role of Francis Russell, Earl of Bedford, in the draining of the fens?
A) He opposed the drainage
B) He supported the drainage financially
C) He led the engineering work
D) He documented the process
  • 75. Which species is protected at the Chettisham Meadow SSSI?
A) Red Admiral Butterfly
B) Common Blue Butterfly
C) Green-winged Orchid
D) Swallowtail Butterfly
  • 76. When did Oliver Cromwell live in Ely?
A) 1725 to 1735
B) 1816 to 1826
C) 1636 to 1646
D) 1555 to 1565
  • 77. When was the southwestern bypass of Ely built?
A) 2018
B) 2011
C) 1986
D) 1769
  • 78. What was the purpose of the early workhouse arrangement with Nicholas Wythers?
A) To employ the poor to spin jersey
B) To house unmarried mothers
C) To collect taxes
D) To reform prisoners
  • 79. What was Ely's abbey's rank in wealth according to the Domesday survey?
A) The third richest monastery in England
B) The second richest monastery in England
C) The poorest monastery in England
D) The richest monastery in England
  • 80. Which centuries saw the restoration of Ely Cathedral?
A) 17th century
B) 19th century
C) 20th century
D) 18th century
  • 81. What was the elevation of the cathedral and its associated buildings above the nearby fens?
A) 100 feet (30 m)
B) 68 feet (21 m)
C) 50 feet (15 m)
D) 30 feet (9 m)
  • 82. Which building in Ely was erected as a coaching house in 1828 and 1829?
A) Cromwell's House
B) The Bishop's Palace
C) The Lamb Hotel
D) The Maltings
  • 83. Which historian claims Ely has the largest collection of medieval buildings still in daily use?
A) John Jones
B) Nikolaus Pevsner
C) George Gilbert Scott
D) Pamela Blakeman
  • 84. Who condemned William Wolsey and Robert Pygot?
A) John Fuller
B) William Camden
C) John Howard
D) Oliver Cromwell
  • 85. When was a plaque commemorating the martyrdom of William Wolsey and Robert Pygot erected?
A) 1816
B) 1725
C) 2011
D) 1555
  • 86. What was the capacity of the Ely Union workhouse when it was built?
A) 80 inmates
B) 300 inmates
C) 24 inmates
D) 35 inmates
  • 87. Which notable prehistoric creature was almost completely found at Roswell Pits?
A) A pliosaur
B) A dinosaur
C) A mammoth
D) A pterosaur
  • 88. What is the name of the Grade I listed building that was once a four-building farmstead?
A) The Maltings
B) St John's farmhouse
C) The Lamb Hotel
D) The Bishop's Palace
  • 89. What was the outcome for the majority of the rioters condemned in 1816?
A) They were all transported for life
B) They were all acquitted
C) Their sentences were commuted from penal transportation for life to twelve months' imprisonment
D) They were all executed
  • 90. What was the population of Ely in 1991?
A) 20,574
B) 11,291
C) 25,000
D) 15,000
  • 91. What event caused the original nave crossing of Ely Cathedral to collapse?
A) A fire in 1083
B) A flood in 870
C) The collapse occurred on 22 February 1322
D) An earthquake in 970
  • 92. Which legal authority did not completely endorse the bishop's royal privileges at Ely?
A) John Jones
B) George Gilbert Scott
C) Sir Edward Coke
D) Nikolaus Pevsner
  • 93. When was the Ely-Ribe Tapestry commissioned?
A) 2010
B) 1985
C) 2004
D) 1996
  • 94. When was one of the largest sugar beet factories in England opened near Ely?
A) 1981
B) 1860
C) 1925
D) 1850
  • 95. What was the size of Ely's urban area?
A) 1.84 sq mi (4.77 km2)
B) 22.86 sq mi (59.21 km2)
C) 10 sq mi (25.9 km2)
D) 5 sq mi (13 km2)
  • 96. What was the population of Ely in 2021?
A) 25,000
B) 11,291
C) 20,574
D) 15,000
  • 97. What type of deposits formed in the fresh-water swamps and meres of the fens?
A) Clay
B) Sand
C) Peat
D) Silt
  • 98. When did the first Norman bishop start building the cathedral?
A) In 673
B) In 1083
C) In 970
D) In 870
  • 99. Who visited Ely on 5 July 1790 and described it as 'mean, to the extreme'?
A) Celia Fiennes
B) Daniel Defoe
C) John Byng
D) William Camden
  • 100. Which king reconfirmed the special freedoms given to Ely?
A) Edward the Confessor
B) Queen Elizabeth II
C) King Edgar the Peaceful
D) William the Conqueror
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