15 extra multiple-choice questions for Modern World: The Age of Reason (12th Standard History, Samacheer Kalvi), beyond the ones printed in the textbook — each with the correct option highlighted and a clear, worked explanation. Free to read in English and Tamil.
Q1
Which ruler of Florence from the Medici family was known as 'the Magnificent'?
- A. Cosimo de Medici
- B. LorenzoCorrect
- C. Francesco del Giocondo
- D. Giovanni Aurispa
Explanation. Cosimo de Medici, a banker, indirectly controlled the government of Florence from 1434 to 1464. After his death his grandson Lorenzo took over and was known as Lorenzo, the Magnificent.
Q2
Match the writers with their works or titles:
(a) Dante - 1. Decameron
(b) Petrarch - 2. The Prince
(c) Boccaccio - 3. Divine Comedy
(d) Machiavelli - 4. Father of Italian Renaissance literature
- A. a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2Correct
- B. a-4, b-3, c-2, d-1
- C. a-3, b-1, c-4, d-2
- D. a-1, b-4, c-3, d-2
Explanation. Dante wrote the Divine Comedy; Petrarch is the father of Italian Renaissance literature; Boccaccio wrote Decameron, 100 stories told during the Black Death; Machiavelli wrote The Prince, a political guide for rulers.
Q3
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. Copernicus postponed publishing his work on the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres almost till the end of his life.
2. Giordano Bruno was burned in Rome in 1600 for insisting that the earth went round the sun.
3. Galileo was made professor at the University of Padua by the Sforza family.
- A. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation. Statements 1 and 2 are in the lesson. Galileo was made professor of Medicine and Maths at Padua by the Medici family, not the Sforza family of Milan, so statement 3 is wrong.
Q4
The Portuguese prince who never went to sea himself but started a school of navigation at Sagres was
- A. Bartholomew Diaz
- B. Henry, the NavigatorCorrect
- C. Pedro Cabral
- D. Vasco da Gama
Explanation. Henry, the Navigator started a school of navigation at Sagres and hired cartographers, shipbuilders and instrument makers. Sailors he sent out reached the Guinea Coast of Africa in 1442.
Q5
Consider the following statements about the division of new lands:
1. The Papal Bull of 1493 was issued by Pope Alexander VI.
2. Its line ran around 320 miles west of the Cape Verde islands, and lands west of it went to Spain.
3. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) moved the line to 1,185 miles west of the Cape Verde islands.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3Correct
Explanation. All three are correct. Pope Alexander VI drew the line in 1493; Portugal was unhappy and in 1494 signed the Treaty of Tordesillas with Spain, which shifted it to 1,185 miles and later helped Portugal claim Brazil.
Q6
Arrange the following voyages in chronological order:
1. Vasco da Gama reaches Kapad near Kozhikode
2. Bartholomew Diaz rounds the Cape of Good Hope
3. Pedro Cabral discovers Brazil
4. Columbus sails from Palos
- A. 2, 4, 1, 3Correct
- B. 4, 2, 1, 3
- C. 2, 1, 4, 3
- D. 4, 2, 3, 1
Explanation. Diaz rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, Columbus sailed on 3 August 1492, Vasco da Gama made his voyage in 1497 and Cabral discovered Brazil in 1500.
Q7
In 1588, the Spanish Armada of 130 vessels sent to invade England was dispatched by
- A. Ferdinand of Aragon
- B. Philip IICorrect
- C. Henry VII
- D. Louis XI
Explanation. After Francis Drake annexed California for England, King Philip II of Spain sent an armada of 130 vessels and 31,000 soldiers in 1588. The English destroyed it, marking the rise of Britain as a power.
Q8
Which of the following statements about the Commercial Revolution is/are correct?
1. The first government bank was the Bank of Sweden (1657).
2. The joint-stock company with limited liability was a Dutch innovation.
3. The Merchant Adventurers was a joint-stock company formed for trade with India.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Explanation. The Bank of Sweden (1657) was the first government bank and the joint-stock company was a Dutch innovation. The Merchant Adventurers was an English regulated company for trade with the Netherlands and Germany.
Q9
Followers of Calvinism in different countries were known by different names. Match them:
(a) France - 1. Puritans
(b) England - 2. Presbyterians
(c) Scotland - 3. Huguenots
- A. a-3, b-1, c-2Correct
- B. a-1, b-3, c-2
- C. a-2, b-1, c-3
- D. a-3, b-2, c-1
Explanation. Calvinism, founded on John Calvin's teachings at Geneva, spread across Europe as the Huguenots in France, the Puritans in England and the Presbyterians in Scotland.
Q10
The Society of Jesus was founded in Paris on 15 August 1534 by
- A. Francis Xavier
- B. Ignatius of LoyolaCorrect
- C. John Calvin
- D. Huldrych Zwingli
Explanation. The Spaniard Ignatius of Loyola and six university students vowed chastity, poverty and obedience in Paris on 15 August 1534. One of them, Francis Xavier, later became a missionary to India and Japan.
Q11
Assertion (A): After the Council of Trent the Catholic religion became better organised.
Reason (R): The Council removed abuses such as the sale of indulgence, nepotism and the absenteeism of Bishops.
- A. Both A and R are correct. R explains ACorrect
- B. Both A and R are correct but R does not explain A
- C. A is correct but R is wrong
- D. A is wrong but R is correct
Explanation. The Council of Trent (1545-1563), called under Pope Paul III, upheld the Pope's supremacy and removed abuses like the sale of indulgence, nepotism and absent Bishops. Because of these reforms the Catholic religion became better organised.
Q12
Henry VII created the Star Chamber court to
- A. try heretics who opposed the Anglican Church
- B. put rebellious nobles on trial in cases related to their propertyCorrect
- C. collect the tithe from the people
- D. judge erring bishops, priests and nuns
Explanation. Henry VII created the Star Chamber to try rebellious nobles in cases about their property. It was named after the stars painted on the ceiling of a room in Westminster Palace.
Q13
Match the nation-states with the rulers who built them:
(a) Spain - 1. Louis XI
(b) England - 2. Ferdinand and Isabella
(c) France - 3. Henry VII
- A. a-2, b-3, c-1Correct
- B. a-3, b-2, c-1
- C. a-2, b-1, c-3
- D. a-1, b-3, c-2
Explanation. Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile united Spain; Henry Tudor (Henry VII) founded a new monarchy in England after the War of the Roses; Louis XI unified France and created a permanent army.
Q14
Who helped Charles VII of France to win the battle at Orleans in the Hundred Years' War?
- A. Joan of ArcCorrect
- B. Isabella of Castile
- C. Elizabeth of York
- D. Catherine of Aragon
Explanation. Joan of Arc, a young girl, fought courageously and won the battle at Orleans for Charles VII. She was called the Maid of Orleans and was made a saint by the Catholic Church in 1920.
Q15
Which of the following is not correctly matched about Martin Luther?
- A. 95 Theses - nailed on the church door at Wittenberg
- B. Diet of Worms - his books disavowed and burnt
- C. Bible - translated by him into German
- D. Peasants' Rebellion - led by Luther against the feudal lordsCorrect
Explanation. The Peasants' Rebellion was started by Thomas Muntzer, who fought for a classless society. Luther supported the feudal lords and denounced the peasant movement. The other three pairs are correct.
