Every Book Back multiple-choice question from The Age of Revolutions (12th Standard History, Samacheer Kalvi) — each with the correct option highlighted and a clear, worked explanation. Free to read in English and Tamil.
Q1
The Europeans who settled first in North America were
- A. Portuguese
- B. Spanish
- C. Danish
- D. EnglishCorrect
Explanation. The lesson states that though Germans, Swedes, French, Italians and Dutch later went to America, the English were the first to settle in North America, beginning with Jamestown in Virginia (1607).
Q2
New Amsterdam was renamed as
- A. Washington
- B. New YorkCorrect
- C. Chicago
- D. Amsterdam
Explanation. The Dutch set up a colony in 1624 near the mouth of the River Hudson and named it New Amsterdam. The English later acquired it from the Dutch and renamed it New York.
Q3
Assertion (A): England passed the Navigation Acts.
Reason (R): The Act mandated that colonial produce should be exported only in British ships.
- A. Both A and R are correct, R explains ACorrect
- B. Both A and R are correct, R does not explain A
- C. A is correct but R is wrong
- D. A is wrong but R is correct
Explanation. England governed the colonies for its own benefit and passed the Navigation Acts, which mandated that colonial produce be exported only in British ships. Both are true and R explains the purpose of A.
Q4
Assertion (A): In 1770, England abolished the taxes on products except tea.
Reason (R): This was retained to assert that the British Parliament had a right to tax the colonies directly as well as indirectly.
- A. Both A and R are correct, R explains ACorrect
- B. Both A and R are correct, R does not explain A
- C. A is correct but R is wrong
- D. A is wrong but R is correct
Explanation. In 1770 Lord North abolished the taxes on products except tea. The tea tax was kept to assert that Parliament could tax the colonies directly and indirectly, so R explains A.
Q5
Boston Tea Party incident took place in the year
- A. 1775
- B. 1773Correct
- C. 1784
- D. 1799
Explanation. In 1773, about 100 activists dressed like Native Americans boarded three tea ships at Boston and threw 342 boxes of tea into the sea. This came to be called the Boston Tea Party.
Q6
Which of the following statement/s is/are correct?
Statement I: On July 4, 1776, all the thirteen colonies declared independence from Britain.
Statement II: The Declaration of Independence was essentially the work of Thomas Jefferson.
- A. I
- B. II
- C. None of the above
- D. All the aboveCorrect
Explanation. On 4 July 1776 all thirteen colonies declared independence from Britain, and the lesson says the declaration was essentially the work of Thomas Jefferson. Both statements are correct.
Q7
In the American War of Independence the British army was led by
- A. Richard Lee
- B. George Washington
- C. William HoweCorrect
- D. Rockingham
Explanation. The British army was led by William Howe, while the American forces were led by George Washington. Richard Lee proposed independence and Rockingham started the peace talks.
Q8
Which of the following statement/s is/are correct?
Statement I: The peasantry made up the bulk of French society.
Statement II: The peasants in France were serfs.
Statement III: The peasants had to work certain days in the week for their lords for remuneration.
- A. I and IICorrect
- B. II and III
- C. I and III
- D. All are correct
Explanation. The peasantry made up the bulk of French society and were serfs. Statement III is wrong because they worked certain days a week for their lords without any remuneration.
Q9
The noble who led the protest that led to Tennis Court Oath was
- A. Marat
- B. Danton
- C. Lafayette
- D. MirabeauCorrect
Explanation. At the tennis court on 20 June 1789 the third estate representatives were led by a noble named Mirabeau and a clergyman, Abbe Sieyes, in their protest to limit the monarch's power.
Q10
Assertion (A): The rising bourgeoisie wanted their political power to match their economic status.
Reason (R): They wanted to have a voice in government.
- A. Both A and R correct. R explains ACorrect
- B. Both A and R correct. R does not explain A
- C. A is correct but R is wrong
- D. A is wrong but R is correct
Explanation. The lesson says the rising bourgeoisie wanted political power to match their economic status because they wanted a voice in government, so they took the lead in the French Revolution.
Q11
Match and choose the correct answer from the code given below.
(A) Montesquieu - 1. Jacobins
(B) Voltaire - 2. English Philosopher
(C) Reign of Terror - 3. The Age of Louis XIV
(D) John Locke - 4. The Spirit of Laws
- A. 1 3 4 2
- B. 4 3 1 2Correct
- C. 4 1 2 3
- D. 1 4 3 2
Explanation. Montesquieu wrote The Spirit of Laws, Voltaire wrote The Age of Louis XIV, the Jacobins under Robespierre ran the dictatorial rule, and John Locke was the English philosopher who wrote Two Treatises of Government.
Q12
The storming of the Bastille happened on
- A. June 5, 1789
- B. July 14, 1789Correct
- C. November 11, 1789
- D. May 1, 1789
Explanation. Angered by the king's move of the army into Paris, the people stormed the Bastille prison and released the prisoners on 14 July 1789, still celebrated as Bastille Day in France.
Q13
During the French Revolution ________ was dissatisfied with the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen, as it excluded women.
- A. Olympe de GougesCorrect
- B. Mary Antoinette
- C. Roget de Lisle
- D. Robespierre
Explanation. Olympe de Gouges was dissatisfied with the Declaration because it excluded women, and she wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen, arguing for equality for women.
Q14
The official residence of Louis XVI was
- A. Versailles
- B. Toulon
- C. Marseilles
- D. TuileriesCorrect
Explanation. The enraged Jacobins stormed the palace of Tuileries, the official residence of Louis XVI, ransacked it, killed the guards and took the king prisoner.
Q15
________ was earlier known as Saint-Domingue.
- A. Mexico
- B. Panama
- C. HaitiCorrect
- D. Havana
Explanation. Haiti was earlier known as Saint-Domingue, the name the French gave their richest Caribbean colony. It became the independent black state of Haiti in 1804.
Q16
The revolution in Mexico was led by
- A. Simon Bolivar
- B. Jose Maria Morelos
- C. Ferdinand de Lesseps
- D. Miguel HidalgoCorrect
Explanation. The revolution in Mexico was led by a Catholic priest, Miguel Hidalgo, whose speeches at the Church of Dolores called for an independent Mexico. Morelos led the movement only after Hidalgo was killed in 1811.
Q17
The liberator of Argentina was
- A. San MartinCorrect
- B. Dom Pedro
- C. Bernardo O'Higgins
- D. Marina Morelos
Explanation. San Martin was the liberator of Argentina. He joined the Chilean liberator Bernardo O'Higgins to win independence for Chile in 1818 and for Peru in 1820.
Q18
________ city acquired the nickname "Cottonopolis".
- A. ManchesterCorrect
- B. Lancashire
- C. Liverpool
- D. Glasgow
Explanation. By the early nineteenth century Manchester, the centre of the British textile industry, had acquired the nickname Cottonopolis. Lancashire is the county around it.
Q19
Match and choose the correct answer from the code given below.
(A) Michael Faraday - 1. Arkwright
(B) Elias Howe - 2. Robert Fulton
(C) Water Frame - 3. Electricity
(D) Steam Boat - 4. Sewing machine
- A. 1 3 4 2
- B. 1 4 2 3
- C. 3 4 1 2Correct
- D. 3 4 2 1
Explanation. Faraday invented the idea of electricity, Elias Howe invented the sewing machine, Richard Arkwright developed the water frame in 1769 and Robert Fulton made the first successful steam boat in 1807.
