What Do You Know About These Famous Explorers?
Written by Kiera Hart History Expert
Last updated · 6 min play time
Do you know Jacques Cousteau from Jacques Cartier? What about who ventured to the North and South Poles? Find out now!
Do you know Jacques Cousteau from Jacques Cartier? What about who ventured to the North and South Poles? Find out all this and more with this quiz.
Quiz written by
Kiera HartFamous Explorers Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 13K Plays · No comments
Question 1
Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World in 1492 was an accident. Which country was he intending to sail to?
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ASingapore
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BThailand
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CJapan
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DChina
Japan
Christopher Columbus headed toward Japan with the intention of obtaining silk and spices from Asia.
Question 2
Marco Polo traveled with his family from Europe to Asia via the Middle East. During his travels, he spent 17 years in which Asian country?
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AMalaysia
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BJapan
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CSingapore
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DChina
China
Marco Polo spent 24 years away from his home country, with 17 of them being spent in China.
Question 3
In 1770, Captain James Cook and his shipmates became the first recorded Europeans to arrive on the eastern coast of Australia. What was the name of the ship in which they sailed?
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AMinnow
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BMayflower
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CEndeavour
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DMerry Widow
Endeavour
In April 1770, the Endeavour went ashore at what is now Sydney's Botany Bay.
Question 4
Jacques Cousteau was in the French navy before becoming a pioneering underwater explorer and researcher. In which decade of the 20th century did he co-invent the Aqua-Lung?
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A1930's
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B1950's
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C1940's
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D1920's
1940's
Jacques Cousteau co-invented the Aqua-Lung during the winter of 1942-43.
Question 5
Neil Armstrong gained fame as the first person to walk on the moon. Prior to becoming an astronaut, in which branch of the U.S. military did he serve?
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AAir Force
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BMarines
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CNavy
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DArmy
Navy
Neil Armstong was a naval aviator who served in the Korean war.
Question 6
As well as being a teacher and author, Ann Bancroft is an adventurer. In 1986, she became the first woman to reach which location?
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AK2
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BMt Everest
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CNorth Pole
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DSouth Pole
North Pole
Ann Bancroft and her expedition crew took 56 days to arrive at the North Pole by dogsled.
Question 7
Daniel Boone is a pioneer and frontiersman famous for settling which American state?
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AKentucky
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BVirginia
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CMassachusetts
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DVermont
Kentucky
In 1769, Daniel Boone settled an area he named Boonesborough, in the region that now comprises Kentucky.
Question 8
Henry Hudson was an English explorer, but is well known for his exploration of which country?
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ACanada
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BScotland
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CWales
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DSpain
Canada
It was through searching for different routes in and out of Asia that Henry Hudson explored North America and Canada.
Question 9
Tenzing Norgay was an Indian sherpa and mountaineer. In which year of the 1950's did he and Edmund Hilary reach the summit of Mt Everest?
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A1951
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B1953
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C1955
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D1958
1953
Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Mt Everest on May 29, 1953.
Question 10
David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary. He is best known, however, for his exploration of which continent?
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AAsia
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BAfrica
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CEurope
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DAustralia
Africa
What started out as missionary work for David Livingstone in Africa turned out to be a period of exploration, mapping and navigation of the continent.
Question 11
Sir Ernest Shackleton was an explorer who lived at the turn of the 20th century. How many British expeditions to the Antarctic did he lead?
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AThree
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BTwo
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COne
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DFive
Three
Ernest Shackleton led three Antarctic expeditions between 1901 and 1915.
Question 12
William Dampier may have been born in England, but he is recognized as an early explorer of which country?
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ANew Zealand
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BAustralia
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CScotland
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DCanada
Australia
William Dampier explored the Western Australian coastline and named Shark Bay.
Question 13
Ferdinand Magellan's expeditions led to the first circumnavigation of the Earth. What nationality was he?
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AArgentinian
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BBolivian
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CSpanish
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DPortugese
Portugese
Ferdinand Magellan was born in Portugal in 1480.
Question 14
Roald Amundsen was an explorer of Norwegian descent. In 1911, he led the first expedition to reach which location?
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AMt Everest
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BNorth Pole
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CGreenland
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DSouth Pole
South Pole
Roald Amundsen lead what became known as the Antarctic Expedition of 1910-12.
Question 15
Jacques Cartier is noted for his exploration of inland America, and for giving Canada its name. What nationality was he?
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ASwedish
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BDutch
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CSwiss
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DFrench
French
Jacques Cartier was born in the Duchy of Brittany in 1491.
Question 16
Edmund Hillary was an explorer and mountaineer of New Zealander origin. Which mountain did he famously climb with Tenzing Norgay in the 1950's?
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ATable Mountain
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BMt Everest
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CMt Fuji
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DMt Kilimanjaro
Mt Everest
In May 1953, Hillary and Norgay became the first people to reach Everest's summit.
Question 17
In what year of the 1960's did Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin become the first human to enter outer space?
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A1963
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B1965
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C1968
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D1961
1961
Yuri Gagarin's spacecraft orbited the earth in April, 1961.
Question 18
Sir Walter Raleigh was, among other things, a poet, soldier, and explorer. He famously led two expeditions in search of which precious substance?
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AGold
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BDiamonds
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CSilver
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DBronze
Gold
Sir Walter Raleigh led expeditions in 1595 and 1617.
Question 19
Frontiersman Kit Carson is known for several expeditions exploring which American state?
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AVirginia
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BMaine
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CWisconsin
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DOregon
Oregon
Kit Carson assisted John C. Fremont is his mapping, reporting and commentary of the Oregon Trail.
Question 20
In which century did Sir Francis Drake carry out the second circumnavigation of the world?
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A14th
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B13th
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C17th
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D16th
16th
Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the world occurred between 1577 and 1580.
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