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High School History Quiz Questions

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Question 1

Who is this pictured iconic figure?

  • A
    Albert Einstein
  • B
    Sigmund Freud
  • C
    Thomas Edison
  • D
    Franklin D. Roosevelt

Question 2

Lincoln is known as one of the most eloquent presidents in U.S. history. What did Lincoln's "Emancipation Proclamation" do?

  • A
    Declared freedom for slaves
  • B
    Declared war
  • C
    Declared unity in the United States
  • D
    Declared the need for speed

Question 3

This was the site of both a massacre and a tea party in the growing rebellion. Name that city.

  • A
    Providence
  • B
    Boston
  • C
    Salt Lake City
  • D
    New York City

Question 4

Which historical figure is in this picture?

  • A
    Christopher Marlowe
  • B
    Thomas Middleton
  • C
    Euripides
  • D
    William Shakespeare

Question 5

Although Henry Ford didn't invent the assembly line, he pioneered its use in the production of which form of transport?

  • A
    Bikes
  • B
    Boats
  • C
    Trains
  • D
    Cars

Question 6

Can you name this pictured historical figure?

  • A
    Nelson Mandela
  • B
    Morgan Freeman
  • C
    Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • D
    Mohandas Gandhi

Question 7

Who is this pictured American historical figure?

  • A
    Benjamin Franklin
  • B
    Alexander Hamilton
  • C
    Robert E. Lee
  • D
    John Adams

Question 8

Who is this pictured famous historical figure?

  • A
    John F. Kennedy
  • B
    Bill Clinton
  • C
    Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • D
    Ronald Reagan

Question 9

Which historical figure is in this pictured?

  • A
    Edgar Allan Poe
  • B
    Richard Nixon
  • C
    Jimmy Carter
  • D
    Ronald Reagan

Question 10

When British troops came to seize arms in Boston in 1775, who famously sounded the alarm?

  • A
    Alexander Hamilton
  • B
    John Adams
  • C
    Paul Revere
  • D
    Will Ferrell

Question 11

The Wright brothers pioneered aviation and changed the world. What were their first names?

  • A
    Samuel and Hubert
  • B
    James and Herbert
  • C
    Orville and Wilbur
  • D
    George and Clancy

Question 12

Before World War Two, World War One was known as what?

  • A
    The Serbian Conflict
  • B
    The Great War
  • C
    The Gas War
  • D
    The Balkan War

Question 13

The United States and the Soviet Union, formerly allies in World War Two, faced conflict in the next several decades. What was the name of this conflict?

  • A
    Cuban Missile Crisis
  • B
    Thirty Years' War
  • C
    Cold War
  • D
    Russian Revolution

Question 14

Which man's name became synonymous with "traitor" after he spied for the British?

  • A
    Paul Revere
  • B
    Benedict Arnold
  • C
    John Burgoyne
  • D
    John Adams

Question 15

Daniel Boone is a pioneer and frontiersman famous for settling which American state?

  • A
    Kentucky
  • B
    Virginia
  • C
    Massachusetts
  • D
    Vermont

Question 16

Benjamin Franklin had an impressive CV that included titles like postmaster, politician, freemason, inventor, and diplomat. Which vision-improvement aid is he credited with inventing?

  • A
    Contact lenses
  • B
    Anti-glare lenses
  • C
    Bifocal lenses
  • D
    Progressive lenses

Question 17

Which legendary scientist is pictured here?

  • A
    Charles Darwin
  • B
    Marie Curie
  • C
    Dwight Eisenhower
  • D
    Nikola Tesla

Question 18

Battlefield nurse Clara Barton founded which institute as a result of the Civil War, which is still going strong today?

  • A
    Google
  • B
    UNICEF
  • C
    Salvation Army
  • D
    American Red Cross

Question 19

What international body was created at the end of World War Two to try to prevent something like world war from happening again?

  • A
    North Atlantic Free Trade Organization
  • B
    United Nations
  • C
    European Union
  • D
    Warsaw Pact

Question 20

Many soldiers returning from war suffered from what today we call PTSD. What was the medical term used then?

  • A
    Trench malaise
  • B
    Shell shock
  • C
    War fever
  • D
    Brittle from battle

Question 21

2% of the entire U.S. population died as a result of the Civil War. What was the war's bloodiest battle?

  • A
    Seven Days Battle
  • B
    Battle of Gettysburg
  • C
    Battle of Shiloh
  • D
    Overland Campaign

Question 22

Which historic document concerning slavery did President Abraham Lincoln sign on January 1, 1863?

  • A
    Gettysburg Address
  • B
    14th Amendment
  • C
    Emancipation Proclamation
  • D
    Articles of Confederation

Question 23

Which famous historical figure is in this picture?

  • A
    Malcolm X
  • B
    Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • C
    Michael Jordan
  • D
    Louis Farrakhan

Question 24

Which rockstar fronted the first female-led raid to free slaves during the Civil War?

  • A
    Jesse Freeman
  • B
    Harriet Tubman
  • C
    Sojourner Truth
  • D
    John Goodman

Question 25

Cartoons featuring Road Runner and Wyle E. Coyote just wouldn't be the same without this mind-blowing Alfred Nobel invention. What was it?

  • A
    Fireworks
  • B
    Dynamite
  • C
    Gun powder
  • D
    Hand grenades

Question 26

Legendary bandleader Duke Ellington and countless other jazz greats got their start at New York's Cotton Club. In which neighborhood would you have found the iconic club?

  • A
    Wall Street
  • B
    Lenox Hill
  • C
    Harlem
  • D
    South Bronx

Question 27

Who is the iconic figure pictured here?

  • A
    Vladimir Putin
  • B
    Joseph Stalin
  • C
    George W. Bush
  • D
    Fidel Castro

Question 28

The First World War ended with victory for the United States, Britain, France, and their allies. What was the name of the treaty that ended the war, and imposed enormous burdens on the losers?

  • A
    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
  • B
    Treaty of London
  • C
    Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
  • D
    Versailles Treaty

Question 29

Who is this gentleman, appointed commander of the Continental Army in 1775?

  • A
    Thomas Jefferson
  • B
    Samuel Adams
  • C
    Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • D
    George Washington

Question 30

King Louis XVI was born Louis-Auguste in 1754. Which member of Austrian Royalty did he marry in 1770?

  • A
    Marie Antoinette
  • B
    Anna Helena
  • C
    Maria Theresa
  • D
    Elizabeth Carolina

Question 31

Mary, Queen of Scots was James V of Scotland's only surviving legitimate child. By what other name was she commonly known?

  • A
    Mary Stuart
  • B
    Mary Rogers
  • C
    Mary Brown
  • D
    Mary Jones

Question 32

French industrialist Edouard Michelin's most famous invention was revolutionary (no pun intended!) - his name lives on to this day in a popular brand name. Which car accessory did he invent?

  • A
    Detachable pneumatic tires
  • B
    Car alarm
  • C
    Rear vision mirror
  • D
    Hazard lights

Question 33

There was more than one assassination attempt on President Lincoln's life. An attempted assassination in 1863 left a hole through what piece of his clothing?

  • A
    Through his sleeve
  • B
    Through his hat
  • C
    Through his boots
  • D
    Through his handkerchief

Question 34

What historical figure is in this picture?

  • A
    Ulysses S. Grant
  • B
    Albert Einstein
  • C
    Thomas Edison
  • D
    Robert E. Lee

Question 35

Alexander Fleming was a biologist and pharmacologist by trade, but his most famous discovery was accidental and changed medicine forever. Which substance did he identify and isolate?

  • A
    Penicillin
  • B
    Aspirin
  • C
    Valium
  • D
    Paracetamol

Question 36

Which of these is true about the infamous Tuskegee Experiment, the 40-year, secret syphilis study on 400 black men conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service?

  • A
    At the study's end, 128 men had died from syphilis.
  • B
    The subjects were never treated, even after a cure existed.
  • C
    The subjects were told they were being treated for "bad blood."
  • D
    All of the above.

Question 37

Rudolf Diesel lent his name to the mechanical device that became his most famous invention. What type of device was it?

  • A
    Electric battery
  • B
    Engine
  • C
    Spark plug
  • D
    Printing press

Question 38

Jacques Cartier is noted for his exploration of inland America, and for giving Canada its name. What nationality was he?

  • A
    Swedish
  • B
    Dutch
  • C
    Swiss
  • D
    French

Question 39

What plantation of George Washington's was nearly destroyed by the British?

  • A
    Whitney Plantation
  • B
    Mount Vernon
  • C
    Graceland
  • D
    Monticello

Question 40

The United States did not declare war until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. What date did this occur in 1941?

  • A
    6-Jun
  • B
    7-Dec
  • C
    11-Dec
  • D
    7-Nov

Question 41

The Civil War kicked off down South. Where, exactly, did it begin?

  • A
    First Battle of Bull Run
  • B
    Fort Sumter
  • C
    Portland
  • D
    Fredericksburg

Question 42

Who is this pictured historical figure?

  • A
    Margaret Thatcher
  • B
    Florence Nightingale
  • C
    Rosa Parks
  • D
    Harriet Tubman

Question 43

This legendary actor broke through the race barrier by becoming the first black artist to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.

  • A
    Harry Belafonte
  • B
    Louis Gossett Jr.
  • C
    James Earl Jones
  • D
    Sidney Poitier

Question 44

The Molotov Ribbentrop Pact was an agreement of nonaggression between which two countries? It was violated by one of them shortly thereafter.

  • A
    France and Germany
  • B
    Germany and Soviet Union
  • C
    Soviet Union and United States
  • D
    France and Britain

Question 45

Which of these military weapons was NOT used during WWI?

  • A
    Chemical weapons
  • B
    Machine guns
  • C
    Trench warfare
  • D
    Nuclear weapons

Question 46

Which famous historical figure is pictured here?

  • A
    Florence Nightingale
  • B
    Eleanor Roosevelt
  • C
    Rosa Parks
  • D
    Marie Curie

Question 47

David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary. He is best known, however, for his exploration of which continent?

  • A
    Asia
  • B
    Africa
  • C
    Europe
  • D
    Australia

Question 48

When American men went abroad to fight in the war, American women worked on the home front. Not only did they keep up businesses and raise families; now they worked as nurses or in munitions factories and shipyards to support the war effort. What was the cultural icon that inspired and encouraged such work?

  • A
    Eleanor Roosevelt
  • B
    Marilyn Monroe
  • C
    Rosie the Riveter
  • D
    Wonder Woman

Question 49

Queen Isabella of Castile was married to Ferdinand II of Aragon. Their marriage prompted the unification of which European country?

  • A
    Greece
  • B
    Italy
  • C
    Spain
  • D
    Portugal

Question 50

Henry Hudson was an English explorer, but is well known for his exploration of which country?

  • A
    Canada
  • B
    Scotland
  • C
    Wales
  • D
    Spain

Question 51

Which Asian king's life became part of subject of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical 'The King and I'?

  • A
    King Norodom of Cambodia
  • B
    King Tsangpa of Tibet
  • C
    King Zhao of Vietnam
  • D
    King Mongkut of Siam

Question 52

What was the primary beef between the colonists and the Crown?

  • A
    Taxes
  • B
    Accents
  • C
    Tariffs
  • D
    Laws

Question 53

Edmund Hillary was an explorer and mountaineer of New Zealander origin. Which mountain did he famously climb with Tenzing Norgay in the 1950's?

  • A
    Table Mountain
  • B
    Mt Everest
  • C
    Mt Fuji
  • D
    Mt Kilimanjaro

Question 54

This former slave became one the most influential abolitionists of the 19th century.

  • A
    Nat Turner
  • B
    Ulysses S. Grant
  • C
    Frederick Douglass
  • D
    Dred Scott

Question 55

"All's well that ends well." What is considered the final major battle of the war?

  • A
    Battle of Stalingrad
  • B
    Battle of Yorktown
  • C
    Battle of Cowpens
  • D
    Battle of Princeton

Question 56

Cleopatra reigned over Egypt for 21 years. She is believed to have taken her own life by inducing the bite of which animal?

  • A
    Scorpion
  • B
    Asp
  • C
    Spider
  • D
    Stingray

Question 57

Which empire did NOT collapse at the end of WWI?

  • A
    British Empire
  • B
    Germany
  • C
    Austria-Hungary
  • D
    Ottoman Empire

Question 58

Which baseball legend broke the sport's color line by becoming the first African American to play in the Major Leagues?

  • A
    Hank Aaron
  • B
    Jackie Robinson
  • C
    Willie Mays
  • D
    Jesse Owens

Question 59

Anne Boleyn was a key figure in the English Reformation. Following her trial for adultery, witchcraft and conspiracy, she was executed on the grounds of which English landmark?

  • A
    Tower of London
  • B
    Westminster Abbey
  • C
    Blackpool Tower
  • D
    The Famous Castle

Question 60

The Pacific Theater of the war took a turn when American forces defeated the Japanese in this battle.

  • A
    Guadalcanal
  • B
    Wake Island
  • C
    Midway
  • D
    Coral Sea

Question 61

WWI began with the assassination of which person?

  • A
    Archduke Franz Ferdinand
  • B
    Winston Churchill
  • C
    Czar Nicholas II
  • D
    David Lloyd George

Question 62

Sir Walter Raleigh was, among other things, a poet, soldier, and explorer. He famously led two expeditions in search of which precious substance?

  • A
    Gold
  • B
    Diamonds
  • C
    Silver
  • D
    Bronze

Question 63

The Pacific war ended when the Japanese refused to surrender, and President Truman dropped the newly-developed atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What was the name of the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima?

  • A
    Lady Southern Cross
  • B
    Spirit of St. Louis
  • C
    Double Eagle II
  • D
    Enola Gay

Question 64

Victoria became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland in 1837. Which additional title did she adopt in 1876?

  • A
    Baroness of Dubai
  • B
    Empress of India
  • C
    Archduchess of Africa
  • D
    Duchess of Siam

Question 65

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?

  • A
    Malaysia
  • B
    Japan
  • C
    Singapore
  • D
    China

Question 66

Which of these was not a battle that occurred during WWI?

  • A
    Canal du Nord
  • B
    Verdun
  • C
    Midway
  • D
    Ypres

Question 67

The Japanese invaded many parts of east Asia to create the Japanese Co-Prosperity Sphere. Which of these is NOT a country that was invaded during WWII?

  • A
    China
  • B
    Cambodia
  • C
    Vietnam
  • D
    Australia

Question 68

King Juan Carlos reigned from 1975 until 2014. Which country's monarchy did he preside over?

  • A
    Spain
  • B
    Luxembourg
  • C
    Sweden
  • D
    Monaco

Question 69

Harriet Tubman was the most productive conductor on the Underground Railroad. What was her codename?

  • A
    Jesus
  • B
    Moses
  • C
    Fred
  • D
    Jehovah

Question 70

Which historical figure is pictured here?

  • A
    Thomas Edison
  • B
    Albert Einstein
  • C
    Nikola Tesla
  • D
    Dwight Eisenhower

Question 71

What battle, led by General Horatio Gates, is considered one of the biggest turning points in the war?

  • A
    Battle of Okinawa
  • B
    Battle of Harlem Heights
  • C
    Battle of Monmouth
  • D
    Battle of Saratoga

Question 72

During WWI, which country endured a communist revolution that deposed its monarch?

  • A
    Russia
  • B
    Lithuania
  • C
    Ottoman Empire
  • D
    Germany

Question 73

Elizabeth I reigned over England and Ireland from 1558 until her death. Likely due to her childlessness, she was given what nickname?

  • A
    The Barren Queen
  • B
    The Spinster Queen
  • C
    The Virgin Queen
  • D
    The Single Queen

Question 74

What countries were part of the Central Powers alliance?

  • A
    The United States, Austria
  • B
    Britain, France
  • C
    France, Germany
  • D
    Germany, Austria-Hungary

Question 75

What international body was created at the end of WWI?

  • A
    International Monetary Fund
  • B
    League of Nations
  • C
    United Nations
  • D
    European Union

Question 76

Frontiersman Kit Carson is known for several expeditions exploring which American state?

  • A
    Virginia
  • B
    Maine
  • C
    Wisconsin
  • D
    Oregon

Question 77

One of the victors in World War One was sidelined during the treaty discussions, and ended up opposing its former allies in World War Two. Which country was this?

  • A
    Japan
  • B
    United States
  • C
    Britain
  • D
    Austria

Question 78

Who is this political activist, college professor and one-time Black Panthers supporter?

  • A
    Assata Shakur
  • B
    bell hooks
  • C
    Angela Davis
  • D
    Gloria Steinem

Question 79

Numbers matter in war. How big was the Union Army compared to the Confederates?

  • A
    Fifty times the size
  • B
    Half the size
  • C
    A third of the size
  • D
    Twice the size

Question 80

When it was first invented, people called this Alessandro Volta creation the Voltaic pile. What was this powerful object's eventual name?

  • A
    Air compressor
  • B
    Extension cord
  • C
    Hydraulic spring
  • D
    Battery

Question 81

What river did Washington famously cross twice in December of 1776?

  • A
    Delaware River
  • B
    Potomac River
  • C
    The Nile
  • D
    St. Lawrence River

Question 82

Not all soldiers die gloriously in battle. In fact, two-thirds of Civil War soldiers died of what cause?

  • A
    Battle wounds
  • B
    Starvation
  • C
    The Black Plague
  • D
    Disease

Question 83

Which early battle ended in a decided British victory but buoyed American morale?

  • A
    Battle of Trenton
  • B
    Battle of Brandywine
  • C
    Battle of Bunker Hill
  • D
    Battle of the Bulge

Question 84

The 13th Amendment read that โ€œneither slavery nor involuntary servitudeโ€ฆ shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.โ€ What else was declared illegal in the aftermath of the war?

  • A
    Secession
  • B
    Alcohol
  • C
    Taxation without representation
  • D
    Dancing

Question 85

In many cultures, queens are not given the same lavish burial rights as their male counterparts. Which following female bucked that trend and is buried in the Valley of the Kings?

  • A
    Sirikit
  • B
    Boudicca
  • C
    Hatshepsut
  • D
    Norodom

Question 86

Who was president when the United States joined the war?

  • A
    Theodore Roosevelt
  • B
    Woodrow Wilson
  • C
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  • D
    Calvin Coolidge

Question 87

Brilliant botanist and inventor George Washington Carver is well known for discovering many unconventional uses for which humble crop?

  • A
    Barley
  • B
    Peanuts
  • C
    Cotton
  • D
    Wheat

Question 88

William the Conqueror reigned over England for 21 years, despite not being born in England. What nationality was he?

  • A
    Austrian
  • B
    French
  • C
    Mexican
  • D
    British

Question 89

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?

  • A
    Minnow
  • B
    Mayflower
  • C
    Endeavour
  • D
    Merry Widow

Question 90

Where was Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated?

  • A
    Dallas, Texas
  • B
    Atlanta, Georgia
  • C
    Memphis, Tennessee
  • D
    Palm Springs, California

Question 91

What was "40 Acres and a Mule"?

  • A
    A civil rights manifesto.
  • B
    A classic plantation song.
  • C
    A post-Civil War reparations plan.
  • D
    The first published children's book by an African-American author.

Question 92

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz became a queen after marrying King George III. In which country was she born?

  • A
    Germany
  • B
    Hungary
  • C
    France
  • D
    Switzerland

Question 93

Many soldiers wrote poems, plays, and novels to convey the trauma of war. Which of these was about WWI?

  • A
    Animal Farm
  • B
    Ivanhoe
  • C
    The Red Badge of Courage
  • D
    All Quiet on the Western Front

Question 94

Which infamous historical figure is pictured here?

  • A
    Ulysses S. Grant
  • B
    Robert E. Lee
  • C
    George Washington
  • D
    William Henry

Question 95

Eleanor of Aquitaine lived between 1122 and 1204. During her lifetime, she was Queen consort of England and which other country?

  • A
    Austria
  • B
    France
  • C
    Belgium
  • D
    Denmark

Question 96

What was NOT one of the eleven states of the Confederacy?

  • A
    Louisiana
  • B
    West Virginia
  • C
    Virginia
  • D
    Alabama

Question 97

"There will be blood..." Who was the bloodiest general of the war, losing the most soldiers under his command?

  • A
    Ulysses S. Grant
  • B
    Douglas MacArthur
  • C
    Robert E. Lee
  • D
    George Armstrong Custer

Question 98

Mary I became Queen of England and Ireland in 1553. She was the only adult offspring of Henry VIII and which of his wives?

  • A
    Katie Parr
  • B
    Catherine of Aragon
  • C
    Jane Seymour
  • D
    Anne of Cleves

Question 99

Boudicca was Queen of the Iceni tribe of eastern Britain. Shortly before her death, she led an uprising against which empire?

  • A
    British
  • B
    Roman
  • C
    Saxon
  • D
    American

Question 100

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was born in Utrecht in 1967. He is the eldest child of which queen who reigned for 33 years?

  • A
    Beatrix
  • B
    Margerthe
  • C
    Helga
  • D
    Ursula

Comments (342)

We want to hear your feedback! Share your scores and discuss the quiz, but keep it civil.

I didn't expect to do as well as I did.

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A few questions left out very important details. Therefore, it was difficult to accurately answer the questions.

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It still didn't tell me my IQ.

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I guess I did ok considering I only have a sixth grade education

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Hey I got 73 percent not bad for a 87 year old...

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Amazing what I remembered from school over 50 years ago. Enjoy most but get frustrated at myself.

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It showed me how much I have forgotten. It was a challenge.

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It was fun

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Fun, brought back lots of school memories!

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I enjoyed the opportunity. Good memory, 70 is not too old.

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I loved it!

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It was fun

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It was fun.

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IT WAS ALL VISUAL .

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I thought this test was simple l got an (A) not bad for 64 yrs.old.Alot of answers are common Sense.

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Lots of fun !?9

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@user3964008 exactly I think I would have got three questions right if it wasn't for that I pressed the button way too fast

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I missed 2 questions bc the page scrolled as i was selecting the right answers. Grrr

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I like trying them, to see how much I remember. We should do some Bible quizzes too.

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@user4126018 depends on your perspective

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