Lesson Y7-U03-L01

Securing Control Motte-and-Bailey Castles Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y7-U03-L01, Securing Control Motte-and-Bailey Castles: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 History (National Curriculum), Unit 3: Year 7: Norman England, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Where was William crowned king of England?

    • Westminster Abbey
    • Canterbury Cathedral
    • Winchester Cathedral
    • Tower of London

  2. What type of castle did the Normans build quickly across England?

    • Motte-and-bailey
    • Roman fort
    • Stone keep
    • Concentric castle

  3. What was the motte in a Norman castle?

    • Stone wall
    • Earth mound
    • Deep ditch
    • Wooden fence

  4. What was the main purpose of the keep?

    • Kitchen
    • Chapel
    • Lord's residence
    • Stables

  5. What name was given to the enclosed yard below the motte?

    • The bailey
    • The palisade
    • The drawbridge
    • The keep

  6. What was the primary military advantage of a Norman castle?

    • Growing crops
    • Trading goods
    • Housing peasants
    • Dominating local areas

  7. Why were early Norman castles built from earth and wood?

    • Religious laws
    • Better insulation
    • Lack of stone
    • Speed and cost

  8. How many English people, roughly, did the Normans need to control after 1066?

    • About 20 million people
    • About 2 million people
    • About 200,000 people
    • About 2,000 people

  9. What was the main purpose of the ditch and palisade?

    • Growing food
    • Catching fish
    • Storing water
    • Slowing attackers

  10. Why was building a motte 5 to 10 metres high useful?

    • Warmer climate
    • Fighting uphill
    • Easier access
    • Quieter living

  11. How did castles help William maintain control over rebellious regions?

    • Holding royal feasts
    • Quick garrison deployment
    • Bribing local lords
    • Building new roads

  12. Why could a castle serve as a safe refuge for Normans?

    • Defensible walls
    • Secret escape tunnels
    • Peaceful locals
    • Large army inside

  13. Who was typically forced to build early Norman motte-and-bailey castles?

    • Monastic monks
    • English peasants
    • Foreign mercenaries
    • Norman knights

  14. What key role did the castle garrison play beyond living inside?

    • Crushing local revolts
    • Trading with merchants
    • Farming the fields
    • Collecting church tithes

  15. Which castle part held the soldiers, horses and supplies?

    • The bailey
    • The ditch
    • The keep
    • The motte

  16. Which physical feature of a motte-and-bailey castle slowed down attackers?

    • Stone gates
    • Iron portcullis
    • Glass windows
    • Steep motte

  17. Why did building a castle inside a town help Norman lords?

    • To dominate locals
    • To promote trade
    • To house paupers
    • To improve hygiene

  18. What materials made early Norman motte-and-bailey castles quick and cheap?

    • Brick and mortar
    • Mud and thatch
    • Stone and steel
    • Earth and wood

  19. Why did William desperately need castles across England after 1066?

    • Rampant forest fires
    • Harsh winter weather
    • Few Norman soldiers
    • Constant Viking fleets

  20. What was the main purpose of the drawbridge at a castle entrance?

    • Catching fish
    • Controlling access
    • Crossing rivers
    • Generating power

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