Lesson Y8-U02-L01

What Is an Empire Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 8

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y8-U02-L01, What Is an Empire: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 History (National Curriculum), Unit 8: Year 8: Empire, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. In what year was the East India Company founded by royal charter?

    • 1757
    • 1858
    • 1600
    • 1607

  2. Which queen granted the East India Company its royal charter?

    • Queen Anne
    • Queen Elizabeth I
    • Queen Mary I
    • Queen Victoria

  3. What term describes when one single company has total control over a trade?

    • Empire
    • Monopoly
    • Tariff
    • Colony

  4. What term describes a foreign land settled and controlled by a more powerful country?

    • Monopoly
    • Colony
    • Protectorate
    • Ally

  5. Which battle in 1757 let the East India Company begin ruling Bengal?

    • Battle of Plassey
    • Battle of Trafalgar
    • Battle of Culloden
    • Battle of Hastings

  6. Who led the Company's army at the Battle of Plassey?

    • Matthew Hopkins
    • Thomas Cromwell
    • Robert Clive
    • Francis Drake

  7. Which two goods were not grown in Britain and sold for high prices?

    • Wool and cheese
    • Coal and iron
    • Potatoes and wheat
    • Tea and spices

  8. What was the primary role of the Royal Navy in building the British Empire?

    • Explore new rivers
    • Build inland roads
    • Collect land taxes
    • Protect trade ships

  9. Why was being an island advantageous for building the British Empire?

    • Abundant tropical farmland
    • Immunity from all diseases
    • Constant warm weather
    • Navigational access and defence

  10. Where was the first permanent English colony founded in 1607?

    • Roanoke Island
    • Jamestown, Virginia
    • Plymouth, Massachusetts
    • New York City

  11. For how long did the Queen's charter give the East India Company its monopoly?

    • Forever
    • 150 years
    • 15 years
    • 1 year

  12. What does the historical phrase 'Britannia rules the waves' refer to?

    • Naval shipbuilding limits
    • Merchant fishing rights
    • Royal Navy dominance
    • Coastal tidal power

  13. Why could merchants charge very high prices for rare imported goods?

    • High shipping wages
    • Scarcity drove huge profits
    • Government tax laws
    • Expensive packaging materials

  14. What major power did the East India Company hold that made it dangerous?

    • Private army
    • Royal veto power
    • Monopoly on printing
    • Global tax exemption

  15. How did the East India Company expand beyond simple trading posts in India?

    • Peaceful democratic elections
    • Direct royal annexation
    • Forts and private armies
    • Religious missionary work

  16. Why should historians treat Source B with caution regarding wealth in India?

    • Translated from French
    • Written a century later
    • Company bias
    • Completely fictional author

  17. Why did early British traders rely on local Indian rulers?

    • Lack of ships
    • Direct royal orders
    • Military occupation
    • Strong governance

  18. What was the typical historical pattern of British empire-building?

    • Military invasion to treaty
    • Colony to temporary fort
    • Missionary outpost to city
    • Trade post to colony

  19. Who primarily drove the growth of the early British Empire?

    • Christian missionaries
    • Merchants chasing profit
    • Elected politicians
    • The reigning monarchs

  20. What made the sea Britain's greatest asset for empire building?

    • Mining resources
    • Fishing industries
    • Climate control
    • Trade and navy

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