Lesson Y8-U02-L04

Living in the Empire Winners and Losers Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 8

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y8-U02-L04, Living in the Empire Winners and Losers: 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. Roughly what fraction of the world's land did Britain rule by 1900?

    • About nine-tenths
    • About a quarter
    • About a tenth
    • About half

  2. What replaced enslaved labour on plantations after slavery was abolished?

    • Machine work
    • Indentured labour
    • Free trade
    • Royal soldiers

  3. What does it mean to 'exploit' a group of people or a territory?

    • Help to develop economically
    • Use unfairly for profit
    • Govern with local consent
    • Protect from foreign rivals

  4. What system bound workers by legal contracts for low pay far from home?

    • Indentured labour
    • Apprenticeship
    • Trade unionism
    • Factory farming

  5. Where did British settlers take fertile land from local peoples, in areas such as the 'White Highlands'?

    • Malta
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • Kenya

  6. Which group gained most from cheap colonial cotton and markets?

    • Colonial weavers
    • British manufacturers
    • Indian farmers
    • African traders

  7. What happened to India's handloom weavers under British rule?

    • Industry was destroyed
    • Wages increased greatly
    • Exports to Britain doubled
    • New technology was given

  8. What was India often called because of its immense value to the British Empire?

    • Golden trading post
    • Anchor of the fleet
    • Heart of the empire
    • Jewel in the crown

  9. Which major 1857 uprising saw Indian soldiers rebel against rule?

    • The Boxer Rebellion
    • The Indian Rebellion
    • The Bengal Rising
    • The Sepoy Peace

  10. Which type of resistance involved refusing to buy British goods?

    • Everyday resistance
    • Protest and boycotts
    • Armed uprising
    • Leaders and writers

  11. What was a key example of everyday resistance in the empire?

    • Paying taxes early
    • Keeping own culture
    • Joining colonial armies
    • Signing new treaties

  12. Which group of people in India mainly lost out due to heavy taxes and export of grain during famines?

    • Indian farmers
    • Company officials
    • British merchants
    • Railway owners

  13. Why might a British official write that empire brought progress?

    • To criticise government policy
    • To encourage local protests
    • To record accurate history
    • To justify rule

  14. What did Dadabhai Naoroji's drain of wealth theory argue?

    • Britain impoverished India
    • India owed no taxes
    • India drained British taxes
    • Britain enriched India

  15. Why were colonial railways considered a tool of control?

    • Stopped all trade
    • Brought free tickets
    • Moved troops
    • Only helped locals

  16. What determines whether an historical event is called a mutiny or a war?

    • Weapon types
    • Exact dates
    • Death tolls
    • Different viewpoints

  17. What action showed resistance by educated colonial leaders?

    • Demanding rights
    • Joining the army
    • Accepting rule quietly
    • Paying extra taxes

  18. Which fact shows British settlers were winners from the empire?

    • Paying high rents
    • Taking fertile land
    • Losing all farms
    • Working as slaves

  19. Why do historians use a balanced judgement frame for the British Empire?

    • Simple moral truths
    • Varied local impacts
    • Total economic ruin
    • Universal benefits

  20. What major loss did indentured workers suffer across the British Empire?

    • Primary education
    • Personal freedom
    • Religious beliefs
    • Cultural language

All KS3 History quizzes