Lesson 3

3 The dissolution of the monasteries Quiz: Pearson Edexcel History, Unit 7

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3, The dissolution of the monasteries: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel GCSE History (1HI0), Unit 7: Henry VIII and his ministers, 1509–40, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What was the 1535 Valor Ecclesiasticus?

    • Monastic census
    • Church wealth survey
    • Tax exemption form
    • Heresy trial list

  2. What task did Thomas Cromwell give his commissioners to do in 1535?

    • Draft new laws
    • Imprison Catholic bishops
    • Inspect monasteries
    • Collect church taxes

  3. When were the smaller monasteries dissolved by Act of Parliament?

    • 1539
    • 1536
    • 1541
    • 1534

  4. Which abbey's abbot was executed in 1539 after the dissolution?

    • Furness
    • Glastonbury
    • Fountains
    • Whitby

  5. Which major group gained the most land from the dissolution?

    • Foreign merchants
    • Nobles and gentry
    • Peasant farmers
    • Foreign mercenaries

  6. Who suffered most from the loss of charity due to dissolution?

    • The poor
    • Wealthy merchants
    • Royal judges
    • Town mayors

  7. What was a primary motive for Henry VIII dissolving the monasteries?

    • Military alliances
    • Agricultural reform
    • Financial gain
    • Foreign conquest

  8. Which 1536 Act ordered the closure of smaller monasteries?

    • Dissolution of Abbeys Act
    • Act for greater houses
    • Act for lesser monasteries
    • Monastic Suppression Act

  9. What community service was commonly lost alongside monasteries?

    • Parish churches
    • Local courts
    • University colleges
    • Schools and hospitals

  10. What typically happened to buildings after monasteries were dissolved?

    • Turned into palaces
    • Sold or demolished
    • Given to bishops
    • Used as armouries

  11. Whose famous shrine at Canterbury was destroyed in 1538?

    • St Augustine
    • Thomas Becket
    • Edward the Confessor
    • St Dunstan

  12. What was the main target of the 1538 royal injunctions?

    • Shrines and relics
    • Bishoprics
    • Parish tithes
    • Monastic libraries

  13. What financial provision did displaced nuns usually receive?

    • Pensions
    • Free farmland
    • Lump sum grants
    • Tax exemptions

  14. Which parliamentary body enabled the swift dissolution of monasteries?

    • Convocation of Canterbury
    • A compliant Parliament
    • The Privy Council
    • A hostile Parliament

  15. Who became the new owners of former monastic lands?

    • Foreign investors
    • The Catholic Church
    • Local peasant communes
    • The crown and supporters

  16. Which group suffered most from the loss of monastic hospitality?

    • Parish clergy
    • Foreign diplomats
    • Wealthy merchants
    • Travellers and the poor

  17. What immediate effect did the dissolution have on the royal treasury?

    • Increased royal funds
    • Reduced tax revenue
    • Bankrupted the crown
    • Increased national debt

  18. Why did religious reformers view monasteries negatively?

    • Anti-monarchical
    • Too politically weak
    • 过于贫困
    • Wasteful and papal

  19. What did the 1535 church visitation commissions produce?

    • Monastic deeds
    • Tax registers
    • Enclosure maps
    • Valor Ecclesiasticus

  20. How did the dissolution permanently alter English towns and villages?

    • Created new universities
    • Destroyed city walls
    • Expanded royal palaces
    • Removed religious houses

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