Lesson 3

3 The effects of the Cultural Revolution Quiz: Pearson Edexcel History, Unit 16

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 3, The effects of the Cultural Revolution: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel GCSE History (1HI0), Unit 16: Mao’s China, 1945–76, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. Which senior politicians were famously purged during the Cultural Revolution?

    • Zhou and Zhu
    • Peng and Lin
    • Chen and Hua
    • Liu and Deng

  2. What official role did Lin Biao hold before falling from power?

    • Foreign minister
    • Party chairman
    • Defence minister
    • Chief judge

  3. In what year did Lin Biao die following his fallout with Mao?

    • 1971
    • 1966
    • 1976
    • 1969

  4. What was a key economic effect of the Cultural Revolution?

    • Trade booms
    • Rapid growth
    • Industrial stagnation
    • Surplus wealth

  5. What happened to schools and universities during the Cultural Revolution?

    • Modern exams
    • Expanded terms
    • Widespread closures
    • Higher funding

  6. What was the main aim of the 'send-down' movement?

    • Army training
    • Rural labour
    • Overseas study
    • Factory work

  7. What major impact did the party purges have during the Cultural Revolution?

    • Boosted production
    • Disrupted leadership
    • StRENGTHENED ECONOMY
    • Increased efficiency

  8. Which institution gained significant political influence by restoring order in 1968?

    • Red Guards
    • Peasant unions
    • Secret Police
    • The PLA

  9. What was the economic consequence of sending skilled engineers to the countryside?

    • Increased exports
    • Industrial disruption
    • Rapid growth
    • Technological boom

  10. A doctor is sent to a rural commune to work in the fields. Which policy is this?

    • Great Leap Forward
    • Three antis
    • Hundred Flowers
    • Send-down movement

  11. The targeting of teachers and professionals showed purges reached which group?

    • Rural farmers
    • Foreign diplomats
    • Only top leaders
    • Ordinary professionals

  12. What was the primary local effect of removing experienced administrators?

    • Better planning
    • Administrative failure
    • Improved budgets
    • Faster growth

  13. Which body increased its control over government and society by 1968?

    • Peasant councils
    • The capitalists
    • Foreign powers
    • The army

  14. Running government ministries with fewer experts resulted in what?

    • Reduced productivity
    • Surplus wealth
    • Higher output
    • Modernisation

  15. What was the tragic human cost of the political purges?

    • Increased wages
    • Widespread persecution
    • Better healthcare
    • Universal housing

  16. How were traditional arts and cultural institutions treated?

    • Expanded rapidly
    • Attacked and suppressed
    • Protected globally
    • Heavily funded

  17. Why did the purges cause long-term damage to governance in China?

    • Surplus funding
    • Loss of expertise
    • Foreign invasion
    • Too many schools

  18. Which phrase best describes the overall impact of the Cultural Revolution?

    • Economic miracle
    • Democratic reform
    • Cultural renaissance
    • Severe national damage

  19. What did the sudden political fall of Lin Biao expose?

    • Foreign alliance
    • Economic growth
    • Military unity
    • Leadership rifts

  20. What mood in post-1976 China created a strong demand for reform?

    • Blind loyalty
    • National pride
    • Religious zeal
    • Widespread disillusionment

All Pearson Edexcel History quizzes