Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 19:00:21 GMT
To tommo, the Middle Ages was the most fascinating period of history.
Here's the second of 3 quizzes that will test your knowledge - and your resourcefulness.....With apologies to Horrible Histories for this spot of plagiarism.
Quiz 2 - on Castles
1 Early castles had walls of wooden stakes that were sharpened to points on top. Wooden castles were often attacked by fire. Defenders tried to stop the wooden walls from burning by doing what?
a) Training up a castle fire brigade;
b) Soaking the walls with their toilet bowls;
c) Covering the walls with leather.
2 Castle walls had shelves on the outside so defenders could climb out and drop something on attackers' heads. What did they usually drop?
a) Boiling oil;
b) Water;
c) Petrol.
3 In warfare both attackers and defenders used huge catapults to fire boulders. A rope was twisted and stretched like elastic, then released. But they didn't have rubber in the Middle Ages....so what were the ropes made from?
a) Human hair;
b) Catgut;
c) Cows' tails.
4 The castle toilet was known as the 'garderobe' because it 'guarded robes' or cared for clothes. But why was a toilet thought to be a good place to keep clothes?
a) Because it was a smaller and warmer room than a bedroom;
b) Hanging clothes around the walls kept draughts off you;
c) The smell kept clothes-eating moths away.
5 The French word 'malvoisin' means 'bad neighbour'. But what meaning did it have in a castle siege?
a) It was a knight who lived near your castle, often visited you and knew all the secret entrances. He was a 'bad neighbour' because he told your enemy your weak spots;
b) It was a tower that was filled with men and pushed up against the castle wall - it became a 'neighbour' to the wall. The men climbed out and attacked.
c) It was a kind of bull, trained to charge anyone who tried to cross his field. If an enemy camped under your walls then you'd let out the 'malvoisin' bulls and they'd chase away these unwanted neighbours.
6 What use was a tortoise to someone attacking a castle?
a) Tortoises were thrown into the castle gardens where they ate all the greenery and the castle defenders starved all the quicker.
b) 'Tortoise' was the name given to a 'shell' that attackers carried over their backs as they tried to dig at the foot of a castle wall.
c) Tortoise shell was cut and polished to make arrowheads. A craftsman could make 24 arrowheads from one tortoise, as well as eat the tortoise afterwards.
7 Stones were catapulted over castle walls to crush people and dead horses to give them disease. What else was thrown?
a) Human heads to terrify defenders;
b) Wild animals to attack defenders;
c) Poisoned wine to kill off defenders.
8 A great lord may have more than one castle. He could move around and live for a few months in each of his castles. How could he stop his castles being robbed while he was away?
a) Leave an armed guard at each castle to keep thieves out;
b) Leave the peasants of the local village to watch the castle - if anything went missing they were punished.
c) He only had one lot of furniture, kitchen fittings, plates and decorations. He took them all with him every time he moved.
9 Some castles had special traps for invaders. What did they do?
a) Opened a hole in the floor and dropped the attacker straight into a dungeon;
b) Opened a gap in the drawbridge and dropped them straight into the moat;
c) Had a collapsible toilet seat that dropped them into the drains.
10 A battering ram could cause a lot of damage to your castle walls. If you couldn't stop the battering then how could you make it less damaging?
a) Throw a box of woodworm over the tip of the ram so they eat it away and it crumbles;
b) Lower a bale of straw over the walls so the ram is battering a straw cushion;
c) Lower ropes over the end of the ram and pull it upwards.
Bonus question 11 Imagine that you are William the Conqueror: you know all about castles because the Normans are the best castle builders in Europe. You build a turf mound (called a motte) and a wooden wall around the top. The problem is, you are about to invade England and attack King Harold. What will you do after you beat him ? You'll be in a foreign country , surrounded by English people who want to see you dead.What you will need is a castle...where can you get a castle from quickly ? Then you have an idea. It's a nutty Norman plan but it might just work. What is it ?
You may answer 3 questions only in any 4-hour period. 1pt for choosing a) b) or c) correctly, with bonus points available for elaboration. Good luck !
Here's the second of 3 quizzes that will test your knowledge - and your resourcefulness.....With apologies to Horrible Histories for this spot of plagiarism.
Quiz 2 - on Castles
1 Early castles had walls of wooden stakes that were sharpened to points on top. Wooden castles were often attacked by fire. Defenders tried to stop the wooden walls from burning by doing what?
a) Training up a castle fire brigade;
b) Soaking the walls with their toilet bowls;
c) Covering the walls with leather.
2 Castle walls had shelves on the outside so defenders could climb out and drop something on attackers' heads. What did they usually drop?
a) Boiling oil;
b) Water;
c) Petrol.
3 In warfare both attackers and defenders used huge catapults to fire boulders. A rope was twisted and stretched like elastic, then released. But they didn't have rubber in the Middle Ages....so what were the ropes made from?
a) Human hair;
b) Catgut;
c) Cows' tails.
4 The castle toilet was known as the 'garderobe' because it 'guarded robes' or cared for clothes. But why was a toilet thought to be a good place to keep clothes?
a) Because it was a smaller and warmer room than a bedroom;
b) Hanging clothes around the walls kept draughts off you;
c) The smell kept clothes-eating moths away.
5 The French word 'malvoisin' means 'bad neighbour'. But what meaning did it have in a castle siege?
a) It was a knight who lived near your castle, often visited you and knew all the secret entrances. He was a 'bad neighbour' because he told your enemy your weak spots;
b) It was a tower that was filled with men and pushed up against the castle wall - it became a 'neighbour' to the wall. The men climbed out and attacked.
c) It was a kind of bull, trained to charge anyone who tried to cross his field. If an enemy camped under your walls then you'd let out the 'malvoisin' bulls and they'd chase away these unwanted neighbours.
6 What use was a tortoise to someone attacking a castle?
a) Tortoises were thrown into the castle gardens where they ate all the greenery and the castle defenders starved all the quicker.
b) 'Tortoise' was the name given to a 'shell' that attackers carried over their backs as they tried to dig at the foot of a castle wall.
c) Tortoise shell was cut and polished to make arrowheads. A craftsman could make 24 arrowheads from one tortoise, as well as eat the tortoise afterwards.
7 Stones were catapulted over castle walls to crush people and dead horses to give them disease. What else was thrown?
a) Human heads to terrify defenders;
b) Wild animals to attack defenders;
c) Poisoned wine to kill off defenders.
8 A great lord may have more than one castle. He could move around and live for a few months in each of his castles. How could he stop his castles being robbed while he was away?
a) Leave an armed guard at each castle to keep thieves out;
b) Leave the peasants of the local village to watch the castle - if anything went missing they were punished.
c) He only had one lot of furniture, kitchen fittings, plates and decorations. He took them all with him every time he moved.
9 Some castles had special traps for invaders. What did they do?
a) Opened a hole in the floor and dropped the attacker straight into a dungeon;
b) Opened a gap in the drawbridge and dropped them straight into the moat;
c) Had a collapsible toilet seat that dropped them into the drains.
10 A battering ram could cause a lot of damage to your castle walls. If you couldn't stop the battering then how could you make it less damaging?
a) Throw a box of woodworm over the tip of the ram so they eat it away and it crumbles;
b) Lower a bale of straw over the walls so the ram is battering a straw cushion;
c) Lower ropes over the end of the ram and pull it upwards.
Bonus question 11 Imagine that you are William the Conqueror: you know all about castles because the Normans are the best castle builders in Europe. You build a turf mound (called a motte) and a wooden wall around the top. The problem is, you are about to invade England and attack King Harold. What will you do after you beat him ? You'll be in a foreign country , surrounded by English people who want to see you dead.What you will need is a castle...where can you get a castle from quickly ? Then you have an idea. It's a nutty Norman plan but it might just work. What is it ?
You may answer 3 questions only in any 4-hour period. 1pt for choosing a) b) or c) correctly, with bonus points available for elaboration. Good luck !
