History Quiz

Understanding History

• History is the systematic study and documentation of the human past, derived from the Ancient Greek word for inquiry and knowledge acquired by investigation.
• It encompasses past events, memory, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of events.
• Events before the invention of writing systems are considered prehistory.
• Historical sources used by historians include written documents, oral accounts, art, material artifacts, and ecological markers.
• History is an academic discipline that uses narrative to describe, examine, question, and analyze past events, and investigate their patterns of cause and effect.
• Historians debate the best narrative to explain an event and the significance of different causes and effects.
• The nature of history itself is debated, as well as its usefulness in providing perspective on present problems.
• Stories common to a particular culture, but not supported by external sources, are classified as cultural heritage or legends.
• History is supported by verifiable evidence, distinguishing it from myth.
• The modern study of history is wide-ranging, including the study of specific regions and certain topical or thematic elements.
• Ancient cultural influences have shaped variant interpretations of history, which continue to evolve today.
• History is incomplete and still holds debatable mysteries.

Test your knowledge of human past events and historical study methods with this quiz on history. From prehistory to the documentation of significant events, challenge yourself with questions on the systematic study of the past.