Basics of Scottish History Quiz: Modern Edition

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Scottish History in the modern era (since roughly the middle of the 18th century) has been something of a roller-coaster. From the decline of Jacobitism and the beginnings of industrialisation in the 1700s, to the industrialisation and imperial expansion of the 1800s, the huge geopolitical upheavals of the 1900s, and the rise of nationalism in the 2000s, the last 250-or-so years have seen Scotland reshaped and remade again and again.

But how much do YOU know about modern Scotland? From prime ministers and missionaries to literature and sport, our quiz will test you on the basics of Scottish History from the mid-18th century to the present. Good luck!

Created by: Dr Allan Kennedy of Centre for Scottish Culture, Dundee
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  1. Which philosopher, a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment and best known for his "Treatise of Human Nature", died in 1776?
  2. Where in 1786 did David Dale found a cotton mill complex that later became associated with the utopian management philosophy of Robert Owen?
  3. Published in 1790, which poem by Robert Burns centres on a drunk man witnessing a witches' 'Sabbath' in Alloway?
  4. Which politician, a close ally of William Pitt the Younger, was notorious for his tight control of Scottish politics in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?
  5. What was the title of Sir Walter Scott's first historical novel, published anonymously in 1814 to enormous popularity?
  6. In which year did King George IV visit Scotland, the first monarch to do so since 1651?
  7. What is the name given to the major split in the Church of Scotland in 1843, which led to the creation of the Free Church?
  8. In which year did parts of the Highlands begin suffering a devastating potato famine that is often seen as precipitating the most intense phase of the Clearances?
  9. Where was the missionary Mary Slessor born in 1848?
  10. At which battle in 1854 did the Sutherland Highlanders form the much-mythologised 'thin red line' that repulsed an enemy cavalry charge?
  11. Which team did Scotland play in the first international football match, held in 1872?
  12. Which bridge disastrously collapsed during high winds in 1879, causing around 70 deaths?
  13. Which organisation did the former miner and trade unionist Keir Hardie co-found in 1888, serving as its secretary?
  14. Which pioneering female physician, later famous for her work during the First World War, founded the Edinburgh College of Medicine for Women in 1889?
  15. Regarded as one of the most militant Suffragettes, who in 1914 became the first campaigner for female suffrage to endure force-feeding in Scotland?
  16. Who wrote the long Scots poem "A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle" (1926), one of the major works of the 'Scottish Renaissance'?
  17. Which constituency did the SNP's Winnie Ewing unexpectedly win in a by-election in 1967?
  18. When was the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act, which decriminalised private homosexual acts?
  19. Which historical artefact was returned to Scotland in 1996, having been removed to England 700 year before?
  20. Who was sworn in Scotland's inaugural First Minister in 1999?

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