Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The river that gave a city its name

The Thames flows through southern England, passing through London on its way to the North Sea. It is often simply called "the Isis" as it runs through Oxford, a name still used by rowers there. The river shaped London's trade and growth for centuries, and its tides once made the city a major port long before railways existed.

From Rhodesia to Zimbabwe

The name Rhodesia honoured Cecil Rhodes, the British imperialist whose company dominated the region in the late 19th century. When the country gained independence in 1980, it took the name Zimbabwe, derived from Great Zimbabwe, the stone ruins of a medieval trading kingdom. The change marked a deliberate break with its colonial past.

A treaty that redrew Europe

The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 helped end the War of the Spanish Succession, a conflict over who should rule Spain and its empire. Among its outcomes, Philip V was recognised as king of Spain, while Britain gained Gibraltar and Menorca. Utrecht is often cited as an early example of a peace settlement built on balance of power.

Don Quixote and the birth of the modern novel

Miguel de Cervantes published the first part of Don Quixote in 1605, in the 17th century, with a sequel following in 1615. The story of a gentleman who reads too many chivalric romances and rides out as a knight has been called one of the first modern novels. Its influence on later fiction is hard to overstate.