Pirates & Privateers Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- According to accounts of the time, what did Blackbeard tuck into his beard to frighten his victims?
- A. Lit cannon fuses
- B. Shark teeth
- C. Gold coins
- D. Parrot feathers
- In 1711, the Saint-Malo privateer Duguay-Trouin seized a major Portuguese colonial city. Which one?
- A. Lisbon
- B. Havana
- C. Rio de Janeiro
- D. Cartagena de Indias
- Which port did the famous privateer Jean Bart come from?
- A. Saint-Malo
- B. Dunkirk
- C. Bayonne
- D. Marseille
- Which famous buccaneer lent his name to a well-known brand of rum?
- A. Blackbeard
- B. Henry Morgan
- C. Jean Lafitte
- D. William Kidd
- In which captain's crew did the pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read sail?
- A. Blackbeard
- B. Bartholomew Roberts
- C. Calico Jack Rackham
- D. Henry Morgan
- What did the "articles" signed by pirate crews before sailing often provide for?
- A. A fixed monthly wage
- B. Compensation for injury, such as losing an arm
- C. A pension paid by the king
- D. A ban on sharing the loot
- How was the captain of a pirate ship usually chosen?
- A. He was appointed by the king
- B. He was drawn by lot
- C. He bought his position from the highest bidder
- D. He was elected by the crew
- Which town in the Bahamas was nicknamed the "Republic of Pirates" in the early 18th century?
- A. Freeport
- B. Kingston
- C. Bridgetown
- D. Nassau
- What disaster swallowed much of Port Royal, a buccaneer haven in Jamaica, in 1692?
- A. A huge fire
- B. A plague epidemic
- C. An earthquake
- D. An attack by the Spanish fleet
- Tortuga, a famous buccaneer haven in the 17th century, lies off the coast of which present-day country?
- A. Cuba
- B. Haiti
- C. Jamaica
- D. Puerto Rico
- In Peter Pan, what has the crocodile chasing Captain Hook swallowed, giving away its approach with a tick-tock?
- A. A clock
- B. A compass
- C. A miniature cannon
- D. A music box
- Which disease, the terror of sailors on long voyages, was caused by a lack of vitamin C?
- A. Malaria
- B. Plague
- C. Scurvy
- D. Leprosy
- According to an often-cited but unproven theory, why might a pirate have worn a patch over a healthy eye?
- A. To aim a musket better
- B. To protect it from salt
- C. To pass himself off as a war veteran
- D. To keep one eye adapted to the dark when going below decks
- Which Southeast Asian strait, one of the busiest in the world, has historically been exposed to piracy?
- A. The Strait of Gibraltar
- B. The Bering Strait
- C. The Strait of Malacca
- D. The Bosphorus
- Which international text abolished privateering, that is letters of marque, in 1856?
- A. The Treaty of Versailles
- B. The Declaration of Paris
- C. The Geneva Convention
- D. The Treaty of Utrecht
- Which Breton town is nicknamed the "Privateer City"?
- A. Brest
- B. Lorient
- C. Quimper
- D. Saint-Malo
- According to legend, what did the pirate La Buse throw into the crowd just before being hanged on Réunion in 1730?
- A. His wooden leg
- B. A cryptogram leading to his treasure
- C. A purse full of rubies
- D. His parrot
- What date was chosen for "International Talk Like a Pirate Day"?
- A. 1 April
- B. 19 September
- C. 31 October
- D. 13 June
- Captured by pirates around 75 BC, which young Roman demanded that his ransom be raised, then came back to have them executed?
- A. Cicero
- B. Nero
- C. Mark Antony
- D. Julius Caesar
- In 67 BC, which Roman general cleared the Mediterranean of pirates in just a few months?
- A. Pompey
- B. Scipio Africanus
- C. Julius Caesar
- D. Agrippa
Answer key — Pirates & Privateers Quiz
- A. Lit cannon fusesAccording to "A General History of the Pyrates" (1724), he placed slow-burning lit fuses under his hat and in his beard, wreathing himself in smoke.
- C. Rio de JaneiroRené Duguay-Trouin took Rio de Janeiro in 1711 and extracted a huge ransom.
- B. DunkirkBorn in Dunkirk in 1650, Jean Bart harassed Dutch and English fleets for Louis XIV, who ennobled him.
- B. Henry MorganThe Captain Morgan brand, launched in the 20th century, is inspired by Henry Morgan.
- C. Calico Jack RackhamAnne Bonny and Mary Read were part of John "Calico Jack" Rackham's crew.
- B. Compensation for injury, such as losing an armThese contracts set out how the loot was shared, along with a kind of insurance: in Henry Morgan's articles, losing a right arm was worth 600 pieces of eight.
- D. He was elected by the crewOn many pirate ships, the captain was elected and could be removed by a vote.
- D. NassauBetween about 1706 and 1718, Nassau was a base for hundreds of pirates, including Blackbeard and Calico Jack.
- C. An earthquakeOn 7 June 1692, an earthquake sent a large part of the town sliding into the sea.
- B. HaitiLocated north of Hispaniola, Tortuga owes its name to its shape, which resembles a turtle shell.
- A. A clockThe crocodile has already tasted Hook's hand and wants more.
- C. ScurvyBleeding gums, falling teeth, extreme fatigue: scurvy killed thousands of sailors.
- D. To keep one eye adapted to the dark when going below decksWhen moving suddenly from the sunlit deck to the dark lower deck, the covered eye would already be adjusted.
- C. The Strait of MalaccaBetween Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, the Strait of Malacca carries a huge share of world maritime trade.
- B. The Declaration of ParisSigned at the end of the Crimean War, the 1856 Declaration of Paris banned privateering between signatory states.
- D. Saint-MaloHome of Surcouf and Duguay-Trouin, Saint-Malo grew rich from privateering and long-distance trade.
- B. A cryptogram leading to his treasureOlivier Levasseur, known as La Buse ("the Buzzard"), supposedly shouted "My treasure to whoever can find it!" as he threw a coded message.
- B. 19 SeptemberInvented in 1995 by two Americans for fun, the day became famous in 2002 thanks to a humour columnist.
- D. Julius CaesarAccording to Plutarch, Caesar found a ransom of 20 talents too low for a man of his rank and demanded 50.
- A. PompeyGiven exceptional powers by the Gabinian law, Pompey divided the Mediterranean into sectors and cleared the sea in about three months.