Egyptian History Quiz

Question: Which diplomat is best known for his construction of the Suez Canal?

Answer: Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat, is famous for building the Suez Canal across the Isthmus of Suez (1859–69) in Egypt.

Question: Which Egyptian president was assassinated by extremists while he was reviewing a military parade in 1981?

Answer: Anwar Sadat was president of Egypt from 1970 until his death in 1981. He was assassinated by extremists while reviewing a military parade commemorating the Yom Kippur War.

Question: Which U.S. president orchestrated the end of the state of war between Egypt and Israel in the 1970s?

Answer: In 1978 Jimmy Carter brought together Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland, and secured their agreement to the Camp David Accords, which ended the state of war that had existed between the two countries since Israel's founding in 1948.

Question: Which king of Egypt during the 13th century BCE is known for his extensive building programs and the many colossal statues of him?

Answer: Ramses II, also called Ramses the Great, is known for his extensive building programs and for the many colossal statues of him found all over Egypt. He was the third king of the 19th dynasty of Egypt; his reign, which lasted from 1279 to 1213 BCE, was the second longest in Egyptian history.

Question: Which Egyptian monarch’s tomb was discovered intact by Howard Carter in 1922?

Answer: Tutankhamen (reigned 1333–23 BCE) is known chiefly for his intact tomb discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.

Question: Which ancient Egyptian king established a cult to Aton, a sun god?

Answer: Akhenaten, who was king of Egypt from 1353 to 1336 BCE, established a new cult dedicated to the Aton, the sun’s disk. The name Akhenaten means “One Useful to Aton.”

Question: Who is the legendary king credited with joining Upper and Lower Egypt in a single centralized monarchy?

Answer: Menes is, according to tradition, the first king of unified Egypt. He is credited with joining Upper and Lower Egypt in a single centralized monarchy, but a monarch called Menes likely did not exist.

Question: Which linguist played a major role in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics?

Answer: Jean-François Champollion was a French historian and linguist who played a major role in the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Question: Which ruler of Egypt disappeared in 1021 and is revered by members of the Druze religion?

Answer: Al-Ḥākim was the sixth ruler of the Egyptian Fāṭimid dynasty. He is held by adherents of the Druze religion to be a divine incarnation.