Why did people heat their homes without chimneys?
- AThey did not know how to build chimneys
- BMore heat stayed inside, and the smoke dried the walls
- CThere were no bricks
Answer: B. A chimney was expensive, and while a house had just one room, its benefits were not obvious.
What replaced soap in household laundry?
- AWood ash solution
- BVinegar
- CRiver sand
Answer: A. Soap was expensive, while ash was found in every home.
Why did full-body washing not happen every week?
- APeople thought water was harmful to the skin
- BHot water required a great deal of manual labor
- CSoap could only be used on holidays
Answer: B. Water had to be carried and heated, so a full wash required hours of labor and firewood.
How was the night structured in early modern European sources?
- AShort sleeps throughout the day
- BOne long sleep until dawn
- CTwo periods of sleep with wakefulness between them
Answer: C. The phrases "first sleep" and "second sleep" appear in texts matter-of-factly, as something everyone understood.
Why was sleep often split into two parts in the past?
- APeople deliberately trained themselves to wake up
- BNight work required frequent breaks
- CLong darkness stretched sleep across the night
Answer: C. In winter, darkness lasted a long time, and sleep naturally split into two stretches with a quiet pause.
What was the basis of the peasant diet?
- AMeat
- BVegetables
- CGrain: bread, porridge, stew
Answer: C. Bread and porridge made up as much as two-thirds of all calories.
Play the “Everyday History” quizWhy might a woman's name vanish from the scientific record?
- AWomen were banned from all research
- BHer articles were always unsigned
- CMen presented and signed her work
Answer: C. Rules around access, job titles, and surname changes could leave a woman's contribution in the shadows.
Why did the mother often become regent for an underage king?
- AShe was the oldest in the family
- BThe law required it
- COnly she benefited from handing over power on time
Answer: C. Any other relative who gained power had a reason not to give it back.
Why could women enter the army under false names?
- ACommanders covered for them
- BExams were superficial, and photo IDs did not exist
- CThe rules allowed it
Answer: B. They checked teeth, eyesight, and the ability to hold a weapon; age and name were recorded based on what people said.
Why does a cross appear on film when DNA is shaped like a helix?
- AThe film copies the molecule's outline
- BX-rays scatter off the atoms in the helix
- CThe DNA thread reflects visible light
Answer: B. X-ray scattering from any helix produces a characteristic diagonal cross on film.
What did Ada Lovelace do?
- ABuilt the first machine
- BInvented binary code
- CPublished notes with detailed calculations and an idea about processing symbols
Answer: C. The project's author saw a calculating device; she saw a device that could work with symbols in general.
Play the “Women in History” quizWhy did people start paying with receipts instead of heavy coins?
- AThey were accepted only for large transactions
- BThey were easier to pass along than metal
- CThey were easier to store at home
Answer: B. A receipt could be folded and passed along, while the metal stayed in storage.
What brought down the largest Florentine banks of the 14th century?
- ACompetition
- BThe crown's refusal to repay wartime loans
- CRobberies
Answer: B. A major borrower, too important to refuse, accumulated debt and stopped paying.
What was interest called in ancient languages?
- AWords meaning payment
- BWords meaning offspring and descendants
- CWords meaning debt
Answer: B. A cow lent for a year produced a calf - the metaphor described what happened naturally.
Why did coins remove the need to weigh every transaction?
- AThey were accepted only within one community
- BCoins were always made of pure gold
- CThe stamp confirmed the metal's weight and quality
Answer: C. The stamp meant the minter had already confirmed the weight and quality, so there was no need to get out the scales.
What did Newton do at the mint?
- AOnly held the position on paper
- BLed the reminting and handled counterfeiting cases himself
- CDeveloped metal alloys
Answer: B. He recruited informants, conducted hundreds of interrogations, and saw cases through to conviction.
Play the “Money in History” quizWhere were women's pockets before the end of the 18th century?
- ASewn into the dress lining
- BThey did not exist at all
- CSeparate pouches tied around the waist under the skirt
Answer: C. You reached them through a slit in the skirt, and they held quite a lot.
Why was the toe made so long?
- AIt was cheaper to make
- BIt showed that the wearer did not need to work or run
- CIt protected the foot while riding
Answer: B. A status symbol works when it is hard to fake: discomfort is the price a working person could not afford.
Why did a dress need a corset?
- AIt was only needed for a tiny waist
- BIt served as a framework for bodices and skirts
- CIt replaced the outer dress in hot weather
Answer: B. The corset supported the breasts, distributed the weight of skirts, and created a shape the bodice could fit smoothly over.
Why did a rider need a heel?
- ATo keep his foot from slipping in the stirrup
- BTo make his footwear more visible in battle
- CTo make it easier to walk on uneven ground
Answer: A. The heel served as a support, helping the foot stay in the stirrup while riding.
Why did lead face paint damage the skin more and more?
- AIt made the skin sensitive to sunlight
- BPeople covered the damage with thicker layers
- CPeople washed it off too rarely
Answer: B. The face paint damaged the skin, and people covered it with another thick layer, so more lead entered the body.
What drove silk bans besides morality?
- AMoney leaving the country and class boundaries
- BA shortage of fabric
- CA danger to health
Answer: A. Imported silk was paid for with precious metal, while wealthy merchants erased the outward distinction from the nobility.
What determined the value of clothing color?
- AThe fabric's durability
- BThe cost of the dye
- CThe ruler's taste
Answer: B. The difference between a cheap color and an expensive one could reach hundreds of times and was visible from far away.
Play the “Fashion of the Past” quizWhy could opening a sealed letter not be hidden?
- AWax stained the paper from inside
- BThe intact impression could not be restored
- CThe address was erased when it was opened
Answer: B. A seal did not stop anyone from opening the letter, but a damaged impression revealed that it had been opened.
Who paid for a letter before the reform?
- AThe sender in advance
- BThe recipient upon delivery
- CThe postal service
Answer: B. You could refuse, and people did, while the post office carried such letters at a loss.
Why are boring diary entries especially useful to historians?
- AOnly eyewitnesses write them
- BThey show everyday life
- CCensors always check them
Answer: B. Prices, weather, and routines help reconstruct the era's ordinary life, which is missing from official documents.
Why did the British field service postcard use ready-made phrases?
- ASo soldiers could describe battle in more detail
- BSo it could pass censorship faster
- CSo families could reply on the same card
Answer: B. There was nothing on the form to inspect, so censors passed it quickly and families learned that the soldier was alive.
What's most valuable for reconstructing history in a family archive?
- ABeautiful portraits
- BTouching letters without dates
- CDocuments and signed photographs
Answer: C. A paper's value depends on whether it tells you who, where, and when.
What did crossed writing look like?
- ALines alternated with empty spaces
- BThe sheet was turned 90 degrees and written over its existing lines
- CText ran diagonally across the entire sheet
Answer: B. The result was a grid of two layers of text laid over each other at right angles.
Play the “Letters and Diaries” quiz