mckaywest11e

Quiz for Living in the Past: Life in an English Castle

1. Which of these was the primary reason kings and nobles built castles?

As residences

For military purposes

To stimulate the local economy

To gain fame and prestige

Correct. The answer is b. Castles served both defensive and offensive military purposes.

Incorrect. The answer is b. Castles served both defensive and offensive military purposes.

2. Which of these is true of medieval castles?

They were designed for beauty rather than functionality.

They often included rooms for peasants seeking protection from attackers.

They were surprisingly comfortable places to live.

Their construction depended on the labor of local peasants.

Correct. The answer is d. The stone used to build castles was quarried and hauled by local peasants.

Incorrect. The answer is d. The stone used to build castles was quarried and hauled by local peasants.

3. Which of these describes the attitude of William the Conqueror and his successors to castles?

They saw their value and built them at strategic points around England.

They thought it wiser to devote their military resources to other, less costly, forms of defense.

They conducted a deliberate campaign to destroy all existing castles.

They saw little military value in them but built them anyway to augment their own prestige.

Correct. The answer is a. Castles played a central role in the military ambitions of William the Conqueror and his successors.

Incorrect. The answer is a. Castles played a central role in the military ambitions of William the Conqueror and his successors.