Five questions about Scotland – Quick Quiz

By Kay McMahon, 30 September 2014

Scotland and the #indyref have dominated the home news recently, culminating in a “No” vote in which the people who live in Scotland chose to keep Scotland in the UK. (You’ll note the way I phrased that. It wasn’t the Scots who chose. An estimated 720,000 of them live elsewhere in the UK—and with well over 5 million British citizens living overseas, you can be pretty certain that at least a fifth of all Scots didn’t get any say in their country’s future.)

Politics aside, how much do you know about Scotland and its history? Try our quiz and find out if you know your Erse from your Alba!

1. In the late 1690s, the Darien Scheme was an unsuccessful attempt by Scotland to establish a colony named Caledonia. In what modern-day country was the colony founded?
2. What was a Mormaer? Any idea why Orkney was excluded from the list of Mormaers?
3. Which French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher, known for his wit, is credited with saying “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation”?
4. Who was the first Queen of Scots in her own right?
5. Why did John MacCormick take the Lord Advocate to court in 1953? Score an extra point if you know the name of the “War” associated with this dispute!

Check your answers here!