Current Affairs MCQs – History & Civilizations (20 Explained)

This is a 20-question MCQ set on History & Civilizations — world history, ancient civilizations, Pakistan history, and general knowledge. Attempt all 20 in 25 minutes without looking at the answers, then check the explained answers and review your weak section. These are original practice questions, not copied from FPSC papers or competitor question banks, and this site is not affiliated with FPSC. Scoring: 18–20 = strong. 15–17 = good. 12–14 = fair, revise the sections you missed. Below 12 = study the weak-section review, then re-attempt in 2 days.

Questions (Q1–Q20):
Q1. Who was the first President of the United States? A) Abraham Lincoln B) George Washington C) Thomas Jefferson D) John Adams
Q2. In which year did World War II end? A) 1943 B) 1944 C) 1945 D) 1946
Q3. Which ancient civilization built the pyramids? A) Romans B) Greeks C) Egyptians D) Persians
Q4. Who wrote the play “Romeo and Juliet”? A) Charles Dickens B) William Shakespeare C) John Milton D) Jane Austen
Q5. Which empire was ruled by Julius Caesar? A) Greek Empire B) Roman Empire C) Persian Empire D) Ottoman Empire
Q6. In which year did the Berlin Wall fall? A) 1987 B) 1988 C) 1989 D) 1990
Q7. Who was the first man to walk on the moon? A) Buzz Aldrin B) Yuri Gagarin C) Neil Armstrong D) Michael Collins
Q8. Which country was the first to grant women the right to vote? A) United States B) United Kingdom C) New Zealand D) France
Q9. Who was the founder of the Ottoman Empire? A) Suleiman the Magnificent B) Osman I C) Mehmed II D) Selim I
Q10. Which ancient Greek philosopher taught Alexander the Great? A) Socrates B) Plato C) Aristotle D) Pythagoras
Q11. In which year did Pakistan become independent? A) 1945 B) 1946 C) 1947 D) 1948
Q12. Who was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan? A) Quaid-e-Azam B) Liaquat Ali Khan C) Zulfikar Ali Bhutto D) Ayub Khan
Q13. Which Mughal emperor built the Taj Mahal? A) Akbar B) Babur C) Shah Jahan D) Aurangzeb
Q14. In which year did the First World War begin? A) 1912 B) 1913 C) 1914 D) 1915
Q15. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize? A) Mother Teresa B) Marie Curie C) Jane Addams D) Pearl Buck
Q16. Which civilization is known as the “Cradle of Civilization”? A) Indus Valley B) Mesopotamia C) Egyptian D) Chinese
Q17. Who was the first Caliph of Islam? A) Umar ibn al-Khattab B) Uthman ibn Affan C) Ali ibn Abi Talib D) Abu Bakr
Q18. Which country hosted the first modern Olympic Games? A) Italy B) France C) Greece D) England
Q19. In which year did the French Revolution begin? A) 1787 B) 1788 C) 1789 D) 1790
Q20. Who was the founder of the Mongol Empire? A) Kublai Khan B) Genghis Khan C) Timur D) Attila

Answer Key + Explained Answers:
Q1 – B) George Washington. George Washington was the first President of the United States (1789–1797). Abraham Lincoln was 16th, Thomas Jefferson was 3rd, John Adams was 2nd.
Q2 – C) 1945. World War II ended in 1945. 1943 and 1944 were war years, 1946 was after the war.
Q3 – C) Egyptians. Egyptians built the pyramids (Giza). Romans built roads and aqueducts, Greeks built temples, Persians built empires.
Q4 – B) William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare wrote “Romeo and Juliet”. Charles Dickens wrote “Oliver Twist”, John Milton wrote “Paradise Lost”, Jane Austen wrote “Pride and Prejudice”.
Q5 – B) Roman Empire. Julius Caesar ruled the Roman Empire. Greek Empire was earlier, Persian Empire was eastern, Ottoman Empire was later.
Q6 – C) 1989. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989. 1987 and 1988 were before, 1990 was after.
Q7 – C) Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon (1969). Buzz Aldrin was second, Yuri Gagarin was first in space, Michael Collins stayed in orbit.
Q8 – C) New Zealand. New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote (1893). United States was 1920, United Kingdom was 1918, France was 1944.
Q9 – B) Osman I. Osman I founded the Ottoman Empire. Suleiman was 10th sultan, Mehmed II conquered Constantinople, Selim I was 9th sultan.
Q10 – C) Aristotle. Aristotle taught Alexander the Great. Socrates taught Plato, Plato taught Aristotle, Pythagoras was a mathematician.
Q11 – C) 1947. Pakistan became independent in 1947 (14 August). 1945 and 1946 were before, 1948 was after.
Q12 – B) Liaquat Ali Khan. Liaquat Ali Khan was the first Prime Minister of Pakistan. Quaid-e-Azam was Governor-General, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was later, Ayub Khan was a military ruler.
Q13 – C) Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal (for Mumtaz Mahal). Akbar built Fatehpur Sikri, Babur founded the Mughal Empire, Aurangzeb built Badshahi Mosque.
Q14 – C) 1914. The First World War began in 1914. 1912 and 1913 were before, 1915 was during.
Q15 – B) Marie Curie. Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize (Physics, 1903). Mother Teresa won Peace (1979), Jane Addams won Peace (1931), Pearl Buck won Literature (1938).
Q16 – B) Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is known as the “Cradle of Civilization” (Tigris–Euphrates). Indus Valley is another ancient civilization, Egyptian is Nile, Chinese is Yellow River.
Q17 – D) Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr was the first Caliph of Islam. Umar was second, Uthman was third, Ali was fourth.
Q18 – C) Greece. Greece hosted the first modern Olympic Games (Athens, 1896). Italy hosted 1960, France hosted 1900, England hosted 1908.
Q19 – C) 1789. The French Revolution began in 1789. 1787 and 1788 were before, 1790 was during.
Q20 – B) Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire. Kublai Khan was his grandson, Timur was a later conqueror, Attila was a Hun ruler.

Weak-Section Review: Which questions did you miss? Write the 3 you missed, the correct answers, and one line for each explaining why. World History: revise first US President (Washington), WWII end (1945), pyramids (Egyptians), Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare), Julius Caesar (Roman Empire), Berlin Wall fall (1989), first moon walk (Neil Armstrong), first women’s vote (New Zealand), Ottoman founder (Osman I), Aristotle taught Alexander. Pakistan / Mughal History: revise Pakistan independence (1947), first PM (Liaquat Ali Khan), Taj Mahal (Shah Jahan), first Caliph (Abu Bakr), Mongol founder (Genghis Khan). Civilizations / Events: revise WWI begin (1914), first woman Nobel (Marie Curie), Cradle of Civilization (Mesopotamia), first modern Olympics (Greece, 1896), French Revolution begin (1789). Re-attempt this set in 2 days.

These are original practice questions written for csspastpapers.pk. They are not FPSC official questions, and this site is not affiliated with FPSC.

Keep preparing with the Current Affairs past papers, the Pakistan Affairs past papers, the CSS syllabus, the International Organizations MCQs, the World Geography MCQs, the Pakistan & World MCQs, the Geography & Environment MCQs, the Pakistan & World Affairs MCQs, the Science & Technology MCQs, the Science & General Knowledge MCQs, and the Sports & Awards MCQs.