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Richard III Quiz - Finding Richard (Questions)

This quiz, Finding Richard, is about the discovery of his remains.

In 2012 a body was discovered underneath a Leicester car park. It belonged to a man in his late twenties or early thirties, it showed signs of having been killed in a battle and it had a curved spine, all of which are known to have been true of Richard III. Furthermore, the DNA found in the bones matched that of Richard's living relatives making it almost certainly that of the late king of England, Richard III.

1. Richard's body was found to be covered in injuries. It is thought that most of these were inflicted after his death. Why do scientists think this?
[ ] Because Richard was killed by an arrow before his body was hacked
[ ] Because the injuries show no sign of any healing
[ ] Because the first of the blows to be struck would have killed Richard
[ ] Because when he was alive Richard was wearing armour
2. Richard died in 1485 and radiocarbon-dating tests were done to match the age of the bones to this date. What period of time did the tests show the bones to have been buried in?
[ ] 1412-1460
[ ] 1432-1480
[ ] 1452-1500
[ ] 1472-1510
3. A piece of metal was found in the grave lying underneath Richard's spine. X-ray tests showed it to be what?
[ ] A bronze age brooch
[ ] A medieval arrowhead
[ ] A Roman nail
[ ] A medieval spearhead
4. Commissioned by the Richard III Society, professor Caroline Wilkinson, of the University of Dundee, used the bones to do what?
[ ] Make a complete record of Richard III's DNA
[ ] Make a model of Richard III's head
[ ] Make a detailed account of Richard III's medical condition
[ ] Make a life-size reconstruction of Richard III
5. Now that analysis of Richard III's bones is complete, what is to become of his remains?
[ ] They are to be buried
[ ] They are to be kept in the British Museum
[ ] They are to be cremated
[ ] They are to be kept at Leicester University
6. Which of these places has not been mentioned as a possible resting place for Richard III's remains?
[ ] Leicester Cathedral
[ ] Westminster Abbey
[ ] St Paul's Cathedral
[ ] York Minster
7. One man has called for Richard to be buried in the Nottinghamshire town of Worksop. Why is this?
[ ] Worksop is where Richard lived
[ ] Worksop is the home of Richard's descendants
[ ] Worksop is where Richard was born
[ ] Worksop is halfway between Leicester and York
8. A protest by Richard's relatives, against his being buried in Leicester, has resulted in court action, and Richard's burial place is still to be decided. What name have Richard's relatives given themselves?
[ ] The Ricardian Society
[ ] The Plantagenet Alliance
[ ] The White Rose League
[ ] The Yorkist Union
9. One of the archaeologists working at the University of Leicester, Richard Buckley, had to do what after Richard's body was found?
[ ] Abandon his life-long project
[ ] Donate £1,000 to charity
[ ] Re-evaluate his theories on Richard's death
[ ] Eat his hat
10. The land adjoining Richard's burial site is owned by Leicester City Council. What do they intend doing with it?
[ ] Building a memorial to Richard III
[ ] Rebuilding Greyfriars Church
[ ] Building a Richard III museum
[ ] Re-laying the car park

 

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Richard III Quiz - Finding Richard (Answers)
1. Richard's body was found to be covered in injuries. It is thought that most of these were inflicted after his death. Why do scientists think this?
[ ] Because Richard was killed by an arrow before his body was hacked
[ ] Because the injuries show no sign of any healing
[ ] Because the first of the blows to be struck would have killed Richard
[x] Because when he was alive Richard was wearing armour
In addition to the head wounds, which would not have occurred if a helmet had been worn, analysis found injuries to the ribs and pelvis. Both of these areas would have been protected by the armour Richard wore. It is thought that the wounds were made after Richard's death when his body had been stripped of its armour. Accounts of the time say that Richard was stripped naked and tied to a horse where it was struck by his victorious foes
2. Richard died in 1485 and radiocarbon-dating tests were done to match the age of the bones to this date. What period of time did the tests show the bones to have been buried in?
[x] 1412-1460
[ ] 1432-1480
[ ] 1452-1500
[ ] 1472-1510
The test results did not match the date of Richard's death, however, it was found that the body had consumed a great amount of seafood during its life and this is known to affect the results of carbon-dating tests. Taking this into account, further analysis has determined that there is a 95% probability that the bones were buried sometime between 1450 and 1540
3. A piece of metal was found in the grave lying underneath Richard's spine. X-ray tests showed it to be what?
[ ] A bronze age brooch
[ ] A medieval arrowhead
[x] A Roman nail
[ ] A medieval spearhead
It was initially thought that the metal might be an arrow head which had been lodged in the body, but tests showed that it was in fact a nail. It was from a much earlier period than Richard's lifetime and had no relevance to the find
4. Commissioned by the Richard III Society, professor Caroline Wilkinson, of the University of Dundee, used the bones to do what?
[ ] Make a complete record of Richard III's DNA
[x] Make a model of Richard III's head
[ ] Make a detailed account of Richard III's medical condition
[ ] Make a life-size reconstruction of Richard III
Professor Wilkinson is a specialist in facial reconstruction based on surviving bones. The face that she made bears a striking resemblance to portraits of Richard III and further supports the likelihood of the bones belonging to the late king
5. Now that analysis of Richard III's bones is complete, what is to become of his remains?
[x] They are to be buried
[ ] They are to be kept in the British Museum
[ ] They are to be cremated
[ ] They are to be kept at Leicester University
Richard's bones will eventually be buried, although where that will be has yet to be decided. There are several contending locations, all of which want him buried in their grounds
6. Which of these places has not been mentioned as a possible resting place for Richard III's remains?
[ ] Leicester Cathedral
[ ] Westminster Abbey
[x] St Paul's Cathedral
[ ] York Minster
Westminster Abbey is the traditional resting place for English monarchs with 17 other kings buried there. Richard's links to the city of York suggest York Minster as a possible burial site, and Richard is said to have wanted to be buried there. Leicester is where Richard's body was found and the authorities are loath to release it. The Mayor of Leicester is quoted as saying, "Those bones leave Leicester over my dead body"
7. One man has called for Richard to be buried in the Nottinghamshire town of Worksop. Why is this?
[ ] Worksop is where Richard lived
[ ] Worksop is the home of Richard's descendants
[ ] Worksop is where Richard was born
[x] Worksop is halfway between Leicester and York
John Mann, the MP for Worksop, made the suggestion but nobody took it seriously. Another MP, Chris Skidmore, has said that Richard should receive a state funeral, as befits a king
8. A protest by Richard's relatives, against his being buried in Leicester, has resulted in court action, and Richard's burial place is still to be decided. What name have Richard's relatives given themselves?
[ ] The Ricardian Society
[x] The Plantagenet Alliance
[ ] The White Rose League
[ ] The Yorkist Union
The group, who want Richard to be buried in York, have many opponents. The Dean of Leicester has called their challenge "disrespectful," and a mathematician has said that Richard may have millions of living relatives therefore the Plantagenet Alliance have no right to choose his burial place
9. One of the archaeologists working at the University of Leicester, Richard Buckley, had to do what after Richard's body was found?
[ ] Abandon his life-long project
[ ] Donate £1,000 to charity
[ ] Re-evaluate his theories on Richard's death
[x] Eat his hat
Thinking it unlikely that Richard's body would ever be found, Buckley had promised to eat his hat if it were discovered. Questioned about his promise Buckley said, "One of my colleagues made me some hat-shaped cakes. I've eaten one of those"
10. The land adjoining Richard's burial site is owned by Leicester City Council. What do they intend doing with it?
[ ] Building a memorial to Richard III
[ ] Rebuilding Greyfriars Church
[x] Building a Richard III museum
[ ] Re-laying the car park
The idea is popular with a spokesman from the University saying that, "It will help people learn about the city's medieval history". It is also popular with the Chamber of Commerce saying "... what Richard III can do for the visitor numbers to our city, and the economic impact that can have on leisure and tourism." One can see why Leicester are not eager to part with their valuable asset