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History Quiz - Viking Explorers (Questions)

Viking explorers sailed across rough seas in longships, searching for new lands and trade. Test your knowledge of their journeys, raids, and discoveries in this KS2 History quiz.

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Fascinating Fact:

Their longships were fast, narrow boats with a shallow bottom, so they could travel on both the open sea and shallow rivers.

In KS2 History, you learn how Viking explorers used their skills at sea to travel, raid, trade, and sometimes settle in new lands. Their journeys linked different parts of Europe and beyond.

Key Terms

Longship: A fast Viking ship with oars and a sail, designed to travel on seas and rivers.
Raid: A sudden attack to steal goods or take control of a place.
Settlement: A place where people choose to live and build homes for a long time.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Who were the Vikings in history?

The Vikings were seafaring people from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark who lived in the early Middle Ages and were known for exploring, trading, and raiding.

Why did Vikings explore and raid other lands?

Vikings explored and raided to find new land, gain wealth, trade goods, and sometimes escape overcrowding or limited farmland at home.

Where did Viking explorers travel to?

Viking explorers travelled to Britain, Ireland, France, parts of Russia, the Mediterranean, and even reached Iceland, Greenland, and North America.

Try These Related Quizzes

1.

Why did the Vikings roam?

[ ]	To trade with other countries
[ ]	To find new land to settle
[ ]	To raid and steal gold and silver
[ ]	All of these

2.

When did the Vikings settle in Iceland?

[ ]	In the late 400s
[ ]	In the late 600s
[ ]	In the late 800s
[ ]	In the late 1000s

3.

Who found Greenland?

[ ]	Eric the Red
[ ]	Leif Ericsson
[ ]	Fred the Blue
[ ]	Thorfinn Karlsefni

4.

Who first landed in North America?

[ ]	Eric the Red
[ ]	Leif Ericsson
[ ]	Fred the Blue
[ ]	Thorfinn Karlsefni

5.

Why did the Vikings leave their North American settlement?

[ ]	It was too cold
[ ]	There was no farming land
[ ]	Fights with Indians
[ ]	They were homesick

6.

How far East did the Vikings travel?

[ ]	Japan
[ ]	Austria
[ ]	Turkey
[ ]	China

7.

How did Vikings navigate?

[ ]	With a compass
[ ]	They used the sun and stars
[ ]	With a sundial
[ ]	They used sonar

8.

What was the name of the Viking ships?

[ ]	Longships
[ ]	Shortships
[ ]	Wideships
[ ]	Narrowships

9.

How many men could a Viking ship hold?

[ ]	20-40
[ ]	40-60
[ ]	60-80
[ ]	80-100

10.

How were Viking ships powered?

[ ]	Sails only
[ ]	Oars only
[ ]	Engine
[ ]	Sails and oars

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Viking traders and explorers

History Quiz - Viking Explorers (Answers)

1.

Why did the Vikings roam?

[ ]	To trade with other countries
[ ]	To find new land to settle
[ ]	To raid and steal gold and silver
[x]	All of these

The land in Scandinavia - where Vikings came from - was difficult to farm so they looked for other ways to survive

2.

When did the Vikings settle in Iceland?

[ ]	In the late 400s
[ ]	In the late 600s
[x]	In the late 800s
[ ]	In the late 1000s

Before the Vikings arrived nobody lived in Iceland

3.

Who found Greenland?

[x]	Eric the Red
[ ]	Leif Ericsson
[ ]	Fred the Blue
[ ]	Thorfinn Karlsefni

Eric got his nickname from the colour of his hair and beard

4.

Who first landed in North America?

[ ]	Eric the Red
[x]	Leif Ericsson
[ ]	Fred the Blue
[ ]	Thorfinn Karlsefni

Leif was the son of Eric the Red. He discovered America 500 years before Christopher Columbus

5.

Why did the Vikings leave their North American settlement?

[ ]	It was too cold
[ ]	There was no farming land
[x]	Fights with Indians
[ ]	They were homesick

The Vikings returned to North America to trade and to gather timber but they stopped living there

6.

How far East did the Vikings travel?

[ ]	Japan
[ ]	Austria
[x]	Turkey
[ ]	China

The Vikings travelled all over Europe, and into Asia. They bought things like silk, spices and wine, and sold honey, wool, fur, and walrus ivory

7.

How did Vikings navigate?

[ ]	With a compass
[x]	They used the sun and stars
[ ]	With a sundial
[ ]	They used sonar

As well as using the sun and stars, Vikings found their way by following the coasts or looking for landmarks like islands or mountains

8.

What was the name of the Viking ships?

[x]	Longships
[ ]	Shortships
[ ]	Wideships
[ ]	Narrowships

Longships were the best ships in the world at the time. They were used by the Vikings for troop transports rather than for fighting

9.

How many men could a Viking ship hold?

[ ]	20-40
[ ]	40-60
[x]	60-80
[ ]	80-100

There were different sized longships but the biggest could carry around 80 men

10.

How were Viking ships powered?

[ ]	Sails only
[ ]	Oars only
[ ]	Engine
[x]	Sails and oars

When the wind dropped the men would row the ship