Thomas More Quiz - The Tudor Society

How much do you know about Sir Thomas More? Find out with this fun quiz.

Thomas More

Q1) What did Thomas More consider doing before deciding to devote himself to the law?

A goldsmith

A merchant

A physician

A monk

Correct! He did consider becoming a monk but decided that a life of celibacy would not suit him.

Wrong! He considered becoming a monk but decided that a life of celibacy would not suit him.

Q2) What was the occupation of Thomas More's father John More?

Lawyer

Blacksmith

Merchant

Diplomat

Correct! He was a lawyer and judge.

Wrong! He was a lawyer and judge.

Q3) With whom did More translate the works of Lucian?

Henry Parker, Lord Morley

John Colet

Desiderius Erasmus

William Lilye

Correct!

Wrong! It was Erasmus.

Q4) In which language was More's book "Utopia" first published in?

French

Latin

English

Italian

Correct! Its full title was De optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia.

Wrong! It was first published in Latin and its full title was De optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia.

Q5) More once said of Henry VIII "If my head would win him ......................, it should not fail to go" - what are the missing words?

his annulment

a prince

a son

a castle in France

Correct!

Wrong! The answer is "a castle in France"

Q6) Of whom did More write "She it is who could vanquish the ancient Sabine women in devotion, and in dignity the holy, half-divine heroines of Greece."?

Catherine of Aragon

His daughter Meg

His second wife Alice

Mary Tudor, Queen of France

Correct!

Wrong! It was Catherine of Aragon at her and Henry's coronation in 1509.

Q7) Which king did Thomas More write a history of in 1513?

Arthur

Richard III

Henry VII

Edward the Confessor

Correct!

Wrong! It was Richard III.

Q8) In what year did Thomas More become Henry VIII's Lord Chancellor?

1530

1531

1528

1529

Correct!

Wrong! It was in 1529 following the fall of Cardinal Wolsey.

Q9) According to the indictment drawn up against him in 1535, what did More compare the Act of Supremacy to?

A joke

A double-edged sword

The words of a court fool

The work of the Devil

Correct! He was said to have said "The Act of Parliament is like a sword with two-edges, for if a man answer one way it will confound his soul, and if he answer the other way it will confound his body."

Wrong! He was said to have said "The Act of Parliament is like a sword with two-edges, for if a man answer one way it will confound his soul, and if he answer the other way it will confound his body."

Q10) Who was More referring to when he said "[F]or as long as your reverend paternity will be determined to tell these shameless lies, others will be permitted, on behalf of his English majesty, to throw back into your paternity's sh***y mouth, truly the s***-pool of all s***, all the muck and s*** which your damnable rottenness has vomited up..."

Cardinal Wolsey

Richard Rich

Charles Brandon

Martin Luther

Correct!

Wrong! It was Martin Luther.

Q11) Whose testimony did the Crown's case against More rest on in June 1535?

Richard Rich

Stephen Gardiner

Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk

Correct!

Wrong! It was Richard Rich.

Q12) According to a contemporary account of his execution on 6 July 1535, why did More ask the executioner to wait after he had laid his head on the block?

He needed to finish his prayer.

He wanted to move his beard out of the way.

He thought a messenger would arrive with a pardon.

He realised he still had a chain around his neck.

Correct! "He bid the Executioner stay till he had put his Beard aside, for that had committed no Treason".

Wrong! He wanted to move his beard out of the way: "He bid the Executioner stay till he had put his Beard aside, for that had committed no Treason".

Q13) Thomas More was beatified in 1886 and he is the patron saint of....

Theologians

Philosophy

Lost causes

Statesmen and politicians

Correct! And also lawyers.

Wrong! He is the patron saint of statesmen and politicians, and also lawyers.

Q14) His body was buried in the graveyard of the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London but in which city is his head said to be buried?

Oxford

Canterbury

London

Cambridge

Correct! It is said that More's daughter Meg rescued his head from a spike and buried it in the Roper vault at St. Dunstan's Church, Canterbury.

Wrong! It is said that More's daughter Meg rescued his head from a spike and buried it in the Roper vault at St. Dunstan's Church, Canterbury.