The first recorded ancient Olympic Games are dated to which year?
- A.1200 BCE
- B.776 BCE
- C.490 BCE
- D.393 CE
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 776 BCE. The ancient Games were held at Olympia in Greece in honour of Zeus, and 776 BCE is the earliest celebration for which a written record of the winner survives. The prize was a wreath of olive leaves, and only free Greek men were allowed to compete.
Option A, 1200 BCE, belongs to the legendary period before any record of the festival exists. Option C, 490 BCE, is the year of the battle of Marathon, which gave the modern marathon race its name and its story, so it is placed here as a deliberate distraction. Option D, 393 CE, is the year the ancient Games were abolished by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who treated them as a pagan festival, so it is the closing date rather than the opening one. Learn the two dates 776 BCE and 393 CE as a pair, because papers ask for one and offer the other.
Read the full article: Olympic Games: History, Symbols and India's Medals
Practice Questions
View allWho is regarded as the founder of the modern Olympic Games?
- A.Avery Brundage
- B.Demetrius Vikelas
- C.Baron Pierre de Coubertin
- D.Juan Antonio Samaranch
Show answer
The French educationist believed that sport built character in the young, and at a congress at the Sorbonne in Paris he founded the International Olympic Committee on 23 June 1894, which led directly to the first modern Games at Athens in 1896.
Read the full explanation →The first modern Olympic Games in 1896 were held in which city?
- A.Paris
- B.London
- C.St. Louis
- D.Athens
Show answer
Greece was chosen for the first modern Games because the ancient festival had been held there, and the event took place in 1896, two years after the International Olympic Committee was founded.
Read the full explanation →Where is the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee located?
- A.Lausanne, Switzerland
- B.Geneva, Switzerland
- C.Zurich, Switzerland
- D.Paris, France
Show answer
The International Olympic Committee moved its headquarters there during the First World War and has remained in the city since, which is why Lausanne is also called the Olympic Capital and houses the Olympic Museum.
Read the full explanation →The Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius means which of the following?
- A.Faster, Farther, Stronger
- B.Braver, Higher, Stronger
- C.Faster, Higher, Stronger
- D.Higher, Faster, Together
Show answer
The three Latin words were suggested to Pierre de Coubertin by his friend Henri Didon, a French priest and educator who used them for the pupils at his school, and Coubertin adopted them for the Olympic movement.
Read the full explanation →The five interlaced rings on the Olympic flag represent which of the following?
- A.The five oceans of the world
- B.The five inhabited continents
- C.The five founding member nations
- D.The five original Olympic sports
Show answer
Pierre de Coubertin designed the symbol in 1913, and the rings are interlaced to show the meeting of athletes from every part of the world at the Games.
Read the full explanation →