A Pirate Quiz
1 of 12
Which famous pirate was the first ship commander to successfully circumnavigate the world?
Black Bart
Blackbeard
Henry Morgan
Francis Drake
ANSWER: Drake, who was later knighted by the queen, successfully sailed his ship The Golden Hind around the world in 1580 after a series of profitable plunders on the Spanish Main. Since Ferdiand Magellan died in the course of his voyage, Sir Francis Drake is considered the first commander to complete the trip around the world. Drake, who was later knighted by the queen, successfully sailed his ship The Golden Hind around the world in 1580 after a series of profitable plunders on the Spanish Main. Since Ferdiand Magellan died in the course of his voyage, Sir Francis Drake is considered the first commander to complete the trip around the world.
2 of 12
What was the name of "One-Eyed" Willy's pirate ship in The Goonies?
Inferno
El Muerto
The Black Pearl
Nebuchadnezzar
3 of 12
What ruthless, tyrannical pirate did Captain Hook purportedly sail under in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan?
Calico Jack
Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts
Blackbeard
Captain Kidd
ANSWER: Captain Hook was Captain Edward "Blackbeard" Teach's boatswain. Captain Hook was Captain Edward "Blackbeard" Teach's boatswain.
4 of 12
What is the technical term for the black flag featuring the skull and crossbones that has become inextricably linked with pirate lore?
The Death's Head Flag
The Ruse de Guerre
The Bleeding Heart
The Jolly Roger
ANSWER: Early pirate flags went through countless incarnations before assuming the form now associated with pirates in modern literature, film and television. Pirate flags featured bleeding hearts, hour glasses, a death's head symbol and other various images meant to imply death in order to strike fear into the hearts of those the pirates were pursuing for plunder. Detailed references to the Jolly Roger began appearing in accounts of pirate activity in the West Indies circa 1717. Early pirate flags went through countless incarnations before assuming the form now associated with pirates in modern literature, film and television. Pirate flags featured bleeding hearts, hour glasses, a death's head symbol and other various images meant to imply death in order to strike fear into the hearts of those the pirates were pursuing for plunder. Detailed references to the Jolly Roger began appearing in accounts of pirate activity in the West Indies circa 1717.
5 of 12
What name did pirates give to ships they successfully managed to sack?
Prize
Gift
Gam
Tack
ANSWER: Pillaged ships were called prizes. A gam is a whaling term that means a friendly meeting between two ships at sea. When ships "tack" they change direction by turning the bow into the wind. Pillaged ships were called prizes. A gam is a whaling term that means a friendly meeting between two ships at sea. When ships "tack" they change direction by turning the bow into the wind.
6 of 12
Which Caribbean port city was largely destroyed by a cataclysmic earthquake in June of 1692, leaving a hefty contingent of pirates to find another refuge and base of operations?
Tortuga
Portobello
Port Royal
Havana
ANSWER: The Jamaican city of Port Royal on the country's south-eastern side was one of the richest and busiest ports in the Caribbean. It also was a haven for pirates and privateers alike until a massive earthquake on June 7, 1692 levelled the city, decimated the population and sank a good portion of the city's remaining foundational rubble into the sea. Most major shipping activity was relocated up the harbor to Kingston after the devastating effects of the earthquake rendered Port Royal uninhabitable. The Jamaican city of Port Royal on the country's south-eastern side was one of the richest and busiest ports in the Caribbean. It also was a haven for pirates and privateers alike until a massive earthquake on June 7, 1692 levelled the city, decimated the population and sank a good portion of the city's remaining foundational rubble into the sea. Most major shipping activity was relocated up the harbor to Kingston after the devastating effects of the earthquake rendered Port Royal uninhabitable.
7 of 12
The modern dollar sign ($) is derived from symbols that appeared on which infamous manner of pirate currency?
Doubloons
Ducats
Escudos
Pieces of eight
ANSWER: Pieces of Eight, properly known as Eight Reales or Pesos, featured the Spanish Coat of Arms on one side, and the Pillars of Hercules from the Straight of Gibraltar on the other. The image of the Pillars of Hercules with a banner reading "Non Plus Ultra" draped around them in an "S" pattern morphed into the dollar sign. Pieces of Eight were first produced by Spanish conquistadors who decimated the Aztec and Incan empires and melted their gold and silver treasures into legal tender. Large caches of Pieces of Eight travelling from the American continent to Europe often were "confiscated" by pirates. Pieces of Eight, properly known as Eight Reales or Pesos, featured the Spanish Coat of Arms on one side, and the Pillars of Hercules from the Straight of Gibraltar on the other. The image of the Pillars of Hercules with a banner reading "Non Plus Ultra" draped around them in an "S" pattern morphed into the dollar sign. Pieces of Eight were first produced by Spanish conquistadors who decimated the Aztec and Incan empires and melted their gold and silver treasures into legal tender. Large caches of Pieces of Eight travelling from the American continent to Europe often were "confiscated" by pirates.
8 of 12
What was the name of the ship that Jim Hawkins, Captain Alexander Smollett and Long John Silver sail aboard in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate story Treasure Island?
The Pequod
The Hispaniola
The Beagle
The Black Spot
ANSWER: The Pequod was Captain Ahab's ship in Moby-Dick, The Beagle was Charles Darwin's boat, and a black spot was a mark of death for a pirate in Stevenson's tale. The Pequod was Captain Ahab's ship in Moby-Dick, The Beagle was Charles Darwin's boat, and a black spot was a mark of death for a pirate in Stevenson's tale.
9 of 12
Which Romantic poet in 1814 penned an epic poem entitled "The Corsair," which was wildly popular in its time and partially responsible for the radically idealized and much-glamorized pirate lifestyle commonly presented to audiences today in films and television shows?
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Lord Byron
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
John Keats
ANSWER: Byron's Corsair Conrad was a highly romanticized caricature of a pirate with noble ideals who became embroiled in extravagant adventures. Byron's Corsair Conrad was a highly romanticized caricature of a pirate with noble ideals who became embroiled in extravagant adventures.
10 of 12
Which of the following types of pirate was officially licensed by a sovereign nation to raid and seize goods carried by the ships of "hostile" nations?
Privateer
Buccaneer
Corsair
Buckaroo
ANSWER: Privateers initially received letters of mark and reprisal from sovereign leaders which permitted them to seek retribution for goods lost or taken from enemy combatants during merchant voyages. The privateer could not be prosecuted for piracy because of this designation, but the system was oft-abused and privateers generally became no more than authorized pirates attacking ships under the protection of the country that allowed them to engage in these vengeful privateering operations. Privateers initially received letters of mark and reprisal from sovereign leaders which permitted them to seek retribution for goods lost or taken from enemy combatants during merchant voyages. The privateer could not be prosecuted for piracy because of this designation, but the system was oft-abused and privateers generally became no more than authorized pirates attacking ships under the protection of the country that allowed them to engage in these vengeful privateering operations.
11 of 12
What is the contemporary name for the Caribbean island 16th-Century pirates referred to as Hispaniola?
Jamaica
Cuba
Haiti
Puerto Rico
ANSWER: Hispaniola and Jamaica became integral strategic positions for pirates ruthlessly pillaging ships and port villages during the "Golden Age" of piracy (approximately 1650-1725). The Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic now share the large island then known as Hispaniola. Hispaniola and Jamaica became integral strategic positions for pirates ruthlessly pillaging ships and port villages during the "Golden Age" of piracy (approximately 1650-1725). The Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic now share the large island then known as Hispaniola.
12 of 12
Was walking the plank a standard method of dispensing justice or executing combatants on board a pirate ship?
Yes
No
ANSWER: Despite what some inaccurate quiz titles might lead you to believe, David Cordingly suggests that the practice was largely fictional and comes from pictures inspired by J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Although some instances of pirates forcing people to walk the plank exist in the annals of pirate lore, for the most part it was more creative illusion than practical reality. In truth, pirates would rarely waste time with such a theatrical punishment. Pirate attacks were very brutal affairs which more closely resembled Inquisition-style executions rather than anything you've seen in the movies. Despite what some inaccurate quiz titles might lead you to believe, David Cordingly suggests that the practice was largely fictional and comes from pictures inspired by J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Although some instances of pirates forcing people to walk the plank exist in the annals of pirate lore, for the most part it was more creative illusion than practical reality. In truth, pirates would rarely waste time with such a theatrical punishment. Pirate attacks were very brutal affairs which more closely resembled Inquisition-style executions rather than anything you've seen in the movies.
