Question 1

True or false: Over 100,000 people died during the Great Plague of London in 1665-1666.

Accepted Answer

True. Estimates suggest about 100,000 deaths, roughly a quarter of London's population at the time.

Question 2

True or false: The Great Plague of London killed more people in London than any single outbreak before or since.

Accepted Answer

True. With about 100,000 dead, it was the deadliest plague in London's history, surpassing the Black Death's local toll.

Question 3

True or false: Doctors during the plague wore beaked masks filled with herbs to filter out 'bad air.'

Accepted Answer

False. The beaked mask costume was invented in 1619, but there is no evidence it was worn by doctors during the Great Plague of London in 1665.

Question 4

True or false: The Great Plague of London was caused by a virus, not bacteria.

Accepted Answer

False. It was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, spread by fleas on rats, not a virus.

Question 5

True or false: King Charles II and his court fled London for Oxford during the plague outbreak.

Accepted Answer

True. Charles II left London in July 1665, relocating his court to Oxford to avoid infection.

Question 6

True or false: Many villages used 'plague stones' filled with vinegar to accept money for goods without contact.

Accepted Answer

True. Plague stones had a hollow filled with vinegar to disinfect coins, reducing transmission between traders.

Question 7

True or false: The Great Fire of London in 1666 helped end the plague by destroying rat habitats.

Accepted Answer

False. The fire burned mostly the inner city, but the plague had already declined due to colder weather and quarantine measures.

Question 8

True or false: During the Great Plague of London, authorities ordered the mass killing of cats and dogs, believing they spread the disease.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1665, the Lord Mayor of London issued an order to kill stray cats and dogs, as they were thought to transmit the plague. This misguided measure likely removed natural rat predators.

Great Plague of London Trivia Questions