View Full Version : SE Asian History Quiz!


Knight-Dragon
Oct 24, 2001, 03:43 AM
Ten questions. Can refer since this region is probably pretty obscure to most of you guys. Here goes : -

1) Who's the founder of Singapore?
2) Who's the first people in SE Asia to convert to Islam?
3) Name the first Thai kingdom.
4) Where's 3)?
5) Which year when the Portugese captured Malacca?
6) What's the prevailing religion in insular SE Asia (Indonesia and Malaysia) before the arrival of Islam?
7) Name the kingdom established by an ethnic Malay people in Indo-China which was a great rival to the Khmers and Annamese.
8) Who's the White Rajah and of where i.e. his territory?
9) Name the 2 battleships sank by the Japs during the invasion of British Malaya during WW2.
10) Who named the Philippines and the Philippines was named after whom?

Good luck! ;)

Julien
Oct 24, 2001, 07:21 AM
1) a Sumatran prince who saw a lion (singa, from the sanskrit singh, eventhough it was most probably a tiger as there are few lions in the region) and decide to create a city (pura).
2)Malays and Indonesians - they are virtually the only one anyway.
3) Siam
4) in Thailand
5) 1511 - I've been there.
6) Java and Sumatra
7) Champa ??
8) Charles Brook, British adventurer, who was made rajah of Sarawak by the sultan of Brunei.
9) no idea, I don't like boats/ships anyway.
10) named after king Philip II of Spain, by Ruy Lopez de Villalobos (and not Magellan, who was killed by the locals when he arrived)

joespaniel
Oct 24, 2001, 08:03 AM
#9 HMS Prince of Whales and HMS Repulse?

Knight-Dragon
Oct 24, 2001, 09:32 AM
Julien, you seem to know really a lot about the Far East. Just out of curiosity, why and how??? :eek: Anyway, you got 5, 7, 8 and 10 correct. Just curious, are you a time traveller cos you stated that you had been to Malacca in 1511? :eek:

Joespaniel, you got no 9 correct. But I think it's Prince of Wales, not Whales. Not enough sleep again, eh? :lol:

Further elaboration on my questions : -
1) Founder of modern Singapore I mean. The legendary founder was fr nearby Bintan Island and called Sang Nila Utama (I think, not really sure). He's the one who saw a lion and named this island Singapura.
2) Specifics, dear friend. Which particular Malay grouping/state?
6) Religion, not region.

But truth to tell, I wasn't really expecting anybody to know ......

Sodak
Oct 24, 2001, 11:28 AM
Okay, 5,7,8,9,10 are all taken. Poo, I knew 5,8, and 10. Try the rest:

1) ?
2) woulda guessed the Malaysians
3) Siam
4) Thailand
6) Buddhism

joespaniel
Oct 24, 2001, 08:22 PM
Originally posted by joespaniel
#9 HMS Prince of Whales and HMS Repulse?

:lol: :rotfl: :lol:

I was posting in a thread about "fish and whales" resources in Civ3 right before this...:confused: :D

I know thats a "repulsive" excuse, but its true! ;)

Knight-Dragon
Oct 24, 2001, 09:06 PM
Originally posted by Sodak
Okay, 5,7,8,9,10 are all taken. Poo, I knew 5,8, and 10. Try the rest:

1) ?
2) woulda guessed the Malaysians
3) Siam
4) Thailand
6) Buddhism 2) There were no Msians circa the 14th century. ;)
3) Earlier than that. That's the current kingdom - the third or maybe fourth.
6) Close but that's the mainland religion (Thailand, Burma etc).

Julien
Oct 24, 2001, 10:31 PM
Just curious, are you a time traveller cos you stated that you had been to Malacca in 1511?

I didn't mean I had been there in 1511, but last year:lol:

Julien, you seem to know really a lot about the Far East. Just out of curiosity, why and how???

I have travelled 6 months around South-East Asia and India last year. I have learned about the history as I was travelling as I love history. I have also learned a few words of bahasa (malaysia or indonesia) but I forgot. :o Now I am living in Tokyo with my Japanese girlfriend. ;) :)

1) Would it be sir Stamford Raffles (like the famous hotel next to which I was staying...) ?

2) king of Malaca ?

6) Hinduism and Animism depending on the island. Sumatra, Java and Bali were Hindu and Bali still is (though with elements of animism in it). When Islam arrived to Indonesia, the Hindu Javanese ruler class escaped to Bali in order to keep their power (so lessened) and privileges (caste system).

Knight-Dragon
Oct 24, 2001, 11:10 PM
Correct for 1) and 6). For 2), it's a people in SE Asia, not just M'sia. So now left questions 2, 3 and 4 incorrectly answered. Keep trying! ;)

Knight-Dragon
Oct 28, 2001, 03:31 AM
I guess everybody had given up. ;) The remaining answers are : -

2) The Acehnese - spread to the rest of SE Asia from there.
3) The Kingdom of Nan-Chao.
4) Capital was at Dali in modern Yunnan in China.

The original kingdom was destroyed by the Mongols who invaded (much like in invading everywhere else) after they conquered China. Then the Thai peoples began moving south. One branch founded the Sukhoytai (?) kingdom somewhere in the present Thailand. This kingdom existed for some centuries, then was replaced by the Atthuytai (?) kingdom which existed to the present day. Note - Thailand was one of the few countries not conquered by the European powers.

Any takers for the next question? Julien?

Julien
Oct 28, 2001, 06:20 AM
Ok, let's take the initiative for the next serie of questions.

1) What was the religion(s) of the Khmers at the time of Angkor ?
2) What is the largest Buddhist monument in the world and where is it ?(clue, it's in South-East Asia)
3) What was the Dutch name of Jakarta during colonial times ?
4) Who was the leader of the "Khmer rouges" ?
5) Cite the two great cities that once where the capital of a kingdom in Burma.
6) What are the Banaue people of Nothern Luzon (Philippines) famed for ?
7) What major river flows in Bangkok ?
8) Where is Iryan Jaya and why does it want it's independance nowadays ?
9) What volcano destroyed a American Air base when it errupted in 1991 ?
10) When did Bangkok become the capital of Siam ?

Gambatte !

Knight-Dragon
Oct 28, 2001, 06:49 AM
Looks hard, even for someone living hereabouts ..... Ok, here goes : -

1) Buddhism.
2) Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
3) Batavia.
4) Pol Pot. But dead now. Not sure who's the replacement.
5) Mandalay?
6)
7) Chao Phraya.
8) It's the Indonesian province that's west of Papua New Guinea. Shared half-half. Cos there were too many immigrants to it fr other parts of Indonesia (esp Java and Madura) so the locals were afraid of being swamped.
9) I know the base is the Subic air base. Not sure what's the volcano's name. Mount Pinatubo?
10) 17**?

PS Some of your questions seem more geographical in nature. ;)

Julien
Oct 29, 2001, 06:14 AM
SKM, you 've got the 3,4,7,8 and 9 correct. The 1 and 5 are incomplete, though correct as well.

1) There were 2 official religions alterning with the kings and dynasties. I need to know the other one.

2) Angkor Wat wasn't Buddhist. See question 1.

5) Mandalay was the last Burmese capital before the arrival of the British. There was another very famous one that had its heyday around the 13th century.

Keep trying...:p

Kublai-Khan
Oct 29, 2001, 06:38 AM
6-I believe that
they are famous becouse of their rice terraces carved in the mountains.They also have mummies.
I know this becouse last week i saw a documental of a freak who said that there was a connection between
the rice terraces and the mummies in Filipinas and the
terraces and mummies of the Incas.:rolleyes:

well

And
Is the number 2
that statue of a Buda
that is resting?

I donīt know much about south east
asia.

Julien
Oct 29, 2001, 06:54 AM
Yes Kubilai-khan, you're right. The Banaue people have built magnificient rice terrace for more than 2000 years - renewing them every year or so. They are a forgotten wonder of the world, a huge human enterprise that has lasted since the Antiquity and is still living nowadays as if nothing had ever changed.

Knight-Dragon
Oct 29, 2001, 09:24 AM
1) Buddhism and Hinduism?
2) If Angkor Wat isn't Buddhist, I dunno. Maybe then it's the Borobudor on Java but I think that's Hindu too. Unless you're talking bout the Reclining Buddha Temple in M'sia?

As for 6), unfortunately I don't know much of Burmese history. Mandalay was simply a wild guess ..... :) Ditto for 10).

Kublai-Khan
Oct 29, 2001, 03:15 PM
Originally posted by SKM
1) Buddhism and Hinduism?
2) If Angkor Wat isn't Buddhist, I dunno. Maybe then it's the Borobudor on Java but I think that's Hindu too. Unless you're talking bout the Reclining Buddha Temple in M'sia?

As for 6), unfortunately I don't know much of Burmese history. Mandalay was simply a wild guess ..... :) Ditto for 10).

Yep
i also believe that it is the reclining buddha.
But i am not sure.

Julien
Oct 29, 2001, 06:46 PM
Originally posted by SKM
1) Buddhism and Hinduism?
2) If Angkor Wat isn't Buddhist, I dunno. Maybe then it's the Borobudor on Java but I think that's Hindu too. Unless you're talking bout the Reclining Buddha Temple in M'sia?

1) It was indeed hinduism and more importantly than buddhism.
2) Angkor Wat was a Hindu temple (I have also been there :goodjob:). Borobudur isn't Hindu however, but Buddhist - with lots of little stupas and Buddhas all around... So this makes of Borobudur, in central Java, the largest Buddhist monument in the world (as u guess I passed there as well).
May I ask you what is the largest Stupa in the world, also in SE Asia ?

6) I hope someone will find, it was almost as great as Angkor - so less famous and more damaged by the time !

Jive
Oct 30, 2001, 01:38 AM
HRRRGG

Knight-Dragon
Oct 30, 2001, 02:16 AM
Originally posted by Jive
HRRRGG Care to elaborate? :rolleyes:

duke o' york
Oct 30, 2001, 09:20 AM
Is (6) the rice terraces described as the 8th wonder of the world?
Now sadly they seem to be facing destruction.

Chinese American
Oct 31, 2001, 09:10 PM
Taking a stab in the dark here, the only city in Burma I know is Rangoon.

Julien
Nov 08, 2001, 11:39 PM
As nobody seems to know (or care about) the last 2 answers, I'll give them :

5) Bagan was the famous (I thought) Burmese capital.

10) Bangkok became the capital of Siam in 1782.

Anymore questions on SE Asia ?