AQA A-level History · 2E

The English Revolution, 1625–1660

Exam-style questions with answers for 2E The English Revolution, 1625–1660 in AQA A-level History (spec 7042). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below.

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Question 1 · Spec 2E, Part one
State two religious issues left by James I. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Puritan demands for further reform (1); suspicion of Catholics after the Gunpowder Plot (1); the rise of Arminianism (1).
Question 2 · Spec 2E, Part one
Explain why Henrietta Maria caused concern. [1 mark]
Answer:
She was a French Catholic queen whose court was seen as encouraging popery.
Question 3 · Spec 2E, Part one
What was the Forced Loan (1626–1627)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A tax raised without Parliament; refusers were imprisoned, leading to the Five Knights’ Case.
Question 4 · Spec 2E, Part one
What was the Five Knights’ Case (1627)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Judges ruled that prisoners held by royal command could be kept without trial.
Question 5 · Spec 2E, Part one
Who was Sir John Eliot? [1 mark]
Answer:
A leading parliamentary critic who led attacks on Buckingham and the Three Resolutions (1629).
Question 6 · Spec 2E, Part one
When was Buckingham assassinated? [1 mark]
Answer:
August 1628.
Question 7 · Spec 2E, Part one
State two financial expedients of Personal Rule. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Ship Money (1); distraint of knighthood (1); forest fines (1); monopolies (1).
Question 8 · Spec 2E, Part one
Who was Thomas Wentworth? [1 mark]
Answer:
Earl of Strafford, Lord Deputy of Ireland, who ruled through ‘Thorough’.
Question 9 · Spec 2E, Part one
Define the term ‘Thorough’. [1 mark]
Answer:
Wentworth and Laud’s policy of efficient, strict royal government.
Question 10 · Spec 2E, Part one
Who were Prynne, Burton and Bastwick? [1 mark]
Answer:
Puritan critics who had their ears cut off in 1637 for attacking Laud.
Question 11 · Spec 2E, Part one
What was the National Covenant (1638)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A Scottish pledge to defend Presbyterianism against Charles’s Prayer Book.
Question 12 · Spec 2E, Part one
What were the Bishops’ Wars (1639–1640)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Wars with Scotland; Charles’s defeat forced him to recall Parliament.
Question 13 · Spec 2E, Part one
State two measures of the Long Parliament in 1641. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: Triennial Act (1); execution of Strafford (1); abolition of Ship Money (1); abolition of Star Chamber (1); act against dissolution without its consent (1).
Question 14 · Spec 2E, Part one
What was the Irish Rebellion (October 1641)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A Catholic rising in Ulster in which many Protestant settlers were killed.
Question 15 · Spec 2E, Part one
What was the Militia Ordinance (1642)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Parliament took control of the militia without the King’s consent.
Question 16 · Spec 2E, Part one
What were the Nineteen Propositions (1642)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Parliament’s demands for control of ministers, the militia and the Church, which Charles rejected.
Question 17 · Spec 2E, Part one
When did the Civil War begin? [1 mark]
Answer:
August 1642, when Charles raised his standard at Nottingham.
Question 18 · Spec 2E, Part one
What was the Petition of Right (1628)? [1 mark]
Answer:
It condemned arbitrary imprisonment, forced loans, billeting and martial law.
Question 19 · Spec 2E, Part one
What were tonnage and poundage? [1 mark]
Answer:
Customs duties normally granted for life, which Parliament granted Charles for only one year.
Question 20 · Spec 2E, Part one
What was the Scottish Prayer Book riot (1637)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A riot at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh against the new Prayer Book.
Question 21 · Spec 2E, Part one
Who was John Pym? [1 mark]
Answer:
The leader of the parliamentary opposition in the Long Parliament.
Question 22 · Spec 2E, Part one
What was the Grand Remonstrance (1641)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A list of grievances against Charles’s rule, passed narrowly.
Question 23 · Spec 2E, Part one
What happened in January 1642? [1 mark]
Answer:
Charles tried to arrest five MPs in the Commons, failed and left London.
Question 24 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Battle of Edgehill (1642)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The first major battle, which was indecisive.
Question 25 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Solemn League and Covenant (1643)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Parliament’s alliance with the Scots, promising religious reform.
Question 26 · Spec 2E, Part two
What happened at Marston Moor (1644)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Parliament and the Scots defeated the Royalists, gaining the North.
Question 27 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Self-Denying Ordinance (1645)? [1 mark]
Answer:
MPs and peers had to resign military commands, allowing Fairfax and Cromwell to lead the New Model Army.
Question 28 · Spec 2E, Part two
What happened at Naseby (1645)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The New Model Army decisively defeated the King.
Question 29 · Spec 2E, Part two
Who was John Lilburne? [1 mark]
Answer:
The Leveller leader, ‘Freeborn John’.
Question 30 · Spec 2E, Part two
What were the Heads of the Proposals (1647)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The army’s terms for a settlement with the King.
Question 31 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Engagement (1647)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Charles’s secret agreement with the Scots, which led to the Second Civil War.
Question 32 · Spec 2E, Part two
What happened at Preston (1648)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Cromwell defeated the Scottish invasion.
Question 33 · Spec 2E, Part two
When was Charles I executed? [1 mark]
Answer:
30 January 1649.
Question 34 · Spec 2E, Part two
Who were the Diggers? [1 mark]
Answer:
Gerrard Winstanley’s group, who farmed common land and believed land should be shared.
Question 35 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Burford mutiny (1649)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A Leveller mutiny in the army, crushed by Cromwell.
Question 36 · Spec 2E, Part two
Who were the Quakers? [1 mark]
Answer:
A radical sect founded by George Fox, who believed in an ‘inner light’.
Question 37 · Spec 2E, Part two
Who were the Fifth Monarchists? [1 mark]
Answer:
Millenarians who believed Christ’s rule was imminent.
Question 38 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Third Civil War (1650–1651)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The Scots and Charles II fought Parliament, ending with defeat at Worcester.
Question 39 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Instrument of Government (1653)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The constitution making Cromwell Lord Protector.
Question 40 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Humble Petition and Advice (1657)? [1 mark]
Answer:
A revised constitution offering Cromwell the crown, which he refused.
Question 41 · Spec 2E, Part two
What happened after Cromwell’s death in 1658? [1 mark]
Answer:
His son Richard became Protector but resigned in 1659.
Question 42 · Spec 2E, Part two
Who was General Monck? [1 mark]
Answer:
The commander in Scotland who marched south and arranged the Restoration.
Question 43 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Declaration of Breda (1660)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Charles II’s promises before returning, including a general pardon.
Question 44 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Eastern Association? [1 mark]
Answer:
A parliamentary alliance of eastern counties, where Cromwell rose to prominence.
Question 45 · Spec 2E, Part two
What were the Newcastle Propositions (1646)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Parliament’s terms to the defeated King, which he rejected.
Question 46 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was the Agreement of the People (1647)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The Leveller constitution proposing wider voting rights.
Question 47 · Spec 2E, Part two
What were the Putney Debates (1647)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Army debates on the Agreement of the People.
Question 48 · Spec 2E, Part two
What was Pride’s Purge (1648)? [1 mark]
Answer:
The removal of MPs willing to negotiate with Charles, creating the Rump.
Question 49 · Spec 2E, Part two
What were the Major-Generals (1655–1657)? [1 mark]
Answer:
Military governors of regions under the Protectorate.
Question 50 · Spec 2E, Part two
Why did Cromwell dissolve the Rump in 1653? [1 mark]
Answer:
He believed it was self-serving and slow to reform, so he expelled it by force.

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The English Revolution, 1625–1660

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