The Opium Wars — China (1839, China) — Questions and answers
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What did Commissioner Lin Zexu do with 1.2 million kilograms of opium on June 21, 1839?
Choices
- A. He sold it to Captain Charles Elliot.
- B. He oversaw its destruction at Humen. ✓
- C. He sent it back to Britain.
- D. He hid it from the British.
Answer: B. He oversaw its destruction at Humen.
From page 1
Why did the British East India Company start selling opium to China?
Choices
- A. Because the Chinese Emperor asked for it.
- B. To get more Chinese tea, porcelain, and silk.
- C. To fix their trade problem where they bought more than they sold. ✓
- D. Because they thought opium was a good medicine.
Answer: C. To fix their trade problem where they bought more than they sold.
From page 2
What did William Jardine think about stopping the opium trade?
Choices
- A. He wanted to stop it because of the laws.
- B. He thought the profits were too important to stop. ✓
- C. He agreed with Captain Elliot that it couldn't continue.
- D. He believed China would eventually tolerate it.
Answer: B. He thought the profits were too important to stop.
From page 3
What was Lin Zexu's main mission when Emperor Daoguang appointed him?
Choices
- A. To help British merchants sell more opium.
- B. To make peace between China and Britain.
- C. To completely stop the opium trade in China. ✓
- D. To travel to Britain and meet Queen Victoria.
Answer: C. To completely stop the opium trade in China.
From page 4
What did Captain Elliot do after the opium was seized by Lin Zexu?
Choices
- A. He thanked the Qing authorities for their actions.
- B. He sent a formal protest, claiming trade rights were violated. ✓
- C. He agreed to stop the opium trade immediately.
- D. He offered to buy more opium from China.
Answer: B. He sent a formal protest, claiming trade rights were violated.
From page 5
How did Lord Palmerston feel about China's destruction of the opium?
Choices
- A. He was pleased that China was protecting its people.
- B. He saw it as a chance to make Britain more powerful in China. ✓
- C. He wanted to let China decide all the trade rules.
- D. He offered to send more opium to replace the destroyed amount.
Answer: B. He saw it as a chance to make Britain more powerful in China.
From page 6
What did Captain Elliot mean when he said, 'The time for diplomacy is over'?
Choices
- A. He wanted to try talking more with the Qing court.
- B. He believed it was time to send gifts to China.
- C. He decided it was time to start fighting. ✓
- D. He wanted to stop all communication with China.
Answer: C. He decided it was time to start fighting.
From page 7
Why were the British forces able to defeat the Qing armies so quickly?
Choices
- A. The Qing soldiers were not good fighters.
- B. The British had much better technology and weapons. ✓
- C. The Qing armies ran out of food and water.
- D. The British had more generals leading them.
Answer: B. The British had much better technology and weapons.
From page 8
What was one important thing China was forced to give to Britain in the Treaty of Nanking?
Choices
- A. All its tea production.
- B. The city of Beijing.
- C. The island of Hong Kong. ✓
- D. Its entire collection of porcelain.
Answer: C. The island of Hong Kong.
From page 9
What problem continued to trouble China even after the Opium Wars?
Choices
- A. China became much stronger and richer.
- B. The opium trade kept going, causing addiction and problems. ✓
- C. All foreign countries left China for good.
- D. China stopped trading with any other countries.
Answer: B. The opium trade kept going, causing addiction and problems.
From page 10