Part 1 Questions and Answers — Australia and Its People
Part 1 of Our Common Bond covers who Australians are and how the nation came to be — the first peoples, European settlement, the gold rush, Federation, and Australia's symbols and holidays.
These are practice questions written against the testable section, with the correct answer and an explanation for each.
Showing 25 of 68 questions in this part.
1. Who are Australia's first inhabitants?
- A. British settlers
- B. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- C. Dutch explorers
- D. Asian migrants
Answer: B. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are Australia's first inhabitants, with the oldest continuous cultures and traditions in the world.
2. How long have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples lived in Australia?
- A. Between 10,000 and 20,000 years
- B. Between 25,000 and 30,000 years
- C. Between 65,000 and 40,000 years
- D. Between 100,000 and 80,000 years
Answer: C. Archaeological records indicate that Aboriginal peoples arrived in Australia between 65,000 and 40,000 years ago.
3. Where are Torres Strait Islander people from?
- A. Mainland Australia
- B. Tasmania
- C. Islands between Queensland and Papua New Guinea
- D. New Zealand
Answer: C. Torres Strait Islander people are from islands between the northern tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea.
4. What is a common feature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures?
- A. A single national language
- B. A deep connection to the land, expressed in stories, art and dance
- C. A written alphabet
- D. One shared religion
Answer: B. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a deep connection with the land, expressed in their stories, art and dance.
5. What was the 'Stolen Generations'?
- A. Convicts transported from Britain
- B. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families
- C. Migrants who came during the gold rush
- D. Children sent to Australia from Britain after WWII
Answer: B. The Stolen Generations refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families by Australian federal and state governments between 1910 and 1970.
6. When did the Australian Government formally apologise to the Stolen Generations?
- A. 1998
- B. 2001
- C. 2008
- D. 2015
Answer: C. On 13 February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a formal National Apology to the Stolen Generations in Parliament.
7. What did the 1967 referendum achieve for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
- A. Gave them citizenship for the first time
- B. Allowed them to be counted in the national census and be included in laws made by the Commonwealth
- C. Ended the White Australia Policy
- D. Recognised native title
Answer: B. The 1967 referendum changed the Constitution so Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be counted in the census and included in laws made by the Commonwealth.
8. What is NAIDOC Week?
- A. A national holiday for public servants
- B. A national celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- C. A trade union event
- D. A multicultural food festival
Answer: B. NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
9. Which European explorer charted the east coast of Australia in 1770?
- A. Abel Tasman
- B. Captain James Cook
- C. Matthew Flinders
- D. Arthur Phillip
Answer: B. Captain James Cook charted the east coast of Australia in 1770 and claimed it for Britain.
10. When did European settlement of Australia begin?
- A. 1770
- B. 1788
- C. 1801
- D. 1851
Answer: B. European settlement began when the First Fleet arrived from Great Britain on 26 January 1788.
11. What was the First Fleet?
- A. A naval battle fleet
- B. The first 11 convict ships that arrived from Great Britain in 1788
- C. Trading ships from Asia
- D. Exploration vessels sent by the Dutch
Answer: B. The First Fleet refers to the 11 convict ships that arrived from Great Britain on 26 January 1788.
12. Who was the first Governor of the colony of New South Wales?
- A. Captain James Cook
- B. Captain Arthur Phillip
- C. Lachlan Macquarie
- D. Sir Edmund Barton
Answer: B. Captain Arthur Phillip was the first Governor of the colony of New South Wales.
13. Why did the British Government send convicts to Australia?
- A. To trade with local peoples
- B. Because British jails were overcrowded
- C. To fight wars
- D. To join the gold rush
Answer: B. British laws were harsh and the jails could not hold the large number of people imprisoned. To manage this, Britain decided to transport convicts to the new colony.
14. Where did most early free settlers to Australia come from?
- A. France and Germany
- B. Great Britain and Ireland
- C. China and Japan
- D. United States
Answer: B. Early free settlers came from Great Britain and Ireland. This heritage has had a major influence on Australia's culture and politics.
15. When did the Australian gold rush begin?
- A. 1788
- B. 1851
- C. 1901
- D. 1915
Answer: B. The gold rush began in 1851 when gold was discovered in New South Wales and Victoria.
16. What group were the first large non-European migrants to Australia during the gold rush?
- A. Indian migrants
- B. Chinese migrants
- C. African migrants
- D. Japanese migrants
Answer: B. Chinese people arriving during the gold rush were the first large group of migrants not from Europe.
17. By how much did Australia's population grow in the ten years of the gold rush?
- A. It stayed the same
- B. It grew by 10%
- C. It more than doubled
- D. It grew tenfold
Answer: C. In 10 years of the gold rush, Australia's population more than doubled.
18. When did Australia become a nation?
- A. 26 January 1788
- B. 1 January 1901
- C. 25 April 1915
- D. 11 November 1918
Answer: B. On 1 January 1901 the separate colonies were united into a federation of states called the Commonwealth of Australia.
19. What is the official name of Australia?
- A. The Australian Republic
- B. The Commonwealth of Australia
- C. The Australian Federation
- D. The Kingdom of Australia
Answer: B. The official name of the country is the Commonwealth of Australia.
20. Who was Australia's first Prime Minister?
- A. Alfred Deakin
- B. Robert Menzies
- C. Edmund Barton
- D. John Curtin
Answer: C. Sir Edmund Barton became Australia's first Prime Minister when the Commonwealth was proclaimed on 1 January 1901.
21. What was Australia's population at Federation in 1901?
- A. About one million
- B. About four million
- C. About ten million
- D. About twenty million
Answer: B. In 1901, Australia's population was about four million. This number did not include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
22. What is the Australian Constitution?
- A. A list of Australian laws
- B. The set of rules by which Australia is governed
- C. A treaty with Britain
- D. The national anthem
Answer: B. The Australian Constitution is the set of rules by which Australia is governed. It came into effect on 1 January 1901.
23. What does ANZAC stand for?
- A. Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
- B. Australia and New Zealand Allied Command
- C. Australasian National Army Combined
- D. Australian Naval and Air Corps
Answer: A. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
24. When is ANZAC Day commemorated?
- A. 25 April
- B. 26 January
- C. 11 November
- D. 1 January
Answer: A. ANZAC Day is commemorated on 25 April, the anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli in 1915.
25. Where did the ANZACs land on 25 April 1915?
- A. France
- B. Egypt
- C. Gallipoli, Turkey
- D. Palestine
Answer: C. On 25 April 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I.
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