Creencias erróneas famosas sobre la historia

by Vocafy Verificado

Inglés (Estados Unidos) B2 12 preguntas History & culture

Explora relatos conocidos sobre el pasado y descubre los sorprendentes hechos detrás de los cascos vikingos, los inventos famosos y mucho más.

1. 1. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   What best describes real Viking battle helmets?

   Movies and popular culture often show Viking warriors wearing helmets with large horns.

   • Protective helmets without horns.
   • Horned helmets designed to catch enemy swords.
   • Helmets with large antlers showing military rank.

   Think about practical protection rather than dramatic appearance.

   Show solution

   • Protective helmets without horns.

   The familiar horned image became popular through nineteenth-century stage costumes, long after the Viking era.

2. 2. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   ¿De qué estaban hechos los dientes postizos de Washington?

   A familiar story says that George Washington wore wooden false teeth.

   • Wood carved into the shape of teeth.
   • A combination of materials, including ivory, metal, and real teeth.
   • Porcelain alone, without any other materials.

   Considera los materiales disponibles antes de los tratamientos dentales modernos.

   Show solution

   • A combination of materials, including ivory, metal, and real teeth.

   Sus dentaduras postizas incluso usaban resortes de metal. Las primeras dentaduras postizas eran dispositivos complejos, no simples reemplazos de madera.

3. 3. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   ¿Qué creían, en general, los europeos instruidos sobre la forma de la Tierra?

   A film shows Columbus preparing to sail west in order to prove that Earth was round.

   • Earth was a flat disk.
   • Earth's shape was completely unknown.
   • Earth was spherical.

   Los conocimientos de los pensadores de la antigua Grecia aún estaban disponibles.

   Show solution

   • Earth was spherical.

   El desacuerdo se refería a la distancia hasta Asia a través del Atlántico, no a si la Tierra era redonda. Colón subestimó mucho esa distancia.

4. 4. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   How did Napoleon's height compare with that of other men of his time?

   Cartoons often present Napoleon as an unusually tiny man.

   • He was roughly average in height.
   • He was exceptionally short.
   • He was exceptionally tall.

   A cartoon can exaggerate a person's appearance.

   Show solution

   • He was roughly average in height.

   British caricatures helped strengthen the image of a tiny Napoleon. His nickname, the Little Corporal, was not a reliable description of his height.

5. 5. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   ¿Qué era cierto sobre muchos combates reales de gladiadores?

   In an action movie, every gladiator match ends with one fighter killing the other.

   • The winner was required to kill the loser.
   • The loser was always fed to wild animals.
   • Both fighters survived.

   Un luchador entrenado representaba una gran inversión.

   Show solution

   • Both fighters survived.

   Los combates de gladiadores eran peligrosos, pero entrenar y mantener a los luchadores era costoso. Los dueños tenían motivos económicos para mantenerlos con vida.

6. 6. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   ¿Para qué se usaba un vomitorio?

   A visitor to a Roman arena notices a passage called a vomitorium. Its name suggests something quite different from its actual purpose.

   • Giving diners a place to vomit during large meals.
   • Allowing crowds to enter and leave the seating areas.
   • Providing treatment for spectators who felt sick.

   Considera cómo un estadio maneja a miles de visitantes.

   Show solution

   • Allowing crowds to enter and leave the seating areas.

   El nombre se refiere a las multitudes que salen en masa por un pasaje, no a los comensales que vacían sus estómagos después de un banquete.

7. 7. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   ¿Cómo fueron ejecutadas las personas condenadas a muerte en los juicios por brujería de Salem?

   Screen versions of the Salem witch trials sometimes show people being burned at the stake.

   • They were hanged.
   • They were burned at the stake.
   • They were drowned.

   Salem formaba parte de una colonia inglesa.

   Show solution

   • They were hanged.

   En algunos juicios por brujería en Europa, las personas condenadas fueron quemadas. Salem siguió las tradiciones jurídicas inglesas, que castigaban la brujería con la horca.

8. 8. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   How did Einstein actually perform in mathematics as a student?

   A popular story claims that Albert Einstein failed mathematics in school.

   • He repeatedly failed mathematics classes.
   • He struggled with mathematics but excelled in languages.
   • He showed strong mathematical ability.

   Failing an entrance exam does not mean failing every subject.

   Show solution

   • He showed strong mathematical ability.

   Einstein once failed a university entrance exam overall, but he performed well in math and physics. Other subjects caused difficulties.

9. 9. Elige la respuesta correcta.

   ¿Qué acontecimiento fue más cercano en el tiempo a la vida de Cleopatra?

   Ancient Egypt's long history can make its famous rulers and monuments seem much closer together in time than they really were.

   • The construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
   • The first human landing on the moon.

   Cleopatra vivió hacia el final de la larga historia del antiguo Egipto.

   Show solution

   • The first human landing on the moon.

   Las pirámides ya eran antiguas durante su vida. Cleopatra pertenecía a una familia real de habla griega que gobernó Egipto mucho después.

10. 10. Elige la respuesta correcta.

    ¿Cuál fue la principal contribución de Gutenberg?

    A headline describes Johannes Gutenberg as the first person anywhere in the world to print a book.

    • Introducing the world's first method of printing on paper.
    • Inventing the first carved wooden blocks used for printing.
    • Developing a successful printing system with movable metal type in Europe.

    Distingue la historia de la impresión a nivel mundial de su historia en Europa.

    Show solution

    • Developing a successful printing system with movable metal type in Europe.

    Tanto la impresión con bloques de madera como los tipos móviles ya se habían utilizado en Asia Oriental antes de que Gutenberg desarrollara su sistema de impresión europeo.

11. 11. Elige la respuesta correcta.

    ¿Qué ayudaron a desarrollar Edison y su equipo?

    A history poster gives Thomas Edison sole credit for inventing electric light, overlooking earlier inventors and his own team.

    • A practical electric lighting system suitable for widespread use.
    • The first device ever to produce light using electricity.
    • The first lamp ever to produce light with a heated filament.

    Considera el equipo necesario más allá de una sola bombilla.

    Show solution

    • A practical electric lighting system suitable for widespread use.

    Su trabajo fue más allá de mejorar la bombilla: incluyó generadores, cableado y formas de distribuir la energía eléctrica.

12. 12. Elige la respuesta correcta.

    What made life expectancy at birth so low?

    Low medieval life expectancy is sometimes taken to mean that nearly everyone died in early adulthood.

    • A natural age limit prevented adults from reaching old age.
    • Many babies and children died before reaching adulthood.
    • Older adults were deliberately left out of the average.

    Consider which ages are included in an average measured from birth.

    Show solution

    • Many babies and children died before reaching adulthood.

    Life expectancy at birth includes early deaths. People who survived childhood could live well beyond that average, including into old age.