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WorksheetsHow Hong Kong Became a British Colony
Total questions: 15
Worksheet time: 15mins
Why was it so important for Britain to reach a trade agreement with Qing China?
China would only accept silver as payment, but Britain had run out of silver
Britain wanted China to stop selling tea, but China refused
Britain had run out of tea and desperately needed more
China owned British banks and Britain couldn't repay its loans
What was the only product the British found that they could sell in China?
Tea
Opium
Cotton clothes
Silk
If British opium was illegal in China, why was it so popular?
British opium was weaker and more expensive than the Chinese-grown opium
British opium was stronger and cheaper than Chinese-grown opium.
British opium was considered a special gift
British opium contained Indian spices, making it more pleasant
How did Lin Zexu force the British merchants to give up their opium supply?
He snuck in at night and took it all himself
He surrounded the British factory for more than a month and wouldn't let food in
He paid the French to attack the British factory
He promised to buy all their opium if they agreed to stop selling it
How did Charles Elliot accidentally make the British merchants and government more angry?
He promised that Britain would surrender to all Chinese demands and obey the Emperor
He promised that Britain would go to war against China immediately
He promised the British merchants that the British government would repay them for their lost opium
He promised China that British merchants would leave and never return
What was the "turning point" that started the Opium War?
Neither China nor Britain would pay the merchants for the opium taken and destroyed by Lin Zexu,
Britain didn't have silver to pay for Chinese goods but if they won a war they might get it back
British and Chinese merchants were illegally smuggling opium,, so both countries declared war on each other
Britain couldn't sell its cotton in hot Canton, so they declared war to open cold Tianjin to trade
What is NOT a reason Lord Palmerston refused to accept the Elliot-Qishan trade deal?
He was angry that Britain didn't get more money for the destroyed opium
He was angry that opium was still illegal
He was angry that China got to keep Hong Kong
He was angry that Britain didn't get to keep all the captured territory
What is NOT a reason why the British military had such an easy time during the fighting?
Many Chinese soldiers were sick from opium use and couldn't fight
The British Navy had steam-powered ships that were better than the Chinese sailing ships
The British Army had very strict discipline and soldiers who disobeyed orders were severely punished
Most Chinese soldiers decided to join the British and fight against the Emperor
How did "Hong Kong" get its name?
British sailors couldn't pronounce "Xianggang" properly
British sailors met fishermen who called their village "Heung Kong"
"Kong" means "harbour" and since the island was controlled by the Hong merchants, it was called "Hong Harbour" or "Hong Kong".
The two largest family groups on the island were the Hong clan and the Kong clan.
