Question 1

True or false: Thomas More coined the word 'utopia' for his 1516 book about an ideal society.

Accepted Answer

True. More created 'utopia' from Greek words meaning 'no place'—it was a pun, as the island was both perfect and fictional.

Question 2

True or false: More was executed for refusing to sign the Act of Supremacy making Henry VIII head of the church.

Accepted Answer

True. More's refusal to acknowledge Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England led to his beheading in 1535.

Question 3

True or false: More was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1935.

Accepted Answer

True. Pope Pius XI canonized More in 1935, 400 years after his death, naming him patron saint of lawyers and statesmen.

Question 4

True or false: More was a skilled artist who illustrated his own manuscript of 'Utopia'.

Accepted Answer

False. No evidence exists that More drew. The famous 'Utopia' map was likely by Ambrosius Holbein, not More.

Question 5

True or false: More was a close personal friend of King Henry VIII from childhood.

Accepted Answer

False. More was over a decade older and met Henry only as an adult. They were allies, not childhood friends.

Question 6

True or false: More served as Henry VIII's chief minister and personally approved Anne Boleyn's execution.

Accepted Answer

False. More resigned as Lord Chancellor in 1532, years before Anne's 1536 execution. He never directly condemned her.

Question 7

True or false: More wrote a play about Richard III that influenced Shakespeare's version of the king.

Accepted Answer

True. More's unfinished 'History of King Richard III' portrayed Richard as a tyrant, and Shakespeare drew heavily from it.

Question 8

True or false: More wrote a passionate defense of religious tolerance in his book 'Utopia'.

Accepted Answer

False. As Lord Chancellor, More actively persecuted Protestants. 'Utopia' allowed religious diversity but not atheism.

Thomas More Trivia Questions