Lesson Y7-U03-L01

Y7-U03-L01 Securing Control Motte-and-Bailey Castles Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y7-U03-L01, Securing Control Motte-and-Bailey Castles: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 History (National Curriculum), Unit 3: Year 7: Norman England, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Where and when was William crowned king of England?

    • Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066
    • Canterbury Cathedral on 25 September 1066
    • York Minster on 14 October 1066
    • Winchester Castle on 6 January 1066

  2. What type of castle did the Normans build quickly across England?

    • Motte-and-bailey castles made of earth and wood
    • Floating castles built on ships along the south coast
    • Stone castles with huge walls built over many years
    • Roman forts made of stone and brick in the south

  3. What was a motte?

    • A deep ditch filled with water around the castle walls
    • A tall man-made mound of packed earth
    • A wooden tower built on top of the castle mound
    • A walled yard below the castle where the soldiers lived

  4. What was the keep in a motte-and-bailey castle?

    • A wooden fence that surrounded the outer edge of the castle
    • A deep ditch that slowed down attackers on the way in
    • A wooden tower on top of the motte, where the lord lived
    • A walled yard that held the horses, stables and stores

  5. What was the bailey?

    • A walled yard below the motte, with a hall, stables, stores and a well
    • A tall wooden fence that ran around the outer ditch
    • A small hill outside the castle where the Normans buried their dead
    • A tall wooden tower on the mound where the lord slept

  6. Why was a castle a useful tool for the Normans in controlling England?

    • It allowed the Normans to farm the land without any workers, because the castle provided food
    • It let the Normans trade with the rest of Europe by sea from the coastal towns
    • It made the English pay taxes to the Church for each castle that was built in their village
    • A small number of soldiers could dominate the land and crush rebels quickly from one fortress

  7. Why were castles built of earth and wood, rather than stone?

    • Wood was the only material that the Normans could find in England
    • Stone castles were only allowed to be built by English lords
    • Stone was banned in England by the Church after the conquest
    • The Normans did not have the time or money to build stone castles everywhere

  8. How many English people, roughly, did the Normans need to control after 1066?

    • About 20 million people
    • About 2 million people
    • About 200,000 people
    • About 2,000 people

  9. What was the ditch and palisade of a motte-and-bailey castle used for?

    • To mark the boundary of the land that belonged to the Church
    • To store food and water for the garrison during winter
    • To hold the horses and cattle of the local English farmers
    • To slow down and expose attackers as they approached the castle

  10. A motte is about 5 to 10 metres high. Why was this height useful?

    • It meant the castle could hold more soldiers than a bailey
    • It let defenders see far and forced attackers to fight uphill
    • It let the castle be seen from the sea by Norman ships
    • It stopped rain from falling on the castle keep below

  11. Why did William's castles help him keep control of rebellious areas?

    • Castles let William collect all the land from the English farmers
    • A few soldiers could ride out from a castle to crush trouble quickly
    • Castles stopped English people from ever reaching the Church
    • Castles were used to store the treasure that William had captured

  12. Why could a castle serve as a refuge for the Normans?

    • Even a few Normans could hold out behind the walls if rebels rose up
    • The keep was guarded by the Church, which did not allow attacks
    • The keep had a tunnel that led to the Norman ships on the coast
    • The keep was made of stone that the English could not break

  13. Who built many of the earth and wood castles?

    • Roman engineers who had stayed in Britain after the Romans left
    • Forced English labour, working on the castle over a week or two
    • Norman monks who had come to England to build churches
    • Viking workers who had settled in the Danelaw

  14. What did the castle's garrison do besides living inside?

    • They could ride out fast to crush any trouble in the area
    • They traded with merchants from Denmark and Norway at the port
    • They copied out books and records for the king in the keep
    • They farmed the land around the castle and paid rent to the Church

  15. Which castle part held the soldiers, horses and supplies?

    • The bailey
    • The ditch
    • The keep
    • The motte

  16. A rebel attacks a motte-and-bailey castle. Why would he find it hard to reach the lord in the keep?

    • He must sail a ship up to the keep through a secret tunnel below
    • He must pass through a stone gate guarded by monks who would not let him in
    • He must cross a river that carries the castle's supplies to the sea
    • He must cross the ditch, pass the palisade, and then climb the motte under fire

  17. Why might a castle help a lord to 'dominate' a town?

    • It towered over the town and reminded people who was now in charge
    • It let the town elect its own mayor and council in the keep
    • It built a school in the bailey where English children could learn
    • It gave the town free food and clothing from the king each year

  18. Which of these is a Norman castle's 'quick and cheap' feature?

    • Gold towers paid for by a tax on the Church's land
    • Brick barracks built by workers who were paid a fair wage
    • Stone walls built over many years by skilled craftsmen
    • Earth and wood, built by forced English workers in a short time

  19. Which factor best explains why William needed castles after 1066?

    • The Vikings had demanded that castles be built on every English hill
    • The Pope had ordered all kings to build castles in their kingdoms
    • A small Norman army had to control a large, hostile English population
    • The English had asked William to build castles to protect the coast

  20. What was the drawbridge used for at a motte-and-bailey castle?

    • To carry water from the river into the bailey
    • To control the way into the castle
    • To stop the wind from damaging the wooden keep
    • To hold the horses of visiting barons in the stables

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