Q 01/05

The word 'apartheid' comes from which language?

A) Zulu

B) Afrikaans

C) Xhosa

D) Portuguese

Answer · why

B) Afrikaans

It literally means 'apart-ness' or 'separateness', from the suffix -heid.

Q 02/05

In which year did the apartheid system officially begin, following the National Party's election victory?

A) 1961

B) 1976

C) 1948

D) 1994

Answer · why

C) 1948

It lasted until 1994 and also applied to South West Africa, now Namibia.

Q 03/05

Which was the first apartheid law, passed in 1949?

A) Reservation of Separate Amenities Act

B) Suppression of Communism Act

C) Promotion of Bantu Self-Government Act

D) Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act

Answer · why

D) Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act

The Immorality Amendment Act of 1950 followed, criminalising sexual relationships across racial lines.

Q 04/05

How many racial groups did the Population Registration Act of 1950 sort South Africans into?

A) Two

B) Three

C) Four

D) Six

Answer · why

C) Four

The categories were Black, White, Coloured and Indian, and the last two contained several sub-classifications.

Q 05/05

Apartheid officials sometimes classified race by pushing which object into a person's hair and telling them to shake?

A) A comb

B) A pencil

C) A ruler

D) A matchstick

Answer · why

B) A pencil

If it stayed put, the person could be classified as Coloured or Black; if it fell out, White.