Q 01/05

In which French city was Charles de Gaulle born in 1890?

A) Paris

B) Lille

C) Lyon

D) Calais

Answer · why

B) Lille

He was the third of five children in a devoutly Catholic, monarchist household.

Q 02/05

What was the profession of de Gaulle's father, Henri?

A) Professor of history and literature

B) Colonel in the colonial infantry

C) Textile merchant in the old town

D) Parish priest turned schoolmaster

Answer · why

A) Professor of history and literature

He taught at a Jesuit college and later founded his own school; family debates fed young Charles's love of history.

Q 03/05

The surname de Gaulle is thought to derive from which language?

A) Breton

B) Latin

C) Dutch

D) Occitan

Answer · why

C) Dutch

It may come from van der Walle or de Waal, meaning 'from the wall' or 'rampart'.

Q 04/05

Which military academy did de Gaulle set his sights on from July 1906?

A) École Polytechnique

B) École Navale

C) Saint-Maixent

D) Saint-Cyr

Answer · why

D) Saint-Cyr

Applications had fallen below 700 that decade because the army was being used for strike-breaking.

Q 05/05

Where did de Gaulle receive his first wound, a bullet in the knee, in August 1914?

A) The Battle of the Marne

B) Verdun

C) The Battle of Dinant

D) The Somme

Answer · why

C) The Battle of Dinant

It came on 15 August, his baptism of fire as a platoon commander with the 33rd Regiment.