Q 01/05

The English Mastiff holds what distinction among all living dogs?

A) It is the largest by mass

B) It is the tallest

C) It is the oldest breed

D) It is the rarest

Answer · why

A) It is the largest by mass

It is the largest by mass: a male can outweigh a grown man, yet the Kennel Club and AKC breed standards never mention weight, asking only for size com...

Q 02/05

What did the Romans reportedly ship Britain's big mastiff-type dogs back to Italy to do?

A) Herd army cattle

B) Guard the emperor

C) Fight in the arena

D) Pull supply carts

Answer · why

C) Fight in the arena

Fight in the arena: they were matched against bears, lions and even gladiators, and at home the same taste for blood sport long set Mastiffs on bulls,...

Q 03/05

Which colour feature must every English Mastiff display, whatever its coat colour?

A) A black mask

B) A white chest blaze

C) Black-tipped tail

D) White feet

Answer · why

A) A black mask

A black mask: the AKC standard wants the muzzle, ears and nose 'the blacker the better', and a dog whose mask lacks dark pigment is faulted in the sho...

Q 04/05

As of 2025, how does Britain's Kennel Club class the Mastiff?

A) Popular family breed

B) Vulnerable native breed

C) Banned dangerous breed

D) Imported rare breed

Answer · why

B) Vulnerable native breed

Vulnerable native breed: the Kennel Club keeps that list for British and Irish breeds with fewer than 300 puppies registered a year, and the Mastiff m...

Q 05/05

Famous stone reliefs in the British Museum show the heavy mastiff-type hunting dogs of which ancient empire?

A) Persia

B) Phoenicia

C) Carthage

D) Assyria

Answer · why

D) Assyria

Assyria: its kings used the dogs to hunt lions, but any family link to the English Mastiff is guesswork.