Q 01/05

In what year was Harvard, the oldest US institution of higher learning, founded?

A) 1746

B) 1636

C) 1620

D) 1701

Answer · why

B) 1636

It was not named Harvard College until 1639, in honour of the clergyman whose bequest kept it alive.

Q 02/05

Which body voted the £400 that founded the college?

A) The English Privy Council in London

B) The Congregational Synod of New England

C) The Plymouth Colony's General Assembly

D) The colony's Great and General Court

Answer · why

D) The colony's Great and General Court

The vote came at a session that opened on 8 September and was adjourned to 28 October, the date Harvard treats as its birthday.

Q 03/05

What did John Harvard leave the young college on his deathbed, alongside £780?

A) His personal printing press

B) His farm outside Charlestown

C) His library of about 320 books

D) His herd of dairy cattle

Answer · why

C) His library of about 320 books

He was a Puritan clergyman who had emigrated from England, and he never taught at the school that bears his name.

Q 04/05

What single Latin word appears on the three open books of Harvard's shield?

A) Fides

B) Lux

C) Sapientia

D) Veritas

Answer · why

D) Veritas

The seal was designed by William Sumner Appleton, class of 1860, though the older 1650 seal also carried 'In Christi Gloriam'.

Q 05/05

Which of these is Harvard's official school color?

A) Cardinal

B) Maroon

C) Crimson

D) Scarlet

Answer · why

C) Crimson

Its sports teams take the name Harvard Crimson and compete in the Ivy League without athletic scholarships.