| This quiz has been done in some form or other at least ten times before. Search on the word 'former' and you will find many examples. You did pretty well with yours although there are a few corrections. First your dates aren't consistent. For example, Thailand was used from 1939-45, changed back to Siam and then changed back again to Thailand in 1949 - you use the most current date. But for Bohemia (which should be Bohemia and Moravia) you use 1918 when it was incorporated in to Czechoslovakia and switched to the czech name, but ignore the fact that under German occupation in World War II, it reverted to Bohemia and Moravia, and in fact wasn't called the Czech republic until 1992 following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The name Moldova was adopted in 1990 (Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova)before it became the Republic of Moldova in 1991. Yes, it is all minutiae but isn't that what Sporcle is all about. I think the dates get you into more trouble with debates about accuracy than provide clues for the quiz taker. Finally, the problem with almost all of these quizzes is in the title. Many of these names are not the former names of the country but a name for the colony which became the country, or the name for a region or 'state' which became a country. In the case of Temasek (or Timasuk or Temasik) this was the name of the city which became Singapore. Thank you for reading all my nit-picking and let me assure you that despite all of it, I enjoyed the quiz! |
Countries of Europe 
Countries of Africa 
Countries of Asia
