Quizzes!
Text: Could you pass as a puritan? Image: two cartoon women dressed in black dresses with white collars

It’s 1649 and Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarian Puritans have taken over. Take our quiz to find out if you could live according to their strict rules or whether you'd rather party like a Royalist Cavalier!

Image: two cartoon women dressed in black dresses with white collars

1. You’ve been told to wear plain black clothes! Do you…

A) Wear red socks as an act of rebellion
B) Agree as long as you can wear make-up
C) Cheer as wearing black saves time-consuming fashion decisions

 

2. Playing cards and games are banned! Do you…

A) Hide your favourite games and pretend the dog ate them
B) Keep your cards but colour the kings and queens in black as Puritans 
C) Hand them over as they are distracting you from thinking virtuous thoughts 

Image: two cartoon dogs on a stage with red curtains open

3. The theatre is considered evil and has been closed! Do you…
A) Act out your favourite Harry Potter scenes in secret
B) Open a pet theatre as animals can’t commit sins
C) Agree as going to church is so much more fun! 

 

4. Christmas is banned! Do you…

A) Hide the presents (and the Christmas pudding)
B) Have a party two days later and say it’s your birthday
C) Give your presents to the poor 

Image: a cartoon boy dressed in fine Stuart style clothes and hat with a feather holding a smart phone

5. You’ve been told to spy on your family and friends! Do you…

A) Start a WhatsApp group where you all dress up as Cavaliers
B) Make a pact never to tell on each other 
C) Keep a diary of all the rules they break

6. You have to confess your sins in public! Do you…

A) Post a TikTok video confessing your crimes against fashion
B) Stay silent and admit nothing
C) Stand up in church and admit all the bad things you’ve done

7. Puritans believe only the pure go to Heaven – and that God knows who they are. Do you…

A) Sing the song ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen (find it on YouTube) 
B) Shrug and say, ‘If I’m doomed, let’s just have fun’
C) Smile and say, ‘It’s God’s will’

Results: how PURE-itan are you?

Mostly A: You’re a very wicked person!

Mostly B: You’re still having far too much fun!

Mostly C: You’re a shining star of Puritan goodness!

Now try these fun-sucking challenges to put your willpower to the test!

  • The good list

    Your new Puritan preacher is not impressed by your behaviour! Write down 10 ways to convince them that you are pure in both heart and mind.

  • All day in black 

    Spend a whole day wearing all black (clothes, socks and shoes) and try to get to bedtime without playing any games or watching any television.

     

  • Simple cereal

    Eat your breakfast cereal without milk as a penance (a kind of punishment to show you're sorry), with extra crunching when you’re munching!

  • Don't laugh!

    Repeat the words ‘this is indeed a sad and solemn situation’ in your most serious voice five times, while your friends try to make you laugh.

Image: cartoon illustration of Charles I behind bars at Carisbrooke Castle, with parliamentarian soldiers outside the window

The English Civil Wars

Now that you've found out whether or not you could be a good Puritan, explore our guide to the Stuarts and the English Civil Wars to find out what life was like in the past.

You can read about castle sieges, make a working model of real-life cannon Roaring Meg and discover some 17th-century cures for smelly breath, wind, warts and more! Plus: videos to watch, how-to guides, and a downloadable game to play with your family and friends!

Find out more