All Practice Exams

Free Practice Questions for Canary Islands PAU History of Spain

Exam-style questions and explanations by OpenExamPrep.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card
100+ Questions
100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Exam Review

Key Facts: Canary Islands PAU History of Spain Exam

90 Min

Official duration of the PAU History of Spain written examination

COPAU / ULPGC & ULL

40%

Weight of PAU Access Phase mark in final University Access Grade (NCA)

Gobierno de Canarias

4.0

Minimum mark required on PAU Access Phase to combine with Bachillerato GPA

Spanish PAU Regulations

100

Practice questions provided in this OpenExamPrep subject bank

OpenExamPrep

The PAU History of Spain (COPAU / ULPGC & ULL) exam assesses 2º Bachillerato students across 4 major chronological blocks in a 90-minute written examination.

Sample Canary Islands PAU History of Spain Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Canary Islands PAU History of Spain exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which hominin fossil discovery at the Gran Dolina site in Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos) defined a new human species dated to over 800,000 years ago?
A.Homo neanderthalensis
B.Homo erectus
C.Homo heidelbergensis
D.Homo antecessor
Explanation: Homo antecessor was identified in 1994 from fossils recovered at Gran Dolina in Sierra de Atapuerca, establishing one of the oldest confirmed hominin occupations in Western Europe dated to around 850,000 years ago.
2The parietal cave art of Altamira in Cantabria, renowned for its polychrome bison figures, belongs to which Upper Paleolithic cultural period?
A.Aurignacian culture
B.Mousterian culture
C.Magdalenian culture
D.Solutrean culture
Explanation: The spectacular polychrome bison ceiling of Altamira Cave was created during the Magdalenian period (c. 15,000–12,000 BC), representing the peak of Franco-Cantabrian Upper Paleolithic cave art.
3Which ancient civilization located in southwestern Iberia was legendary for its wealth in metals and silver trade with Eastern Mediterranean merchants during the 8th–6th centuries BC?
A.Celtiberia
B.Lusitania
C.Tartessos
D.Turdetania
Explanation: Tartessos flourished in the lower Guadalquivir region, developing an advanced urban culture that exported silver, gold, and tin to Phoenician and Greek traders.
4Which ancient Mediterranean colonization established the trading colony of Gadir (modern Cádiz) around 1100 BC, introducing iron metallurgy and alphabetic writing to Iberia?
A.Greek colony of Emporion
B.Carthaginian Empire
C.Etruscan traders
D.Phoenicians from Tyre
Explanation: Phoenicians from Tyre founded Gadir around 1100 BC as a strategic Atlantic port, introducing iron technology, the alphabet, pottery wheels, and olive cultivation to southern Iberia.
5During the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), which Roman general captured Qart Hadasht (Cartagena) in 209 BC and defeated Carthaginian forces at the Battle of Ilipa?
A.Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
B.Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus
C.Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
D.Gaius Julius Caesar
Explanation: Scipio Africanus executed a brilliant campaign in Iberia during the Second Punic War, seizing Cartagena in 209 BC and ending Carthaginian presence at Ilipa in 206 BC.
6Which imperial decree issued by Emperor Caracalla in 212 AD granted full Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of Hispania and the Roman Empire?
A.Edict of Milan
B.Edict of Thessalonica
C.Pax Augusta Decree
D.Constitutio Antoniniana
Explanation: The Constitutio Antoniniana (Edict of Caracalla) of 212 AD extended Roman citizenship to all free men across Hispania, completing the legal integration of provincial populations.
7At which church council in 589 AD did the Visigothic King Recared formally convert from Arianism to Catholicism, unifying the Visigothic Kingdom religiously?
A.Council of Elvira
B.Fourth Council of Toledo
C.First Council of Nicaea
D.Third Council of Toledo
Explanation: At the Third Council of Toledo in 589 AD, King Recared publicly renounced Arian heresy and embraced Catholicism, unifying the Visigothic ruling elite and Hispano-Roman majority under one faith.
8Which comprehensive legal code promulgated by King Recceswinth around 654 AD created a single unified legal system for both Visigoths and Hispano-Romans?
A.Breviary of Alaric
B.Siete Partidas
C.Liber Iudiciorum
D.Code of Euric
Explanation: The Liber Iudiciorum (or Book of Judgments, later known as Fuero Juzgo) unified Visigothic and Hispano-Roman legal traditions into a single statutory code across the Iberian peninsula.
9In 711 AD, the Umayyad commander Tariq ibn Ziyad defeated the Visigothic King Roderic at which decisive battle, initiating the Muslim conquest of Hispania?
A.Battle of Poitiers
B.Battle of Guadalete
C.Battle of Covadonga
D.Battle of Simancas
Explanation: The Battle of Guadalete in July 711 AD saw Tariq's Muslim forces crush King Roderic's army, causing the rapid collapse of the Visigothic Kingdom.
10Who declared himself the independent Emir of Córdoba in 756 AD, establishing the Umayyad dynasty in Al-Andalus after escaping the Abbasid overthrow in Damascus?
A.Al-Hakam II
B.Tariq ibn Ziyad
C.Abd al-Rahman III
D.Abd al-Rahman I
Explanation: Abd al-Rahman I (the Immigrant) fled the Abbasid massacre in Syria, arrived in Al-Andalus, and proclaimed the independent Emirate of Córdoba in 756 AD.

About the Canary Islands PAU History of Spain Exam

The Canary Islands PAU History of Spain (Historia de España) exam evaluates 2º Bachillerato students on Spanish political, economic, social, and cultural evolution from ancient times through the 1978 Constitution, with particular emphasis on Canarian Atlantic integration, Free Ports, regional institutions, and modern Autonomy.

Exam sponsor: Canary Islands PAU Organising Commission (COPAU) / ULPGC & ULL. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

90-minute standardized university entrance paper with textual/historical source commentary, short conceptual definitions, and synthetic development topics.

Time Limit

90 minutes (1.5 hours)

Passing Score

Marked on a 0–10 scale. Minimum 4.0 required in Access Phase to combine with Bachillerato GPA (60% Bachillerato + 40% PAU >= 5.0 to pass).

Exam / Certification Fees

EUR 76.12 base registration fee for PAU Access Phase (set by Gobierno de Canarias / COPAU).

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

25%

Ancient, Medieval & Canarian Aboriginal History

Prehistory (Atapuerca, Altamira), Tartessos, Phoenicians/Greeks, Roman Hispania, Visigoths, Al-Andalus, Reconquista, Guanche society, and Castilian conquest of Canary Islands.

25%

Early Modern Spain & Atlantic Canarian Axis (16th–18th C.)

Catholic Monarchs, Habsburg Empire, Atlantic trade, Canarian sugar/wine economy, piracy, Bourbon Nueva Planta, Enlightened Despotism, and Real Sociedad Económica.

25%

Ancien Régime Crisis & 19th Century Liberal State

War of Independence, Cádiz 1812 Constitution, Ferdinand VII, Carlist Wars, Isabel II liberal state, 1869 Constitution, 1st Republic, Restoration, and 1852 Free Ports Law.

25%

20th Century, Francoism, Transition & Modern Autonomy

1898 Crisis, 2nd Republic, 1936 Civil War outbreak in Canaries, Francoist dictatorship, Transition, 1978 Constitution, Canary Statute of Autonomy, and REF.

Preparing for the Canary Islands PAU History of Spain Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Marked on a 0–10 scale. Minimum 4.0 required in Access Phase to combine with Bachillerato GPA (60% Bachillerato + 40% PAU >= 5.0 to pass).
  • Assessment: 90-minute standardized university entrance paper with textual/historical source commentary, short conceptual definitions, and synthetic development topics.
  • Time limit: 90 minutes (1.5 hours)
  • Exam / certification fees: EUR 76.12 base registration fee for PAU Access Phase (set by Gobierno de Canarias / COPAU). Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Canary Islands PAU History of Spain: Suggested Study Strategy

1Master major Spanish constitutional texts: Cádiz 1812, 1837, 1845, 1869, 1876, 1931, and 1978.
2Understand Canarian economic developments: sugar production, Malvasía wine trade, cochineal boom, 1852 Puertos Francos law, and modern tourism.
3Trace Canarian institutional history: Real Audiencia de Canarias, Cabildos Insulares, provincial split of 1927 (Las Palmas vs. Santa Cruz de Tenerife), and 1982/2018 Statute of Autonomy.
4Practice source analysis: learn to contextualize royal decrees, political pronunciamientos, newspaper clippings, and economic statistics.
5Review 20th-century political pivots: Primo de Rivera dictatorship, Second Republic reforms, July 1936 uprising in Tenerife/Gran Canaria, Francoist autarky, and the democratic Transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this practice bank in the same format as the real Canary Islands PAU exam?

No, and it is important to know the difference. The official Canary Islands PAU paper is a 90-minute examination sat in Spanish and built around analysis of historical documents, maps and statistics plus structured and extended written answers. Under the 2026 PAU design rules agreed by COPAU and the CRUE, open and semi-constructed responses must account for at least 70% of every paper, so the real exam contains no multiple-choice section. This bank is an English-language multiple-choice study adaptation of the same official 2º Bachillerato syllabus — not an official translation, not a past paper, and not a simulation of the exam format. Use it to drill the underlying knowledge and reasoning quickly, then practise writing source commentaries and extended historical essays in Spanish separately, because that is what the examiners actually mark.

What is the format and duration of the PAU History of Spain exam in the Canary Islands?

The exam lasts 90 minutes (1.5 hours). It consists of written document analysis, concise definition of historical concepts, and structured essay writing.

How is the exam graded and combined for university admission in the Canary Islands?

Graded from 0 to 10. A minimum grade of 4.0 in the Access Phase is required to calculate the final admission score (60% Bachillerato GPA + 40% PAU Access Phase).

What Canarian historical topics are specifically covered in the PAU exam?

Topics include aboriginal Guanche society, Castilian conquest of Canary Islands, Atlantic trade and sugar/malvasia wine export, 1852 Free Ports Law (Puertos Francos), provincial division of 1927, Francoist military uprising in 1936, Mando Económico, 1982/2018 Statute of Autonomy, and the Economic and Tax Regime (REF).

What are the registration fees for the Canary Islands PAU?

The base registration fee for the Access Phase is EUR 76.12 as set by COPAU and the Canary Islands Autonomous Government.

Are these practice questions official PAU questions?

No. These 100 practice questions are independently developed by OpenExamPrep to cover topics from the official 2nd Bachillerato LOMLOE History of Spain curriculum for the Canary Islands.