Chronology
What this domain tests
Chronology questions ask for order, century, or a single date. The safest method is to anchor a few fixed points and place other events around them.
Anchor dates
- Gojoseon traditional foundation: 2333 BCE (mythical; not archaeological).
- Three Kingdoms traditional foundations: Goguryeo 37 BCE, Baekje 18 BCE, Silla 57 BCE.
- Unified Silla: 676-935.
- Goryeo: 918-1392.
- Joseon: 1392-1910.
- Japanese colonial rule: 1910-1945.
- ROK: 1948-present.
- Korean War: 1950-1953.
Worked example
Order these: Joseon founding, Goryeo founding, Japanese annexation, ROK founding. Reason: Goryeo 918, Joseon 1392, annexation 1910, ROK 1948. The order is Goryeo, Joseon, annexation, ROK. If a distractor puts "Unified Silla" after Goryeo, reject it: Unified Silla ends in 935, Goryeo begins in 918, so they overlap briefly.
Traps
- BCE dates run backward: 2333 BCE is earlier than 37 BCE.
- Traditional founding dates are not excavation dates.
- 1910 is annexation; 1945 is liberation; 1948 is ROK founding.
- Period labels overlap, so "after Unified Silla" can mean Goryeo.