The diamond rush in South Africa began around which decade?

• A. 1840s
• B. 1860s
• C. 1880s
• D. 1900s

Answer: (B)

The main idea is understanding when the South African diamond rush began in history. It started after diamonds were first found in 1866, and news of those finds drew large numbers of prospectors into the region in the following year. That flurry of activity marks the onset of the diamond rush, leading to rapid development around the Kimberley area by the end of the 1860s. So the decade that fits best is the 1860s. The later decades—1880s and 1900s—came after the initial rush had already begun, once mining had become established, while the 1840s precede the first major discoveries in this region.