Quotes: Quizzes and Tests

(a quiz about topics that appear to have obvious answers but which might not be correct)

Quotations

Would you consider the following “The World’s Easiest Quiz”?

  1. How long did the Hundred Years War last?
  2. Which country makes Panama hats?
  3. From which animal do we get catgut?
  4. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
  5. What is a camel’s hair brush made of?
  6. The Canary Islands in the Atlantic are named after what animal?
  7. What was King George VI’s first name?
  8. What color is a purple finch?
  9. Where do Chinese gooseberries come from?
  10. What is the color of the “black box” in a commercial airplane?
  11. What is the main ingredient of “Bombay Duck”?
  12. What kind of tree is the Douglas fir?
  13. Where did french fries come from?
  14. In which state was playwright Tennessee Williams born?
  15. What country has the world's largest Spanish-speaking population?
  16. In what season does Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream takes place?
  17. What do honey bees collect?
  18. Which colony was higher in latitude, Upper Canada or Lower Canada?
  19. How long did the Thirty Years War last?



Answers to the quiz:


  1. How long did the Hundred Years War last? (116 years, from 1337 to 1453)
  2. Which country makes Panama hats? (Ecuador)
  3. From which animal do we get catgut? (sheep and/or horses)
  4. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? (November because the Russian calendar was 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar)
  5. What is a camel’s hair brush made of? (squirrel fir)
  6. The Canary Islands in the Atlantic are named after what animal? (the dog, because the Latin name was Insularia Canaria or "Island of the Dogs")
  7. What was King George VI’s first name? (Albert. When he went to the throne in 1936, he respected the wish of Queen Victoria that no future king should ever be called Albert)
  8. What color is a purple finch? (crimson)
  9. Where do Chinese gooseberries come from? (New Zealand) [This is what some people think; however, they came from a climbing vine native to China. In the early 20th century seeds were collected and brought back to New Zealand, they were planted somewhere around 1905-1906 and cultivated in New Zealand for its fuzzy edible fruit with green meat and New Zealand developed them into a commercial crop and gave them the name "Kiwifruit"].
  10. What is the color of the “black box” in a commercial airplane? (orange)
  11. What is the main ingredient of “Bombay Duck”? (Bombay duck is not a bird, despite its name. This is a variety of fish that is salted and dried. It is sold in packets. Deep fried or grilled, it is served as an accompaniment to a meal or rice and curry, and should be nibbled in little pieces.)
  12. What kind of tree is the Douglas fir? (a pine tree)
  13. Where did french fries come from? (Belgium [so claimed]; the "f" in french fries is generally written in lower case, because it does not refer directly to the nation of France) Whether or not french fries were invented in Belgium, they have become the national dish, and they are the "symbolic" creators, at least for the rest of Europe.
  14. In which state was playwright Tennessee Williams born? (Columbus, Mississippi)
  15. What country has the world's largest Spanish-speaking population? (Mexico, said to have twice the number of people of Spain)
  16. In what season does Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" take place? (Spring, close to May Day)
  17. What do honey bees collect? (nectar)
  18. Which colony was higher in latitude, Upper Canada or Lower Canada? (Lower Canada, now part of Quebec)
  19. How long did the Thirty Years War last? (thirty years, 1618 to 1648)

Links to quotations units. Other Quotes, Quotation Units.