Geography
1. What is the capital of Australia?
a
Sydney
b
Canberra
✓
c
Melbourne
Answer:
Canberra was purpose-built as the capital in a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, and became the seat of government in 1927.
Science
2. Which planet is known as the Red Planet?
a
Mars
✓
b
Venus
c
Jupiter
Answer:
Mars appears red because its surface is rich in iron oxide (rust).
General Knowledge
3. True or False: The Great Wall of China is visible from space with the naked eye.
Answer:
This is a popular myth. The wall is far too narrow to be seen unaided from low Earth orbit, let alone the Moon.
General Knowledge
4. Who painted the Mona Lisa?
a
Michelangelo
b
Raphael
c
Leonardo da Vinci
✓
Answer:
Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in the early 16th century; it now hangs in the Louvre in Paris.
History
5. What year did the Berlin Wall fall?
Answer:
The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989, a pivotal moment leading to German reunification.
Science
6. Which element has the chemical symbol 'Au'?
a
Silver
b
Aluminium
c
Gold
✓
Answer:
Au comes from the Latin word for gold, 'aurum'.
Nature
7. True or False: Bats are blind.
Answer:
Bats are not blind. Many see well, and they also use echolocation to navigate in the dark.
Music
8. In music, how many semitones are in an octave?
Answer:
A Western chromatic octave is divided into 12 equal semitones.
Geography
9. What is the largest ocean on Earth?
a
Atlantic
b
Indian
c
Pacific
✓
Answer:
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest, covering about a third of the Earth’s surface.
Technology
10. In which country is CERN, where the World Wide Web was invented, located?
a
USA
b
UK
c
Switzerland
✓
Answer:
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web in 1989 while working at CERN in Switzerland.
Nature
11. True or False: A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.
Answer:
A group of flamingos really is called a flamboyance — a fitting name for such flamboyant birds.
Science
12. How many bones does an adult human body have?
Answer:
Adults have 206 bones. Babies are born with around 300, many of which fuse as they grow.
History
13. In which year did the Titanic sink?
Answer:
The RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912 during her maiden voyage.
General Knowledge
14. Which country gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States?
Answer:
France gifted the Statue of Liberty to the USA in 1886 as a symbol of friendship.
History
15. True or False: The shortest war in history lasted around 38 minutes.
Answer:
The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 lasted roughly 38 minutes, making it the shortest recorded war in history.