Miscellaneous Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- Which constellation does the North Star belong to?
- A. Orion
- B. Ursa Major
- C. Ursa Minor
- D. Cassiopeia
- In which ocean is the garbage vortex also known as the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' or '7th continent' located?
- A. Southern
- B. Pacific
- C. Atlantic
- D. Indian
- What does the acronym WHO stand for?
- A. Doctors Without Borders Organization
- B. World Health Organization
- C. World Office of Sciences
- D. World Organization of Sport
- What is the oldest university in the world still in operation?
- A. Oxford
- B. Paris-Sorbonne
- C. Bologna
- D. Al-Azhar in Cairo
- How long is a presidential term in France?
- A. 5 years
- B. 6 years
- C. 7 years
- D. 4 years
- Which is the only month with 28 days?
- A. All of them
- B. None
- C. February
- D. January
- In which Asian country have the oldest traces of rice cultivation been found?
- A. Thailand
- B. China
- C. Korea
- D. India
- Which rice variety is naturally fragrant with jasmine aromas?
- A. bomba
- B. basmati
- C. Thai
- D. arborio
- How many cards are in a French tarot deck?
- A. 52
- B. 78
- C. 32
- D. 64
- Which food, stored properly, can keep almost indefinitely?
- A. Butter
- B. Honey
- C. Bread
- D. Eggs
- What is the @ symbol used in email addresses called in French?
- A. L'esperluette
- B. Le croisillon
- C. La tilde
- D. L'arobase
- What did Scottish vet John Dunlop develop in 1888 for his son's tricycle?
- A. The bell
- B. The disc brake
- C. The padded saddle
- D. The pneumatic tyre
- What does 'RSVP' at the bottom of an invitation mean?
- A. Reception starts very promptly
- B. Reserved seats, very private
- C. Please reply (Répondez s'il vous plaît)
- D. Refreshments served, vegetarian provided
- How many seconds are there in an hour?
- A. 360
- B. 6,000
- C. 3,600
- D. 1,440
- Which Hungarian inventor patented the ballpoint pen in 1938, later made famous by Frenchman Marcel Bich with the 'Bic'?
- A. Ernő Rubik
- B. Ferenc Puskás
- C. Béla Bartók
- D. László Bíró
- How many minutes are there in a 24-hour day?
- A. 1,240
- B. 1,440
- C. 1,600
- D. 2,400
- What does the Latin abbreviation "i.e." mean in a text?
- A. That is (id est)
- B. For example (in exemplo)
- C. See below (infra)
- D. And so on (item et)
- Which unit is used to measure sound level?
- A. The hertz
- B. The watt
- C. The lux
- D. The decibel
- How many letters does the Greek alphabet have, from alpha to omega?
- A. 22
- B. 24
- C. 26
- D. 28
- How many centimetres is an inch, the unit used for screen sizes?
- A. 2.54 cm
- B. 1 cm
- C. 3.5 cm
- D. 5 cm
Answer key — Miscellaneous Quiz
- C. Ursa MinorThe North Star (Polaris) is the brightest star in Ursa Minor, at the tip of its 'tail'.
- B. PacificDiscovered in 1997, this zone gathers billions of tons of plastic waste that accumulate over the years following ocean currents.
- B. World Health OrganizationFounded in 1948, the WHO is the United Nations' specialized agency for international health.
- C. BolognaThe University of Bologna, founded in 1088 in Italy, is considered the oldest university in the world still in operation.
- A. 5 yearsSince the 2000 reform (the 'quinquennat'), the presidential term is 5 years, renewable once.
- A. All of themEvery month has at least 28 days. A classic trick question.
- B. ChinaThe oldest traces of rice cultivation, dating back about 10,000 BC, were found in the Yangtze River region.
- C. ThaiThai rice is grown in the northeast, near the border between Thailand and Cambodia.
- B. 78It combines 56 'ordinary' cards including knights, 21 trumps and the Excuse.
- B. HoneyVery sugary, low in water and slightly acidic, it prevents bacteria from growing.
- D. L'arobaseMerchants already used it to show a unit price. In French, 'esperluette' is '&' and 'croisillon' is '#'.
- D. The pneumatic tyreHe wanted to spare his son the jolts of solid wheels on Belfast's cobbles.
- C. Please reply (Répondez s'il vous plaît)The French phrase has made its way into English and American invitations.
- C. 3,60060 seconds × 60 minutes = 3,600. 1,440 is the number of minutes in a day.
- D. László BíróA journalist, he wanted an ink that dried as quickly as newspaper ink.
- B. 1,44024 × 60 = 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. Giving 15 minutes a day to an activity therefore takes up barely more than 1% of your day.
- A. That is (id est)Not to be confused with "e.g." (exempli gratia), which means "for example".
- D. The decibelThe scale is logarithmic: +10 dB means a sound ten times more intense.
- B. 24It gave rise to the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets. Hence the phrase "the alpha and the omega": the beginning and the end.
- A. 2.54 cmA 55-inch screen therefore measures about 140 cm diagonally.