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Quiz about Youll Take the Low Road
Quiz about Youll Take the Low Road

You'll Take the Low Road Trivia Quiz


Join me on a journey along some of the world's lowest roads - pay attention, I'll be asking questions on the way. Don't forget the sunhat and plenty of water; some of these places are really hot.

A multiple-choice quiz by bucknallbabe. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
bucknallbabe
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
323,707
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
742
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Djibouti's N9 road takes the traveller past a crater lake, Lac Assal, the shores of which are the lowest land in Africa. It is fed by hot saline springs replenished by the nearby waters of the Gulf of Aden, and its western end is a massive salt pan which is mined by local tribes people. The salt is taken by camel caravan to a landlocked neighbouring country.

Which country is this?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. A trip along Ethiopia's major road No. 2 takes you through the Afar (or Danakil) Depression. This is a triple junction where three tectonic plates are moving away from each other and are expected to turn into a new ocean after millions of years.

What is the other country in the world where geologists can observe the formation of oceanic crust on land?
Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A drive along China's G312 national road takes you to the area known as the Turfan (or Turpan) Depression near the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and India. It is bounded by geological faults, some of which originated in the Permian (300-250 million years ago), but some of which were produced by a major event around 50 million years ago.

What type of tectonic activity accounts for the deformations found in this area?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The Caspian Sea is a remnant of an ancient ocean which has become landlocked as a result of tectonic uplift, caused by the same geological event that created the Alps.

Which of these pieces of information about the Caspian Sea is UNTRUE?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The village of Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire is reputed to be the lowest point in England at about three metres below sea level. It lies to the east of what was formerly known as the Great North Road (the A1), which links London to a Scottish city 409 miles away.

Where is the northern terminus of the A1?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. One of the highlights of the typical tourist desert trip is watching the sun rise across the Chott El Jerid as you stand on the side of the Tunisian P16 road in the cool of the early morning. The Chott (salt lake) is several metres below sea level and may have a volcanic origin or be a remnant of a former inlet from a nearby body of water.

Where does Tunisia have a coastline?
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The world's lowest stretch of road is part of Israel's Route 90 which joins Eilat in the south, near the Egyptian border, with Metula near the northern border with Lebanon.

Along which part of its route does it reach its lowest point?
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. US State route 111, otherwise known as Grapefruit Boulevard, runs alongside the eastern shoreline of California's Salton Sea, the state's largest lake. Due to changes in balance between inflow, precipitation and evaporation, the lake comes and goes over geological time.

When did the current lake start to fill up?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. If you were to take Ruta Nacional 3 from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego, as you traveled through Patagonia you could take make a detour and visit the southern hemisphere's lowest point, the shores of Laguna del Carbon ("Coal Lake"). Like many of the world's lowest lakes, it has no outflows.

What scientific term is used to describe such a lake?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The recommendations of the Lake Eyre National Park Authority are for visitors to "travel in convoy and carry reserves of fuel, water and food". Camping is free, but a donation for the Royal Flying Doctor Service is encouraged.

Where is Lake Eyre?
Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Djibouti's N9 road takes the traveller past a crater lake, Lac Assal, the shores of which are the lowest land in Africa. It is fed by hot saline springs replenished by the nearby waters of the Gulf of Aden, and its western end is a massive salt pan which is mined by local tribes people. The salt is taken by camel caravan to a landlocked neighbouring country. Which country is this?

Answer: Ethiopia

Since 1993, when Ethiopia's federation with the coastal Eritrea region was severed, the road and railway links with Djibouti have been a vital link to the sea. Djibouti's roads are largely unpaved and difficult and dangerous to drive, especially in the area around Lac Assal where the high temperatures and salt-laden atmosphere make driving unpleasant. Lac Assal is about 150m below sea-level.
2. A trip along Ethiopia's major road No. 2 takes you through the Afar (or Danakil) Depression. This is a triple junction where three tectonic plates are moving away from each other and are expected to turn into a new ocean after millions of years. What is the other country in the world where geologists can observe the formation of oceanic crust on land?

Answer: Iceland

The Afar Depression (about 125m below sea-level) is where the Arabian plate is separating (along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden) from the African plate, which is splitting along the Great Rift Valley into the Nubian and Somalian parts. The area is characterised by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions of basaltic lava characteristic of the formation of oceanic crust along a mid-oceanic ridge. It is expected that once the split is complete, water from the Red Sea will flood the depression, cutting off the Horn of Africa from the rest of the continent.

Iceland is situated on the mid-Atlantic ridge where the North American and Eurasian plates are moving away from each other. In both cases, there may be a geological "hotspot" or magma chamber feeding the eruptions.
3. A drive along China's G312 national road takes you to the area known as the Turfan (or Turpan) Depression near the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and India. It is bounded by geological faults, some of which originated in the Permian (300-250 million years ago), but some of which were produced by a major event around 50 million years ago. What type of tectonic activity accounts for the deformations found in this area?

Answer: Continental collision

The continental collision of the Indian into the Eurasian Plate gave rise to the Himalayas, and as it continued northwards the effects of the collision resulted in the particular configuration of the Turpan Depression. At over 150 m below sea level, it is the lowest point in Asia. Turpan means "fertile land" and the area is known for agricultural produce, such as grapes and watermelons. The northern branch of the "Silk Road", a network of routes originally based on the trade in Chinese silk, passed through the Turpan and there are many historic and religious sites to visit.

A subduction zone occurs when a dense oceanic plate collides with a plate of lighter continental crust and is forced underneath it. A divergent boundary occurs when plates move apart, as in a mid-oceanic ridge. Transform faults occur when tectonic plates slide past each other as in California along the San Andreas Fault.
4. The Caspian Sea is a remnant of an ancient ocean which has become landlocked as a result of tectonic uplift, caused by the same geological event that created the Alps. Which of these pieces of information about the Caspian Sea is UNTRUE?

Answer: It is a freshwater lake.

Most of the rivers (including the Volga) flowing into the Caspian Sea are in the north where the water is almost fresh. Further south, however, the water retains much of its original salinity and, overall, the Caspian is about one third as salty as the oceans. The Caspian is the largest inland body of water in the world and the area is rich in mineral resources, such as oil.

A branch of the Silk Road wound its way past the Caspian Sea which, is a favourite destination for the people of Tehran, Iran at weekends. Road 59, which takes them there, is one of the busiest roads in Iran.
5. The village of Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire is reputed to be the lowest point in England at about three metres below sea level. It lies to the east of what was formerly known as the Great North Road (the A1), which links London to a Scottish city 409 miles away. Where is the northern terminus of the A1?

Answer: Edinburgh

Fenland, the low-lying, marshy area near The Wash on the east coast of England, began to be drained several centuries ago with the help of Dutch engineers. The early methods used huge drainage channels but when the peat dried out, the land was lower than before and even more susceptible to flooding. Modern drainage relied firstly on wind, then steam, then diesel and finally electrical pumps. The land has continued to shrink and there are extensive flood protection measures throughout the area.

The Great North Road was originally a mail coach route from London to York, later Edinburgh.
6. One of the highlights of the typical tourist desert trip is watching the sun rise across the Chott El Jerid as you stand on the side of the Tunisian P16 road in the cool of the early morning. The Chott (salt lake) is several metres below sea level and may have a volcanic origin or be a remnant of a former inlet from a nearby body of water. Where does Tunisia have a coastline?

Answer: Mediterranean Sea

The Chott El Jerid, which is about 5000 square kilometres in area (the largest salt pan in the Sahara), dries out in the summer but is fed by rainfall in winter when it becomes more dangerous. It is known for its mirages, caused by the reflection of sunlight from the salt crystals. In the surrounding mountains, there are lots of freshwater springs which could drain into the lake and keep water in it all year round, but they are used for irrigation so that it regularly dries out.

The P16 road goes from Douz, a small town on the edge of the Sahara, to Tamarza, an oasis watered by a perennial spring.
7. The world's lowest stretch of road is part of Israel's Route 90 which joins Eilat in the south, near the Egyptian border, with Metula near the northern border with Lebanon. Along which part of its route does it reach its lowest point?

Answer: Dead Sea

At more than 400 metres below sea level, the Dead Sea and its shores are the lowest land in the world. The Dead Sea is fed by the River Jordan and some perennial springs but has no outlets. Several million years ago it was connected to the Mediterranean via what is now the Jezreel Valley, but due to tectonic activity in the area the connection was broken. As evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation in the area, the Dead Sea has become more and more saline.

Israeli roads are numbered according to whether they go south-north (even) or west-east (odd), and the further north or east, the higher the number.
8. US State route 111, otherwise known as Grapefruit Boulevard, runs alongside the eastern shoreline of California's Salton Sea, the state's largest lake. Due to changes in balance between inflow, precipitation and evaporation, the lake comes and goes over geological time. When did the current lake start to fill up?

Answer: 100-150 years ago

The modern lake, which is located directly on the San Andreas fault, began to fill up in 1905 when the Colorado River was carrying so much rain and melt-water that it breached the headgates of the Alamo Canal which took irrigation water from the river.

The Alamo Canal could not withstand the increased flow and the water cut channels through the desert. Over the next couple of years, the Colorado drained into the previously dry Salton Sea and brought the modern lake into being. The area around the lake is predominantly agricultural, but does have some tourist attractions.

The water level in the Salton Sea is about 69 metres below sea level.
9. If you were to take Ruta Nacional 3 from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego, as you traveled through Patagonia you could take make a detour and visit the southern hemisphere's lowest point, the shores of Laguna del Carbon ("Coal Lake"). Like many of the world's lowest lakes, it has no outflows. What scientific term is used to describe such a lake?

Answer: Endorheic

Endorheic has Greek roots - "endo" meaning "in" and "rhein" meaning "to flow". Lacustrine just means pertaining to lakes. Limnic means to do with freshwater. Exorheic lakes have some form of external outflow, usually a river. Patagonia is the name given to those parts of Chile and Argentina which form the tip of South America.
10. The recommendations of the Lake Eyre National Park Authority are for visitors to "travel in convoy and carry reserves of fuel, water and food". Camping is free, but a donation for the Royal Flying Doctor Service is encouraged. Where is Lake Eyre?

Answer: South Australia

Lake Eyre is in the outback of Australia and the basin drains a sixth of the continent but as many of the rivers and streams are ephemeral, due to the arid climate, the Lake itself varies considerably in size and shape. When full, it is Australia's largest lake. To get there, you need to take the National Highway A1 north from Adelaide or south from Darwin, but make sure you have a well-maintained four-wheel drive vehicle; otherwise you won't make much progress around Lake Eyre itself.

It's worth a visit for the geological formations and the wildlife, particularly birds.

The Lake is about 16 metres below sea level.
Source: Author bucknallbabe

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
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This quiz is part of series Commission #7:

Authors wrote two quizzes for this seventh Quiz Commission-- one of their own titles and one of another person's-- back in February 2010. It's double or nothing!

  1. Down Under Average
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  3. Pink Is for Girls Tough
  4. Blue Is for Boys Tough
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  6. Say Cheese! Tough
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  10. You'll Take the Low Road Average
  11. Look What I Can "B" Very Easy
  12. Look What I Can C Very Easy

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