You cannot study history or understand the daily news without having a good look at WHERE things happened or are happening.So a quiz on 'places' might be a useful mental training. - Test yourself.
'Mysterious Asia ' - also a mystery to the funtrivia quizfans? - Proper names are spelled as in Times Atlas of the World , Oxford English Reference Dictionary and Cambridge Fact Finder.
Occasionally we use words that consist of a "letter (usually written as a capital)+ noun combination", such as T-shirt and X-files. Many of those combinations are relatively recent creations. See how well you have kept abreast of the times.
More and more women seem to take the adage seriously that the Pen is sometimes mightier than the Sword, and are taking part in the literary debate. How well do you know them?
For obscure reasons humans feel the need to classify and to label not only pots of home-made jam, but also the works of creative genius. Authors are to be classified according to theme, genre, subjects, etc. See if you can find your way in this gallery.
Would you understand these Spanish proverbs referring to food and wine? You can choose among 4 possible explanations. Find the one you think is closest to the Spanish original.
Politicians and Presidents have to do so much talking, that a harvest of one-liners and witty statements is almost a natural by-product of their careers. See what they had to say and find out who said what.
Medieval Flanders (originally just a strip of floodland on the continental side of the Channel) played a not insignificant role in European, and even in English History, especially since Hastings. Check your knowledge here.
It took some time after World War II before German Literature got on course again. Most of the authors who had not gone into exile, were discredited. Some former exiles opted for the G.D.R. (D.D.R.)- This quiz deals with the complex postwar situation.
This quiz deals with plots and characters of novels that had their moment of glory (or longer ) in the 1970s. See how well you remember their titles, authors or what they were about .
Sometimes classic musical compositions or their makers get surrounded by anecdotes or have a history of their own outside music. Such 'trifles' and 'small talk' is what this quiz deals with.
Some sensationalism also colours the history of writing. - Literature often shocks. Readers seem to love scandal and authors like to mock. This quiz is about those aspects of books, authors etc.
All of these statements concern 'details' about the Town of London that a tourist may consider worth knowing. You have one chance in two to answer correctly because you can answer with True or False. T or F also accepted.
By 'Minor Operas' all other operas than 'The Ring' are meant. Wagner's works are full of complicated symbols. This quiz is limited to a few basic facts.
If indeed the tribes occupying Britain were distant cousins of those staying 'the other' side of the Channel, then, one might suspect, that the languages of their descendants are somewhat mutually intelligible. Judge for yourself by doing this quiz.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) earned some extra popularity when his conflict with Salieri was made into the subject of a play by Peter Shaffer. Later, even more so via the movie 'Amadeus'. But what about knowing the plots of his operas?
In a word there often is more than meets the eye. The better we see what is "under the skin" of words, the more efficiently we can handle them. So here is another quiz on "word-archeology".
Though, geography taken in its widest sense,from Physical to Human Geography, includes more than just rivers, mountains, political entities, country borders,languages spoken, capitals, that's what this quiz mostly refers to. Allow for a few liberties
A number of standing expressions from Latin are still occasionally used in a non-scholarly context. In this quiz you can demonstate how familiar you are with some of those surviving phrases from a traditional 'classic education'.
Articles in the French language often are a problem for English learners of the language. First of all you have to know if it is LE or LA , UN or UNE. Moreover you often simply don't have to use them. Check your proficiency.
" We all of us were historical characters who either visited or stayed at Bruges for some time in our lives. Some of us were on the run, others were making money, negotiating affairs or simply enjoying the sights. Up to you to find out who we were."
Do you know what all those 'mania'words mean? Maybe you are not a 'hellenomaniac' and don't want to call kleptomania by any other name than plain English, stealing. If, however, you are a logophile, then this is something for you.
Few operas offer such a pure fusion of drama and music as Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'. Moreover the basic story is rich in meaning and a real Bible on the paradoxes of love. See how well you know the plot of this absolute masterpiece.
This quiz follows the usual Multiple Choice procedure. In this case, three options are strictly fictitious. Find the remaining one that's historical fact. Most items are from general and European history.
This quiz deals with the operas written by such composers as Tchaikovsky,Rimsky-Korsakov, Igor Stravinsky. May be less sentimental than some other opera-music, but certainly not less impressive. How well do you know the Slavic operas?
Many English names happen to be foreign names in disguise. This quiz deals with the meaning and origins of names that were borrowed from Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Scandinavian and a few other languages.
Most travellers' guide books take it for granted that
we understand the basic terms used to describe churches, castles, paintings, sculptures. But do we?
This quiz helps you to check.
This quiz deals with, mainly, the internationally or nationally best known novelists that published after the Second World War.- Multiple Choice questions everywhere.- For lovers of la bella Italia.
There were spy novels long before the Cold War - yet this type of novel flourished most after World War II. There can be no doubt that with authors such as Graham Greene and John Le Carre it has earned itself a place in fiction.
Though being chosen as Time's Man of the Year is not exactly the equivalent of winning a Nobel Prize for Peace, in the perception of many this title is surrounded by an aura of everlasting glory. Or should we say notoriety? Judge for yourself.
Part of British history can be found back in the many Latin, Welsh, Old Norse and Gaelic placenames that complete the Anglo-Saxon picture a map of Britain offers. Finding out what a placename means is often easier than you might think. Just have a try.
Italy has seen a non-stop procession of 'cultural pilgrims'. Some of their commentaries have become famous. Also, in Shakespeare, the names of the great Italian cities pop up often. And they also do so in local Italian sayings. Test your knowledge.
There can be little doubt that the Romantic Movement was one of the great turning-points in Literary History. This quiz deals with quotes from some of the more popular poems from that period.
You get the name of a famous literary hero AND the name of his or her maker. Give the name of the book.- Example: Margaret Mitchell's Rhett Butler is from :'Gone With the Wind '.Harriet Beecher- Stowe's Simon Legree is from 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'.
Many British words do not cross over to USA or vice versa at least not in same meaning. Just see how 'bilingual' you really are. Hints should keep you on track.
Native speakers of French often give the meaning they are familiar with to an English 'look-alike'. See if you know these double-faced words. Solutions require completely spelled-out word, not just the filled-in blanks. Don't use any capitals or articles
My French: do I speak, understand it correctly or not? Sometimes little details matter. In most cases in this quiz you have to select the one (in)correct phrasing. From the point of view of standard French of course.No accent signs used.
Stories Of Disguise are as old as the hills. They occur in fairy tales, ballads, epic poems, modern
novels and also in the real life of some authors. Here follows a selection of well-known cases.
Who were the Political VIPs of the first three decades after Second World War ? Have their names stuck in the international collective memory? This quiz gives you a chance to check for yourself.
When top people say something witty , smart or simply unusual we tend to remember.- Just try and see if you remember who these quotes are from. Four options every time.
We don't only gossip about individuals but also about groups of people and whole nations .What follows alludes to such 'cliches' 'and 'stereotypes'.Fortunately, quoting them need not yet mean believing them.
There often is more in a word or name than meets the eye. Understanding the background and origin of a word helps us to know what we are talking about. Have a try.