Dive Through an Alternative Mystery Portal II Quiz

Answer: Flag

Flags are usually pieces of fabric with predetermined colours and designs, which are flown for symbolic, signalling, and/or decorative purposes.

The field is the background of the flag that appears behind any charges (figures or symbols) appearing on the flag. If there are no charges, the field is often the most distinctive part of the flag.

Answer: Flagpole

A flagpole, also called a flagmast, flagstaff, or staff, is a pole designed to support a flag. It is usually made of wood or metal and can be tapered. When the flagpole is taller than can be reached, a cord is used to hoist the flag to the top of the flagpole. When the rope used to raise the flag in nautical settings, it is always referred to as a halyard. In other settings, it is sometimes called the cord or rope.

A flagpole can be tall. In 2021, a freestanding flagpole located in the just-constructed Administrative New Capital of Egypt measured 202 m (663 ft), making it the tallest in the world at that time.

Answer: Flag Emblem

Stars are the most common symbols found on national flags. They are featured on the flags of 59 independent states. Stars can take various shapes, from four-pointed (Aruba) to five-pointed (most common), hexagram (Israel), seven-pointed (Australia, Jordan), 14-pointed (Malaysia), to 24-pointed (Marshall Islands).

Most stars are white, but red and yellow are popular. Black, blue and green stars are also seen on national flags.

The number of stars is also enormously variable. A single star is most popular (eg Chile, Cuba, Ghana). The USA has the most stars (50), the Brazilian flag has 27, and Uzbekistan and Namibia have 12 stars each.

While the colour red on a flag usually means blood or struggles of the people, a star is usually the opposite: eg Hope, peace, purity but there are many meanings depending on the country.

Answer: National flag

The national flag of Denmark is called the Dannebrog. The flag is defined as a red field with a white Nordic Cross. This means that the vertical riser of the cross is shifted towards the cross, so the two red quarters of the field on the hoist side are squares. The width of the cross is 1/3 of the width of the hoist-side square. The flag had an unusual ratio of 28:37 (Most national flags have ratios of 1:2 or 2:3.)

The Dannebrog inspired the design of the other Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, as well as flags for the non-Scandinavian but nearby islands of Shetland and Orkney. All feature a Nordic Cross.

The Danish white-on-red cross has been verified as having been used by the Danish kings since the early 14th century. The legend is that during the Battle of Lindanise, a battle of the Crusades in June 1219, a lamb-skin banner depicting a white cross fell from heaven, which turned the tables for the Danes, who were losing the battle at that stage, but were then able to achieve victory.

In 2010, the Guinness Book of Records states that the Dannebrog holds the world record of being the oldest continuously used national flag, that is, since 1625.

Answer: Flag

A canton is any quarter of a flag (The National flag of Panama has four cantons). However, in common usage, it means the upper hoist quarter.

This latter condition is because of the propensity of national flags to have features in this area. E.g. British flags often have Union Jacks in their cantons (eg national flags of Australia and New Zealand).

The American flag's canton is derived from this British usage. The blue field with fifty white stars in the canton, in this specific case, may be called the Union. Many new World nations' flags were inspired by the American Stars and Stripes, including Liberia, Malaysia, the Republic of China and Togo.

Answer: Flagpole

A truck is a wooden ball, disk, pulley, or bun-shaped cap at the top of a flagpole. Holes in the truck allow flag halyards to pass, making it possible for flags to be raised and lowered. If the pole is wooden, the truck is likely to form a cap to prevent wood splitting.

There is a legend that American military instructors will ask recruits what is inside the truck. The correct answer is absolutely nothing, but this is not the required answer. The answer instructors are looking for is "a razor, a match, and a bullet." Sometimes the truck is said to contain a grain of rice or a penny. These items that are allegedly within the truck are to be used when an enemy invades. If the enemy overwhelms the military base, it is the last survivor's job to climb the 40-to-100-foot pole, "unscrew the truck, strip the flag with the razor, give it a proper retirement with the match, eat the grain of rice for strength, and blind the enemy with the penny".

Answer: Flag

The hoist is sometimes referred to as the vertical dimension of a flag. It is the edge closest to the flagpole, and if referring to the field, it is the half closest to the flagpole. Sometimes a flag will have a heading, which is a piece of loose fabric running along the hoist; this is used for attaching the flag to its halyard.

Answer: Flag

The fly refers to half of a flag furthest away from the flagpole It is also the edge of a flag away from the flagpole that is opposite to the hoist.

Flags are usually rectangular, but sometimes the fly is narrower than the hoist. This is called a pennant or pennon. (eg State flag of Ohio*). A double pennon is also possible (eg the national flag of Nepal).

* The Ohio state flag is a special type of pennant. It is a swallowtail pennon as it has a V-shaped 'cut' in the fly to end in two points (ie a five-sided pennon).

Answer: National flag

The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white field (Ratio 2:3) with a red circle at its centre. (The circle is 3/5 the vertical height of the flag).

The flag is officially called the Nisshoki ('flag of the sun') but is better known in Japan as the Hinomaru ('ball of the sun'). It manifests the country's moniker as the Land of the Rising Sun. The verified origin of the Hinomaru is not known, but Japan, being an archipelago east of the Asian mainland, has been known as the Land of the Emperor of the Rising Sun since 607. (The sun is deeply embedded in the Japanese Imperial family, as legend describes the imperial throne was descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu.). The Hinomaru was first described in 797 and was made the official banner for Japanese Maritime trade in 1854. However, it was not until 1999 that it was officially designated as the national flag of Japan by law.

Answer: Flag Emblem

The Eagle is an apex predator with excellent eyesight, immense strength and power to remain in flight for extended periods. For these reasons, Eagles feature on many national flags to represent courage, power, and freedom. The eagle is the most popular animal found on national flags, even eclipsing the ubiquitous lion.

The two-headed eagle, or "double eagle", was the emblem of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Empire, and the Russian Empire. As such, as a historical remnant or culture continuation, the double eagle appears on the national flags of Albania, Montenegro and Serbia (seen in the crest). National flags with a (single) eagle include Zambia, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Moldova.

Answer: Flagpole

A cleat on a flagpole is a small double-horn-shaped piece of hardware, usually made from metal. It is usually attached to the flagpole about waist height. it is used to secure the halyard after the flag has been raised. The halyard is wound around the cleat to form a specific knot - the cleat hitch, which is based on a figure eight winding pattern.

Answer: Flagpole

A finial is a decorative element of a flagpole that sits on top of the truck or is incorporated into the the truck itself. The most common finial is a single ball perched above the truck. Spearheads are also popular. In the US, a bald eagle is a popular finial, especially on military base flagpoles. Maple leaves have been reported as popular in Canada. Other popular regional finials include, Stars (Texas), Christian crosses (Europe) and the Fleur de Lis (France, Quebec, Louisiana).

Finials are sometimes called cappers.

Answer: National flag

In Spain's 1978 constitution (Article 4.1), the flag of Spain is specifically defined: The flag of Spain consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the width of the yellow stripe being equal to the combined width of the two red stripes. The middle stripe has been called by the archaic term gualda (weld, a natural dye from Reseda luteola, which is a flowering plant). Hence, the flag became known as the la Rojigualda (the red-weld).
The Spanish coat of arms was first added to the flag in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War. The flag was revised in 1981 when the coat of arms was updated. The coat of arms is offset: Its axis is positioned at a distance from the hoist equal to 1/2 of the flag's height.

The origin of this flag is the Spanish Naval ensign of 1785, chosen by Charles III of Spain from 12 designs by the Secretary of State for the Navy of Spain. Except for the coat of arms, the flag has remained essentially unchanged since then.

Answer: National flag

The Jalur Gemilang (Stripe of Glory) is the national flag of Malaysia. It can trace its history to 1950, a year after the Federation of Malaya was formed. The Legislative Council called for a competition for a national flag. Three entries were shortlisted from the 373 received, and a flag similar to the current flag was selected by the Malaysian people. The original flag was modified in 1963, the major change being eleven stripes became fourteen.

In design, the flag consists of fourteen horizontal stripes of equal width alternating red and white; in the canton, a yellow crescent and a fourteen-point star on a blue field. The 14 stripes represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the single federal territory. The 14 points of the star represent the unity among these entities. The country's state religion, Islam is represented by the crescent; the blue canton symbolises the unity of the Malaysian people; and the yellow colour of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers. The red stripes represent bravery and the white stripes represent purity.

Answer: Flag Emblem

A sun is another popular symbol on a flag and can can represent various concepts such as life, energy, renewal, and sometimes power. It symbolises the sun as the constant renewer of life on the Australian Aboriginal Flag. For Uruguay and Argentina, two countries that have similar flags and the most well-known 'sun' flags, the "Sun of May" represents a moment in their collective histories: the May Revolution in May 1810, and the sun god Inti. Other flags have embraced the sun on their flag the sun to represent hope, a brighter future, or simply national identity.

Flags of nations that have a sun on their flag include Japan, Bangladesh, Niger, Nepal, Malawi, Republic of China (ie Taiwan), Rwanda, and Namibia.

Answer: Flag Emblem

The cross is one of the oldest symbols on flags (See Dannebrog above). Crosses were associated with Christianity (eg flag of Dominica). Some were associated with Christian saints (ie the flag of Saint George is England's flag. When the cross is an X-shape, it is called a saltire (The Scottish flag, the cross of St Andrew, is a saltire as St Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Ironically, the Jamaican flag is a saltire and has no association with Christianity - its design was chosen to avoid confusion with the flag of Tanzania! The Union Jack is a composite of three crosses - those of St George, St Patrick and St Andrew.

Nordic crosses are those that have an off-centre vertical riser, such as the Danish flag. All Scandinavian national flags, all with Nordic crosses, are based on the flag of Denmark.

Those flags with crosses of equal length are called Greek crosses and are found on the flags of Greece and Switzerland.

The cross in the canton of the flag of Malta is a representation of the George Cross, which was awarded to Malta by George VI in 1942 for the nation's bravery in WWII.