International Connections Trivia Quiz

Answer: currency

The quetzal is the currency of Guatemala, named after the resplendent quetzal (Pharomacrus mocinno), the country's national bird, whose long, green tail feathers were used as currency by the Maya. The bird also appears on the Guatemalan flag and coat of arms. Introduced in 1925, the quetzal is divided into 100 centavos.

Answer: currency

The koruna has been the currency of the Czech Republic (also known as Czechia) since 1993; it is divided into 100 haléře. Its name means "crown", and is thus related to the names of the currencies of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. A member of the European Union since 2004, the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro in the future.

Answer: currency

The manat is the official currency of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. In the former country, it is subdivided into 100 gapiks, while in the latter it is subdivided into 100 tenge. Both currencies replaced the ruble after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The word manat comes from the Latin "moneta" (also the origin of the English "money") through Russian.

Answer: currency

The dirham is the official currency of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. The Moroccan dirham is divided into 100 santimat, while the UAE dirham is divided into 100 fils. The word comes from the name of the Greek currency, the drachma. The United Arab Emirates adopted the dirham in 1973, while the Moroccan dirham was first introduced in 1882, and then reintroduced in 1960.

Answer: housing

A dacha (archaic Russian for "something given") is a house - generally located in a rural or semi-rural area - used as a second home in Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc. Dachas are usually simple, cottage-style buildings - largely made of wood - with a garden plot in which fruits and vegetables can be grown during the summer months.

Answer: housing

Igloo simply means "house" in the Inuit languages of the Arctic regions. It is a dome-shaped structure made of blocks of snow - which have excellent insulating properties, and allow these dwellings to keep a comfortable inside temperature through body heat. However, Inuit use the word igloo also for permanent dwellings made of sod, wood or stone.

Answer: housing

A yurt, or ger, is a portable tent with a circular structure, made of a wooden lattice frame and insulating felt covering. It is the traditional dwelling of the nomadic peoples of the steppes of Central Asia and Mongolia: in fact, the word yurt means "dwelling" in Old Turkic. Yurts have been used for thousands of years in that part of the world and even further west in the Eurasian steppe - as described by Greek historian Herodotus in reference to the Scythians of the northern Black Sea region.

Answer: housing

In Spanish, pueblo means both "people" and "village". In the southwestern US the term refers to permanent Native American settlements, some of which are hundreds of years old. Pueblo also describes the multi-storied structures - similar to present-day apartment buildings - built of adobe, stone or other materials that housed large communities.

These buildings usually surrounded an open plaza, and the individual units were accessible only through ladders.

Answer: clothing

A sarong is a length of fabric wrapped around the waist or the upper body, worn by both men and women in many tropical countries, particularly in the Eastern Hemisphere. The word comes from the Malay for "to cover" or "to sheath". In Southeast Asia, with which this garment is frequently associated, the fabric is often dyed using the traditional wax-resist batik method.

Answer: clothing

An abaya (from Arabic) is a long, loose-fitting robe worn in public by women in Muslim countries. The garment is meant to be worn over their clothes, leaving only the head, the hands and the feet uncovered. While abayas were originally black and unadorned, nowadays these garments come in a wide variety of colours, fabrics and styles, and may include embroidery and other decorations.

Answer: clothing

Dirndl (short for Dirndlkleid, meaning "young woman's dress") is a traditional dress worn by women in the German-speaking areas of the Alps. Its masculine counterpart is the Lederhosen ("leather trousers"). The modern dirndl consists of a low-cut, tight-fitting bodice worn over a blouse, a wide, high-waisted skirt and an apron.

It is usually worn with court shoes or ballet flats, and accessorized with ribbons, scarves, jewellery and flowers.

Answer: clothing

A poncho (from the Quechua for "blanket") is a loose, sleeveless outer garment designed to keep the body warm in the harsh climate of the mountain regions of Mexico, Central and South America. In its basic form, as its name implies, it is a woolen blanket with an opening in the middle that can be slipped over the head. Rain ponchos, made of waterproof material, are meant to be worn as an alternative to a traditional raincoat.

Answer: food

The Arabic word tagine denotes both a rich, slow-simmered stew from the Maghreb region of North Africa and the traditional earthenware pot in which the stew is cooked. A tagine pot has a wide, shallow base and a distinctive, cone- or dome-shaped lid that is meant to trap steam and and return it to the bottom in form of condensation.

A tagine may contain various kinds of meats, fish, vegetables and fruits, as well as spices such as cumin, cinnamon, ginger and saffron.

Answer: food

In Spanish and Portuguese, churrasco denotes grilled or barbecued meat - usually various cuts of beef, but also other meat products such as sausages. A restaurant serving churrasco is called a "churrascaria" in Portuguese and "churrasquería" in Spanish.

In particular in the Brazilian version of these restaurants, the grilled meats are carried by servers on large skewers, and sliced directly at the table on a customer's plate.

Answer: food

Moussaka (from the Arabic for "pounded" or "chilled") is a baked casserole made of eggplant (aubergine) slices layered with seasoned ground meat. Very popular in Greece, Turkey, the Balkana region and the Middle East, it comes in different variants: the best-known of them is the Greek one, which is topped by a layer of béchamel sauce or savoury egg custard.

Answer: food

Wonton ("cloud swallow" in Cantonese) are Chinese dumplings that can be found in different styles throughout the country. Cantonese wontons, the most popular in the West, consist of a filling of seasoned minced pork and shrimp wrapped in a thin square of dough, usually folded in a triangular shape, and served in hot soup with thin noodles. Though easy to make at home, they can also be bought frozen in supermarkets.