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Quiz about The Not So Dark Side of the Moon
Quiz about The Not So Dark Side of the Moon

The Not So Dark Side of the Moon Quiz


The Moon Festival is a very important festival in Chinese culture. So let's admire the moon together as we explore.

A multiple-choice quiz by Ellabear. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
Ellabear
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
361,772
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
204
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The Moon Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. It is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. What is the Chinese name for this festival? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The magical full moon constitutes the very soul of the festival. According to legend, what is the "Old Man on the Moon" (Yue-lao) the god of? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A great poet of the Tang Dynasty wrote beautiful poetry extolling the moon. A wine lover, he was reputed to have fallen from a boat and drowned while trying to embrace the moon's reflection in the water. Who was this poet? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The Moon Festival, of course, is celebrated by eating moon cakes. Traditonally what is used as filling for the cakes? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. According to Chinese sources, mooncakes were first mentioned in connection with the Moon Festival when China came under the rule of these people in the Yuan Dynasty. Who were these people? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Many fruits are eaten during the festival. One special fruit is eaten as well as given as gifts as a symbol of prosperity. Which native fruit is that? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. On the evening before the celebration, families would prepare plates filled with round fruits - pomegranates, oranges, peaches, grapes etc. The round shapes symbolize not only the full moon but also the unity of the family. In some areas, though, a certain fruit is excluded. Which fruit is this? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. As homage to the moon, the ancient Chinese beat drums to save the object of their worship during the dreaded lunar eclipse. Why do they beat drums? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Young chinese maidens pray to Chang-E, the moon goddess, to endow them with beauty. She was the beautiful wife of the great archer Hou Yi. What animal kept her company on the moon? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. During the Moon Festival, children are delighted to stay up late and parade the streets with lanterns as families take to the streets to moon-gaze. The lanterns vary by color, shape, form, size, material and complexity. The most complex form involves revolving panels that turn when lit. What is this type of lantern called? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Moon Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. It is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. What is the Chinese name for this festival?

Answer: Zhong Qiu Jie

The festival may have begun as a harvest thanksgiving season as it coincides with the harvest season in China. In Chinese culture, the moon is spiritually more important than the sun. Today, the Moon Festival is an occasion for family reunion much like a western Thanksgiving. Since the moon is brightest and roundest on that day, it represents a time of completeness and abundance to the Chinese people.
2. The magical full moon constitutes the very soul of the festival. According to legend, what is the "Old Man on the Moon" (Yue-lao) the god of?

Answer: marriage

The Old Man bears the weighty responsibility of deciding all mortal marriages. He ties future husbands and wives together with an invisible red cord that never breaks as long as life lasts. At the appropriate time, whoever that has been tied together will fall in love and marry.
3. A great poet of the Tang Dynasty wrote beautiful poetry extolling the moon. A wine lover, he was reputed to have fallen from a boat and drowned while trying to embrace the moon's reflection in the water. Who was this poet?

Answer: Li Bai

The Tang poet Li Bai (Li Bo) left us with over 1000 poems. His most famous poem regarding the moon, Thoughts on a Still Night, has been recited by Chinese elementary school children over many centuries, even up to the present. It is as follows:
"Before my bed, the moon is shining bright,
I think it is frost upon the ground.
I raise my head and look at the bright moon,
I lower my head and think of home."
4. The Moon Festival, of course, is celebrated by eating moon cakes. Traditonally what is used as filling for the cakes?

Answer: Lotus seed paste

The traditional mooncake is shaped like a drum the size of a small saucer. A salted duck egg yolk, representing the full moon, is buried at the centre of the filling. Mooncakes are usually cut up into wedges before eating.
Nowadays there are dozens of varieties of mooncakes in various shapes and sizes filled with nuts or ham, red bean paste, green bean paste, custard cream and many more. There are even ice cream mooncakes by Haagen Dazs.
5. According to Chinese sources, mooncakes were first mentioned in connection with the Moon Festival when China came under the rule of these people in the Yuan Dynasty. Who were these people?

Answer: Mongols

The Mongols, to counter subversion, billeted their soldiers in Chinese households. This friction led the Chinese to organize a revolt. Secret messages naming the Moon Festival as Rebellion Day were hidden inside small cakes and passed from neighbour to neighbour. The revolt was successful and in 1368 the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne.
6. Many fruits are eaten during the festival. One special fruit is eaten as well as given as gifts as a symbol of prosperity. Which native fruit is that?

Answer: Pomelo

The pomelo symbolizes prosperity because the Cantonese for pomelo is "yow", which sounds like "to have" or "to own".
7. On the evening before the celebration, families would prepare plates filled with round fruits - pomegranates, oranges, peaches, grapes etc. The round shapes symbolize not only the full moon but also the unity of the family. In some areas, though, a certain fruit is excluded. Which fruit is this?

Answer: Pear

The festival celebrates family togetherness as symbolized by the full moon. However, the Chinese for pear is "li" which is a homonymn to the word for "separation". It is therefore considered inappropriate for the occasion.
8. As homage to the moon, the ancient Chinese beat drums to save the object of their worship during the dreaded lunar eclipse. Why do they beat drums?

Answer: to scare away the celestial monster dog who tried to devour the moon

The Chinese believed that a celestial dog already had the moon in its jaws and is ready to swallow it. Drums were beaten to create noise to drive away the monster dog. And of course they succeed every time - the moon always emerged unscathed!
9. Young chinese maidens pray to Chang-E, the moon goddess, to endow them with beauty. She was the beautiful wife of the great archer Hou Yi. What animal kept her company on the moon?

Answer: Jade rabbit

Legend was that in the old days ten suns circled the earth. The earth was scorched and people were dying. The great archer Hou Yi volunteered to shoot down nine of them, and was greatly rewarded with an elixir to become immortal. However he did not want to take the elixir and leave his beautiful wife, so he put it away for safekeeping. Somehow, curious Chang-E found the pill and without knowing what it is, swallowed it and found herself banished to the moon forever.
10. During the Moon Festival, children are delighted to stay up late and parade the streets with lanterns as families take to the streets to moon-gaze. The lanterns vary by color, shape, form, size, material and complexity. The most complex form involves revolving panels that turn when lit. What is this type of lantern called?

Answer: Galloping horse lantern

The "zou-ma deng", or Galloping Horse lantern, had candles within. When lit, the candle heat up the air causing a hidden wheel to spin, which in turn causes the attached panels to revolve. Panels usually have picture depicting history, fables, and myths. As the panel turns, a whole story can be played out over and over again.
Source: Author Ellabear

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