Q 01/05

What does the Japanese word 'bonsai' literally mean?

A) Small tree

B) Old pine

C) Pot planting

D) Living sculpture

Answer · why

C) Pot planting

The 'bon' is the shallow tray or pot; the word replaced older terms like hachi-no-ki, 'the bowl's tree'.

Q 02/05

The Japanese art of bonsai grew out of which older Chinese practice?

A) Penjing

B) Ikebana

C) Feng shui

D) Suiseki

Answer · why

A) Penjing

Chinese tree penjing allows wilder shapes and brightly coloured, creatively shaped pots, whereas bonsai favours simpler forms and plain containers.

Q 03/05

What is Korea's equivalent art of miniature potted trees called?

A) Hòn non bộ

B) Saikei

C) Bonkei

D) Bunjae

Answer · why

D) Bunjae

Vietnam's version, hòn non bộ, focuses on miniature landscapes of islands and mountains in contact with water.

Q 04/05

A tree collected from the wild for training as bonsai is known by what Japanese term?

A) Shohin

B) Yamadori

C) Kengai

D) Akadama

Answer · why

B) Yamadori

Collected trees are often the most expensive and prized bonsai because they arrive with decades of natural character.

Q 05/05

Which of these is NOT a purpose of bonsai, according to the tradition?

A) Contemplation for the viewer

B) Producing food or medicine

C) Exercise of effort and ingenuity

D) Portraying a mature tree in miniature

Answer · why

B) Producing food or medicine

Bonsai are shaped purely to be looked at; a fruiting bonsai is grown for the look of the fruit, not the harvest.