Q 01/05

Botanically, what kind of fruit is a coconut?

A) A true nut

B) A drupe

C) A berry

D) A legume

Answer · why

B) A drupe

Like a peach or an olive, it has a fleshy layer around a hard stone; the palm is the only living species in the genus Cocos.

Q 02/05

The name coconut comes from a 16th-century Portuguese word meaning what?

A) Sea nut

B) Sweet milk

C) Hairy ball

D) Head or skull

Answer · why

D) Head or skull

The three indentations on the shell reminded sailors of a face, or of a folklore ghost called the coco.

Q 03/05

Which three countries produced 73% of the world's 65.5 million tonnes of coconuts in 2024?

A) Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Malaysia

B) Brazil, Mexico and Thailand

C) Indonesia, India and the Philippines

D) Papua New Guinea, Ghana and Tanzania

Answer · why

C) Indonesia, India and the Philippines

India averages more than 8,000 nuts per hectare per year.

Q 04/05

What is dried coconut flesh called?

A) Copra

B) Coir

C) Toddy

D) Nata

Answer · why

A) Copra

Oil and milk are pressed from it for cooking, soap and cosmetics.

Q 05/05

What is the fibre from a coconut's husk, used in doormats and rope, called?

A) Jute

B) Coir

C) Sisal

D) Raffia

Answer · why

B) Coir

The name comes from Tamil and Malayalam words for cord or rope; brown coir comes from ripe nuts and white from unripe ones.