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

A drupe, like a peach or olive, is a fruit with a fleshy layer around a hard stone; the coconut's fibrous husk is that layer and the shell is the ston...

Q 02/05

The name coconut comes from Portuguese coco, a word for what?

A) A hairy ball

B) A grimacing face

C) A clenched fist

D) A cannonball

Answer · why

B) A grimacing face

A grimacing face: coco also meant a goblin used to scare children, and the three dark holes at the base were said to look like its eyes and mouth.

Q 03/05

Which trio of countries grows most of the world's coconuts?

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

Indonesia, India and the Philippines grow about three-quarters of the world's coconuts, and a Marcos-era levy on Filipino coconut farmers helped pay f...

Q 04/05

What is dried coconut flesh called?

A) Copra

B) Jaggery

C) Poonac

D) Nata

Answer · why

A) Copra

Copra is the dried kernel of the coconut; pressing it yields coconut oil for cooking, soap and cosmetics, and the leftover cake feeds livestock.

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

Coir comes from a Malayalam word for cord, and because the fibre resists seawater, sailors long used it for ships' ropes and rigging.