Q 01/05

On which Mediterranean island was Frank Capra born in 1897?

A) Sardinia

B) Malta

C) Corsica

D) Sicily

Answer · why

D) Sicily

He was born Francesco Rosario Capra in Bisacquino, near Palermo, the youngest of seven children.

Q 02/05

What does the surname Capra mean in Italian?

A) Shepherd

B) Goat

C) Cape

D) Head

Answer · why

B) Goat

Biographer Joseph McBride notes 'capricious' derives from it, fitting Capra's emotionalism and obstinacy.

Q 03/05

How did the Capra family travel to America in 1903?

A) In steerage on the steamship Germania

B) On a cargo ship via Argentina

C) By train through Canada

D) First class on the Lusitania

Answer · why

A) In steerage on the steamship Germania

Capra called the 13-day crossing one of the worst experiences of his life.

Q 04/05

Capra worked his way through which university, graduating in chemical engineering in 1918?

A) Stanford

B) UCLA

C) Caltech

D) USC

Answer · why

C) Caltech

He played banjo in nightclubs, waited tables and cleaned engines at a power plant to pay his way.

Q 05/05

Which famous aviator was one of Capra's classmates at Manual Arts High School?

A) Jimmy Doolittle

B) Howard Hughes

C) Amelia Earhart

D) Charles Lindbergh

Answer · why

A) Jimmy Doolittle

Singer Lawrence Tibbett was another classmate; Capra sold newspapers after school for ten years.

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