Q 01/05

In which Danish city was Hans Christian Andersen born in 1805?

A) Odense

B) Aarhus

C) Aalborg

D) Roskilde

Answer · why

A) Odense

Odense. When he left as a boy, a fortune-teller told his mother the town would one day be lit up in his honour; in 1867 it was, with a torchlight proc...

Q 02/05

Which famous fairy tale did Andersen write?

A) 'Hansel and Gretel'

B) 'The Little Match Girl'

C) 'Sleeping Beauty'

D) 'Rumpelstiltskin'

Answer · why

B) 'The Little Match Girl'

'The Little Match Girl' is one of the 156 tales Andersen published. Its barefoot heroine burns her whole bundle of matches on New Year's Eve to hold o...

Q 03/05

What was the occupation of Andersen's mother, Anne Marie Andersdatter?

A) Washerwoman

B) Seamstress

C) Innkeeper

D) Midwife

Answer · why

A) Washerwoman

Washerwoman. After his father died she went out washing to keep them both, and she ended her days in an almshouse in 1833; Andersen, abroad on his fir...

Q 04/05

In Andersen's 'The Wild Swans', which plant must Elisa knit into shirts to turn her swan brothers human again?

A) Thistles

B) Brambles

C) Nettles

D) Rushes

Answer · why

C) Nettles

Nettles, picked barehanded in graveyards, blister her hands, and she may not speak a word until the shirts are done. She runs out of time, so her youn...

Q 05/05

In Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid', what does every step on her new legs feel like?

A) Walking on hot coals

B) Wading through deep snow

C) Stepping on broken glass

D) Treading on sharp knives

Answer · why

D) Treading on sharp knives

Treading on sharp knives is the price the sea witch names, on top of the mermaid's voice. She dances for the prince all the same, and he marries anoth...