Q 01/05

The first Michelin Guide was handed out free in 1900 to encourage which group to travel more?

A) Pilgrims

B) Motorists

C) Rail users

D) Day-trippers

Answer · why

B) Motorists

Motorists were the target: the Michelin brothers reckoned that more driving meant more worn tires to replace. France had fewer than 3,000 cars on its ...

Q 02/05

What is the official name of the Michelin Man, the mascot built from a stack of tires?

A) Gargantua

B) Pantagruel

C) Bibendum

D) Cyrano

Answer · why

C) Bibendum

Bibendum comes from a Latin toast about it being time to drink, which appeared on his first poster in 1898. He is one of the oldest trademarks still i...

Q 03/05

Which substance, added to rubber from 1912, turned tires black while the Michelin Man stayed pale?

A) Carbon

B) Sulfur

C) Bitumen

D) Coal tar

Answer · why

A) Carbon

Carbon made tires tougher and longer-lasting, and black. Before that they were a pale grey-white, which is why a mascot first drawn in 1898 is the col...

Q 04/05

Which French city has been Michelin's home since the brothers took over a struggling rubber firm there in the 1880s?

A) Saint-Étienne

B) Boulogne-Billancourt

C) Montpellier

D) Clermont-Ferrand

Answer · why

D) Clermont-Ferrand

Clermont-Ferrand still houses Michelin's headquarters and its museum. The yellow and blue worn by the city's biggest sports club are the company's col...

Q 05/05

In the Michelin Guide's classic definitions, a three-star restaurant serves food said to be worth what?

A) A special journey

B) A short detour

C) An overnight hotel stay

D) A return visit

Answer · why

A) A special journey

A special journey is the three-star promise, while two stars merit a detour. The wording dates from the 1930s, when the guide still existed to keep dr...