Q 01/05

Which fruit's English name travelled from Sanskrit nāraṅga through Persian, Arabic and Old French?

A) Lemon

B) Mango

C) Orange

D) Banana

Answer · why

C) Orange

Orange reached English by way of Persian nārang, Arabic nāranj and Old French orenge, and the Sanskrit word itself was borrowed from a Dravidian langu...

Q 02/05

Which English word comes from Sanskrit jaṅgala, which described rough, arid land rather than dense forest?

A) Jungle

B) Savanna

C) Prairie

D) Tundra

Answer · why

A) Jungle

Jungle flipped its meaning on the way into English: Sanskrit jaṅgala meant rough and arid terrain, and the word reached English in the 18th century th...

Q 03/05

Which confection's name goes back through Arabic qandi and French to Sanskrit khaṇḍa, a word for sugar?

A) Toffee

B) Fudge

C) Nougat

D) Candy

Answer · why

D) Candy

Candy descends from khaṇḍa, the pieces of sugar that ancient Indians made by boiling down sugarcane juice; the word arrived in English as sugre-candi.

Q 04/05

Which Star Wars film's 'Duel of the Fates' has a choir singing a Welsh poem translated into Sanskrit?

A) A New Hope

B) The Phantom Menace

C) Attack of the Clones

D) Revenge of the Sith

Answer · why

B) The Phantom Menace

The Phantom Menace debuts the piece during its final lightsaber duel, with John Williams having the London Voices sing lines from the medieval Welsh p...

Q 05/05

Which Sanskrit motto, 'truth alone triumphs', sits beneath the Lion Capital on India's state emblem?

A) Satyameva Jayate

B) Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah

C) Yogakshemam Vahamyaham

D) Sham No Varunah

Answer · why

A) Satyameva Jayate

Satyameva Jayate comes from the Mundaka Upanishad and was adopted as India's national motto on 26 January 1950, the day the republic was born, so it n...