Q 01/05

Which mountain range rises directly north of Tehran?

A) Alborz

B) Caucasus

C) Hindu Kush

D) Zagros

Answer · why

A) Alborz

Alborz: Tehran's higher northern districts, with a more moderate climate, grew into the wealthiest part of the city.

Q 02/05

Which castrated ruler made Tehran Iran's capital?

A) Nader Shah Afshar

B) Agha Mohammad Khan

C) Lotf Ali Khan Zand

D) Shah Ismail I

Answer · why

B) Agha Mohammad Khan

Agha Mohammad Khan: crowned shah of shahs in 1796, he was assassinated the next year by two of his own servants.

Q 03/05

Which CIA operation helped topple Iran's prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in Tehran in 1953?

A) Operation Mongoose

B) Operation Condor

C) Operation Ajax

D) Operation Gladio

Answer · why

C) Operation Ajax

Operation Ajax: coup organisers paid gangs to stage pro-Shah riots through Tehran, and CIA documents released in 2013 confirmed the agency's role.

Q 04/05

Which ancient city, now part of Greater Tehran, appears in old sources as Rhages?

A) Karaj

B) Varamin

C) Qazvin

D) Ray

Answer · why

D) Ray

Ray: after Mongol invaders ruined the city and massacred its people, survivors of the massacre moved to nearby Tehran.

Q 05/05

Tehran's Azadi Tower marked 2,500 years since which king founded Persia's empire?

A) Darius

B) Xerxes

C) Cyrus

D) Artaxerxes

Answer · why

C) Cyrus

Cyrus: the 1971 celebration honoured the monarchy he founded, but within eight years a revolution swept that monarchy away.