Q 01/05

In which country did the Panama hat originate?

A) Ecuador

B) Colombia

C) Cuba

D) Panama

Answer · why

A) Ecuador

The hats were shipped through the Isthmus of Panama on their way to buyers abroad, so the port of sale, not the weavers' homeland, gave them their nam...

Q 02/05

How many years did the Hundred Years' War actually last?

A) 99

B) 116

C) 124

D) 100

Answer · why

B) 116

The fighting between England and France ran from 1337 to 1453 and is usually divided into three phases separated by truces.

Q 03/05

The Canary Islands are most likely named after which animal?

A) Canaries

B) Seals

C) Dogs

D) Cats

Answer · why

C) Dogs

The Latin Canariae Insulae means 'Islands of the Dogs', and Pliny the Elder wrote of huge dogs on the island of Canaria. The birds were later named af...

Q 04/05

An aircraft's flight recorder is required to be painted which color?

A) Polished silver

B) Military green

C) Matte black

D) Bright orange

Answer · why

D) Bright orange

Flight data and cockpit voice recorders are painted a fluorescent shade so search crews can spot them in wreckage.

Q 05/05

Catgut, used for violin strings and sutures, usually comes from the intestines of which animal?

A) Sheep or goats

B) Horses or mules

C) Rabbits or hares

D) Cats or dogs

Answer · why

A) Sheep or goats

No cat has ever been documented as a source; the name may come from 'kit', an old word for a small fiddle.