Q 01/05

Which skyscraper did the Burj Khalifa overtake to become the world's tallest building?

A) Taipei 101

B) Petronas Towers

C) Willis Tower

D) Shanghai Tower

Answer · why

A) Taipei 101

Taipei 101 held the title from 2004 until the Burj Khalifa passed it; a 660-tonne steel ball hung near its top sways to offset the tower's movement in...

Q 02/05

Who holds the record for the oldest person ever whose age has been fully authenticated?

A) Jeanne Calment

B) Sarah Knauss

C) Kane Tanaka

D) Shigechiyo Izumi

Answer · why

A) Jeanne Calment

Jeanne Calment of France lived 122 years and 164 days; a notary who agreed in 1965 to pay her monthly for her flat until she died paid for 30 years, t...

Q 03/05

What is the fastest land animal?

A) Pronghorn

B) Lion

C) Cheetah

D) Gazelle

Answer · why

C) Cheetah

Cheetahs have been reliably timed at just over 100 km/h (about 65 mph), the fastest of any land animal, but only for a few hundred metres; the prongho...

Q 04/05

Which athlete holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by an individual?

A) Michael Phelps

B) Paavo Nurmi

C) Carl Lewis

D) Larisa Latynina

Answer · why

A) Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps won 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold; he retired after London 2012, where he passed Larisa Latynina's record of 18, then came back to...

Q 05/05

What is generally considered the longest river in the world?

A) Nile

B) Yangtze

C) Mekong

D) Amazon

Answer · why

A) Nile

The Nile drains a basin that spans eleven countries on its way north to the Mediterranean, though it carries far less water than several shorter river...