How comsmopolitan are you?

[Guest CraigSF39]

i got 11, still the most by far

[Boston Guy]

Many of us travel quite a bit. Think you've seen a little of the world? Try this amusing (and fairly difficult) quiz I found on The Economist's Web site:

 

http://www.economist.com/diversions/citiesquiz/index.cfm

 

I hate to admit it, since I travel so much, but I really did pretty poorly! :o

 

BG

 

ps: For those of you who might be unfamiliar with The Economist, it's a sort of British "Time magazine grows up"... well written articles on a wide variety of subjects, well-edited, and timely. It strives to have a worldwide vision, but its editorial voice is Western/British. One of the most enjoyable features each week is the Letters column, which can often have letters from various worldwide heads of state or government or other well-known figures. For a brief description of The Economist's Web site and The Economist itself, go here:

 

http://www.economist.com/help/DisplayHelp.cfm?folder=663377#About_Economistcom

[Guest Les]

Well I'm a lot more stupid than I thought I was...I knew none of the answers.:+

So I guessed and got 4 out of 20.x(

Take care, Les

[Guest Tampa Yankee]

This one is easy... after checkingthe website -- I SUCK!!.:-(

[Boston Guy]

ROTFLMAO... Okay, okay, I admit it: I only got 4 points, too!

[OneFinger]

Well, with my guessing I got 5 out of 20. :+

 

Thanks for posting a fun link!!

[Guest WetDream]

I got a 7 -- knew the answers to 2 and made 5 good guesses.

[Guest CraigSF39]

i got 11, the best by far

_____________________________

Cities quiz

 

You scored 11 out of 20

 

 

 

What your score means

0-5 You are performing seriously under par and need a holiday.

6-10 Not bad, but you could probably do with some more foreign research.

11-15 Very good. Just a bit more local knowledge and you will be a world-class traveller.

16-20 A superb performance: reward yourself with a dream holiday.

 

 

 

 

The correct answers are highlighted below in blue.

Your incorrect answers are highlighted in red.

 

 

While staying in Moscow you are invited to eat at the home of a business colleague. To thank your host you present her with a bunch of 24 carnations. She responds by:

- Kissing you on the lips. Flowers are given only by lovers

Crossing herself. Even numbers are for the dead

- Thanking you. Carnations are a traditional symbol of friendship

- Adding the petals to the meal. They are considered a delicacy

 

Correct: (See article: Etiquette)

 

 

On flights from Johannesburg to Angola, don't be surprised if:

You see passengers trying to cram fridges and television sets into the overhead luggage compartments

- People on the aircraft sing, even during the films

- The pilot comes and joins you (he will return to the cockpit shortly before landing)

- You spend three hours fending off advances from hucksters flogging "precious" stones, tourist trinkets and other rubbish

 

Correct: (See article: Johannesburg Shopping)

 

 

It was 17th century Dutch settlers who introduced bowling to Manhattan. Another pursuit which they brought to America has not stood the test of time. What was it?

- "Chase the cheese", in which ravenous Dutchmen pursued a large spherical cheese down a steep slope. The first to catch it was allowed to eat it

- "Fling the rabbit", where Dutch children competed to see how far they could toss a recently deceased Oryctolagus cuniculus

"Ride the goose", a self-explanatory game involving a greased fowl and an agile Dutchman

- "God chopped wood", a quasi-religious game requiring a tree, a bible and a smoked herring. It was so boring that locals stopped playing it long before Manhattan ran out of trees

 

Wrong: (See article: New York Facts & History)

 

 

A shortage of what causes problems for visitors to Buenos Aires?

- Street signs. Many of them were stolen and melted down by looters in the last wave of economic malaise

- Fruit and vegetables. Be prepared to starve if you're a vegetarian

Small change. Trying to cash a $100 bill can be a nightmare

- Hotel rooms. If you want to stay in a good hotel, you need to book at least three months in advance

 

Correct: (See article: Banks and money)

 

 

"Mammal's Traum" and "Luisol" can both be enjoyed in Berlin. What are they?

- Bronze goblins who guard the entrance to the old Reichstag building

Funky rooms in the Künstlerheim Luise, an "art hotel"

- Sausages made of venison and pigeon-meat respectively

- Weekly entertainment-listing magazines

 

Correct: (See article: Hotel Künstlerheim Luise)

 

 

The lucky Japanese get 15 days of public holiday each year. These include:

- Constitution Memorial Day, Cleanliness Day and Happy Day

- Emperor's Birthday, New Year's Day and Noodle Day

- Parents' Day, Put-your-feet-up Day and Recycling Day

Greenery Day, Marine Day and Sports Day

 

Correct: (See article: Tokyo Facts & Figures)

 

 

When taking a taxi in Washington, DC, you shouldn't be surprised if:

- There's a sign in the back of the taxi warning you not to sing, smoke drugs or talk politics

- You find a complimentary copy of the Moonie-funded Washington Times on the back seat

The taxi driver stops to pick up a complete stranger who is heading in the same direction

- Your driver lets you pay by credit- or charge-card

 

Correct: (See article: Getting around )

 

 

Which San Francisco celebrity was discovered semi-naked and emaciated in foothills near Mount Lassen in 1911?

- Aubrey, a one-legged orangutan who became San Francisco's zoo's first exhibit

- Mark Twain. He had got lost while researching a book on gold-digging

"Ishi", a native American later dubbed "the last wild Indian"

- Elijah Boones, the first convict to escape from Alcatraz

 

Wrong: (See article: San Francisco Facts & History)

 

 

Buenos Aires is said to have more ________ per square kilometre than any other city in the world:

- Rubbish

Psychoanalysts

- Public urinals

- Dogs

 

Correct: (See article: Buenos Aires Facts & Figures)

 

 

Why was a chain placed around the neck of the bear on Berlin's coat-of-arms in 1447?

- No special reason: it just looked fetching

Because Frederick II, Berlin's ruler, had crushed a citizens' revolt

- After the town, which was captured from the Polish, became part of Prussia

- After a bitter struggle, royal agents placed tariffs on city trade for the first time

 

Correct: (See article: Berlin Facts & History)

 

 

At the Away Spa, in New York's trendy W Hotel, you can get:

A two-hour massage originally designed as a pre-wedding treatment for Javanese princesses

- Reinvigorating facial treatments using jelly, liquorice and peanut-butter

- A shave by 84-year-old Eddie Montebonte, the oldest barber in the city

- The Statue of Liberty painted on your toenails

 

Wrong: (See article: Spas & salons)

 

 

Conversing in Japanese can be tricky. For example, "Yes" (hai) often means:

- You look nice

- Maybe

Yes, I understand what you are saying

- No

 

Wrong: (See article: Business etiquette)

 

 

Five separate reorganisations of the Belgian state since the 1970s have:

- Led to the creation of a constitution which enshrines the right to spit in public

- Created huge wealth in Brussels, but left the outlying districts poor and resentful

Devolved more and more power to the regions and left the central government with less and less to do

- Seen the government peregrinate from Mons, to Brussels, to Charleroi, to Antwerp, and then back to Brussels again

 

Correct: (See article: Brussels Facts & Figures)

 

 

When queuing to see Lenin's corpse in the gruesome mausoleum on Moscow's Red Square, you shouldn't:

- Chuckle

Put your hands in your pockets

- Wear a hat

- Buy an ice-cream

 

Correct: (See article: Lenin’s Mausoleum)

 

 

Visitors to Wong Tai Sin in Hong Kong's New Territories go there to:

Gain insight into their future (it's a Taoist temple)

- Dance to a funky beat (Wong Tai Sin is Hong Kong's biggest gay nightclub)

- Pay their parking tickets (cars are towed there)

- Improve their English (it's home to Asia's biggest language school)

 

Correct: (See article: Wong Tai Sin)

 

 

In the 18th century Parisians were infatuated with experimental scientists. Among them was the abbé Jean-Antoine Nollet, who in 1746:

- Unsuccessfully tried to pilot a hot-air balloon across the Seine (the abbé judged the wind direction incorrectly and was never seen again)

- Spectacularly exploded after ingesting a gunpowder tonic he'd invented

- Amused the royal court by lighting his farts

Caused 700 Carthusian monks to leap into the air simultaneously by passing an electric current through them

 

Wrong: (See article: Paris Facts & History)

 

 

The workaholic businessmen in Sao Paolo like to use which of the following phrases?

British punctuality

- American grit

- Japanese efficiency

- Italian laziness

 

Wrong: (See article: Business etiquette)

 

 

The new Tate Modern gallery in London has been a huge success, but also the subject of some controversy. Part of the controversy stems from:

The unconventional way the museum is curated-works are displayed thematically rather than chronologically

- The appointment of Prince Andrew's brother-in-law as director

- The paucity of art on show by British-born artists

- The tickets. Critics say the pricing structure favours foreign visitors over native Brits

 

Wrong: (See article: Tate Modern)

 

 

De Huitieme Hallucinatie, a Brussels restaurant, is a rarity. Not only is it housed in an old masonic temple, it also:

Serves fine French food while favouring Dutch as its working language, which makes it the ideal spot for entertaining a Flemish contact

- Serves fine German good while favouring French as its working language, which makes it the ideal spot for entertaining a German contact

- Serves fine Dutch food while favouring French as its working language, which makes it the ideal spot for entertaining a French contact

- Serves fine British food while favouring Spanish as its working language, which makes it the ideal spot for entertaining a Cambodian

 

Wrong: (See article: De Ultieme Hallucinatie)

 

 

Which unusual Tokyo museum is a favourite destination of young couples on dates?

- The Inflatable Museum

- The Ghost Museum

- The Museum of Colour

The Parasite Museum

 

Wrong: (See article: Parasite Museum)

[Guest cp8036]

Boston,

 

Thanks for the link to the quiz. The Economist is a great publication. I refer to it quite often. However, I have a hard time with the relatively high cost of subscriptions... (my company cut out magazine subscriptions). Now is just a treat at the airport when I travel.

 

However, not sure about the South Africa to Angola question. I was a pilot in RSA for a few years in the early 90's, and I would often join the passengers after leveling-off for some singing.

[jacobno]

5 here too. hoorah.

[Boston Guy]

>However, not sure about the South Africa to Angola question.

> I was a pilot in RSA for a few years in the early 90's, and

>I would often join the passengers after leveling-off for

>some singing.

 

Perhaps you should write a letter to the Economist... :-)

[Guest YR]

I know from personal experience it was 7 - oh, sorry, wrong thread. ;-)

[Guest JT]

>I got a 7 -- knew the answers to 2 and made 5 good guesses.

 

I didn't do that much better --- I only got 9 right. :+

 

Disappointedly yours (FFF is back!),

JT

[Guest Thunderbuns]

Very strange!

 

I scored 6 out of 20. Truth? They were all lucky guesses - I didn't know one friggin' answer.

 

Go figure.........

[DaninWA]

Got 5 of 20. Knew the Berlin coat-of-arms question and made 4 good guesses.

[Guest dstud4hire]

I got 5 out of 20 correct. All were educated guesses. The ones I got wrong? Well, I tried to apply logic to the answers, and it didn't wash!

 

I would have been correct on a few more had I trusted my initial gut instincts.

 

Being half Dutch, I was at least proud that one of the ones I got right was the answer resulting in French food/dutch language in Belgium.

 

That was a fun survey...though I've been all over the world, and I don't know how I would have ever come across half those answers!!!

 

Thx for the entertainment....

 

Gabe in St. Louis

dstud4hire429689@aol.com

[jacobno]

yeah and I hit part two of puberty since then. }>

[Guest Charon]

I got 20 out of 20.

 

Am I _really_ the only fag here who knows how to cheat?

[Guest dstud4hire]

Perhaps you are the only fag here who had the time to cheat.....

 

 

Gabe in St. Louis

[+ Charlie]

I got 8 out of 20, but I noticed that the program calculated the score incorrectly: it recorded my answer as the wrong one on three questions, even though when I went back to the quiz I saw that I had hit the correct answer, just as I remembered.

[Traveller]

>i got 11, still the most by far

 

I got 12. Butt thatz becuz I'me reel smartt and eye travle lotz and lotz. Two bad. U loose.

 

Laytre.