French Culture Quiz : 21 questions to measure the extent of your knowledge
Answers at the bottom.
1. Where did Julius Caesar defeat Vercingétorix in 52 BC ?
2. Parisian revolutionaries in 1789 were called
– Les sans-culottes
– Les passe-muraille
– Les rabat-joie
3. Who is at the origin of the abolition of slavery in French colonies in 1848 ?
– Victor Hugo
– Victor Schoelcher
– Lamartine
4. Bonaparte said this about a certain honor : « C’est avec un hochet que l’on mène les hommes. » To what honor was he referring ?
5. What river does this bridge / aqueduct in the photo above cross? Hint: It was built by the Romans to bring water to the city of Nîmes.
6. This popular car from the 1930’s included in its specifications:
Carries 4 people,
50 kilos of potatoes or a small cask of wine at a speed of up to 60 kilometers per hour with a consumption rate of 3 liters per 100 kilometers. What car is it?
– La 2 CV
– La 4 CV
– La 4L
7. What island sold to France in 1768 by the Genoese is called the “Island of Beauty” ?
8. In which year was the Euro introduced?
– 1993
– 1997
– 2002
9. What factory installed in Boulogne- Billancourt was long considered a bastion of the working class?
10. What is the oldest known document written in French?
– Le traité de Verdun
– Le Serment de Strasbourg
– La chanson de Roland
11. Of foreign extraction (immigrant families or born outside France) they contributed to the construction and cultural influence of France. Match these important French people with their countries of origin. Choose from Armenia, Germany, Italy (3), Poland (3), Algeria, Russia (3), Switzerland. (the exhibition about the Italian immigrants to France called Ciao Italia! runs through Sept 30th)
Alain Mimoun
Léon Gambetta
Vassily Kandinsky
Yves Montand
Missak Manouchian
Raymond Kopa
Georges Charpak
Marie Curie
Marc Chagall
Albert Uderzo
Serge Gainsbourg
Max Ernst
Blaise Cendrars
12. What expression expresses an invitation in all simplicity?
– A la bonne franquette
– A la va-comme-je-te-pousse
– A bon entendeur, salut !
13. Which 5-letter word, attributed to General Cambronne, is one of the most used in the French language to signify anger, impatience, contempt, or refusal?
14. Who is the author of the painting entitled « Liberté
guidant le peuple » ?
– Géricault
– Delacroix
– Ingres
15. In which château is found the Galerie des Batailles (paintings covering 14 centuries of French history)?
– Fontainebleau
– Versailles
– Vaux-le-Vicomte
16. What is the name of the brothers who perfected the cinematograph in 1895 ?
17. Which French film broke the record – long held by La Grande Vadrouille – for the most spectators ?
18. What game, often played in the south of France, consists of placing balls as close as possible to a cochonnet (target ball) ?
19. He was the first aviator to cross the Mediterranean in a plane. His name was given to a tennis stadium where a Grand Slam tournament is held every May. Who is he ?
20. Mayor of Dijon after the liberation, this Reverend Canon gave his name to a famous aperitif of white wine and blackcurrent. His name ?
– Kir
– Lillet
– Martini
21. Which popular dish from the Southwest region of France is composed mostly of beans?
-La garbure
-La pipérade
-Le cassoulet
France Culture Quiz Answers:
1. Alésia (The line 4 metro station is named for the Alésia battlefield in Burgundy not far from Dijon.)
2. Les sans-culottes. Not because they didn’t wear underwear but because they wore striped pants as opposed to breeches.
3. Victor Schoelcher
4. La Légion d’honneur
5. The photo is of the Pont du Gard or Bridge over the Gard. The river’s name is thus Le Gard
6. La 2 CV
7. Corsica
8. 2002
9. Renault
10. Le Serment de Strasbourg dates from 842 was an alliance between Charles the Bald and Louis the German rulers of West and East Francia respectively.
11. Alain Mimoun Algeria, Léon Gambetta Italy, Vassily Kandinsky Russia, Yves Montand Italy, Missak Manouchian Armenia, Raymond Kopa Poland, Georges Charpak Poland, Marie Curie Poland, Marc Chagall Russia, Albert Uderzo Italy, Serge Gainsbourg Russia, Max Ernst Germany, Blaise Cendrars Switzerland
12. A la bonne franquette
13. Merde
14. Eugène Delacroix
15. Versailles
16. Les frères Lumière
17. Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis
18. La pétanque aka “Les boules”
19. Roland Garros the first to fly across the Med (from Marseille to Bizerte Tunisia in 1913). Garros loved sports and played tennis for fun. His plane was shot down in WWI and his friend, who held the purse-strings of the 1928 tennis stadium construction, insisted that the new stadium be named in his honor.
20. (Félix) Kir. First a person, then a drink!
21. Le cassoulet