The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : In 1965, France launched its first Diamant rocket from Hammaguir in Algeria to put a satellite into orbit. What name did this satellite ultimately receive?
Possible answers:
- Zébulon
- Tintin
- Asterix
- Obelix
Explanation: The satellite Astérix, weighing 42 kg, made France the 3rd country to have its own space launch capability, after the USSR and the United States. Its name was chosen as a tribute to the Gaulish comic book character created by Goscinny and Uderzo, who was enjoying enormous success in France at the time.
Question 2 : Which French writer and academician, born on November 26, 1909, is the author of plays such as The Bald Soprano and The Chairs?
Possible answers:
- Samuel Beckett
- Eugène Ionesco
- Jean Anouilh
- Albert Camus
Explanation: Eugène Ionesco, born in Romania under the name Eugen Ionescu, is one of the major figures of the Theatre of the Absurd. He was elected to the Académie française in 1970. His works explore language emptied of meaning and the human condition faced with the absurdity of existence.
Question 3 : On November 26, 1812, the Battle of the Berezina took place. Against which army was Napoleon fighting in this battle?
Possible answers:
- The Prussian army
- The Austrian army
- The Ottoman army
- The Russian army
Explanation: The Berezina refers to the disastrous crossing of the Grande Armée through this Belarusian river during the retreat from Russia. The word 'bérézina' entered the French language as a synonym for complete disaster. The battle caused tens of thousands of deaths, particularly among non-combatants who were trying to cross the river.
Question 4 : On November 26, 1974, Simone Veil delivered a historic speech to the French National Assembly. What bill was she defending?
Possible answers:
- The decriminalization of euthanasia
- The decriminalization of abortion
- Equal pay between men and women
- The legalization of divorce by mutual consent
Explanation: Simone Veil's speech before the National Assembly was particularly grueling for her: she was insulted and compared to the Nazis by some members of parliament. The Veil Law was finally passed on January 17, 1975. Simone Veil later became president of the European Parliament and a member of the Constitutional Council.
Question 5 : Which American singer, naturalized Swiss in 2013, was born on November 26, 1939?
Possible answers:
- Aretha Franklin
- Tina Turner
- Diana Ross
- Whitney Houston
Explanation: Tina Turner, whose real name is Anna Mae Bullock, is nicknamed the 'Queen of Rock and Roll'. After a career with her husband Ike Turner marked by domestic violence, she experienced a spectacular solo comeback in the 1980s. She obtained Swiss citizenship after living in Zurich with her second husband Erwin Bach.
Question 6 : The world's largest tidal power plant was inaugurated on November 26, 1966, at the mouth of a French river. Where is it located?
Possible answers:
- At the mouth of the Loire, near Saint-Nazaire
- At the mouth of the Gironde, near Bordeaux
- At the mouth of the Rance, toward the Gulf of Saint-Malo
- At the mouth of the Seine, near Le Havre
Explanation: The Rance tidal power plant, in Brittany, harnesses the difference in water level between high tide and low tide, one of the greatest in the world in the Gulf of Saint-Malo. With an installed capacity of 240 MW, it remains to this day one of the most powerful tidal installations in the world and produces around 500 million kWh per year.
Question 7 : Ferdinand de Saussure, born on November 26, 1857, is a major figure in which scientific discipline?
Possible answers:
- Analytic philosophy
- Linguistics
- Psychoanalysis
- Cultural anthropology
Explanation: Ferdinand de Saussure is considered the father of modern linguistics. His posthumous work 'Cours de linguistique générale' (1916), reconstructed from students' notes, revolutionized the study of language by introducing notably the distinction between langue and parole, as well as the concept of the linguistic sign composed of the signifier and the signified.
Question 8 : On November 26, 1949, which major country adopted a federal republic constitution within the British Commonwealth?
Possible answers:
- Pakistan
- Australia
- India
- Canada
Explanation: The Indian constitution, which came into force on January 26, 1950, is the longest written constitution in the world. It was drafted under the leadership of B. R. Ambedkar, a jurist and civil rights activist. India chose to remain in the Commonwealth while becoming a republic, a model that was later followed by other countries.
Question 9 : The Bay Psalm Book, sold at auction for $14.2 million on November 26, 2013, set a record for what type of object?
Possible answers:
- An illuminated medieval manuscript
- A printed book
- An old geographical map
- A personal diary of a historical figure
Explanation: The Bay Psalm Book, published in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the first book printed in English-speaking North America. Only eleven known copies of this Puritan psalter survive. The 2013 sale at Sotheby's set a world record for a printed book, surpassing the previous record held by a copy of the Gutenberg Bible.
Question 10 : The Treaty of Westphalia, denounced by Pope Innocent X on November 26, 1648, had put an end to which war?
Possible answers:
- The Hundred Years' War
- The Thirty Years' War
- The Seven Years' War
- The French Wars of Religion
Explanation: The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) was one of the most devastating conflicts in European history, reducing the population of some German regions by half. The Treaties of Westphalia established a new system of sovereign states in Europe and enshrined religious freedom in the Holy Roman Empire. Although the pope denounced them, these treaties remained in force and are considered the foundations of modern international law.
