The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : What major geographical discovery did Vasco Núñez de Balboa make on September 25, 1513?
Possible answers:
- He reaches the coast of Brazil
- He discovers the Pacific Ocean
- He rounds the Cape of Good Hope
- He explores the coasts of Florida
Explanation: Balboa was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the American coast, from the top of a hill on the isthmus of Panama. He symbolically walked into its waters in full armor to claim it in the name of the Spanish crown.
Question 2 : What battle on September 25, 1066 saw Harold Godwinson triumph before the Norman conquest of England?
Possible answers:
- The Battle of Hastings
- The Battle of Stamford Bridge
- The Battle of Lincoln
- The Battle of Fulford
Explanation: The Battle of Stamford Bridge, won by Harold against Norwegian king Harald Hardrada, is often overshadowed by Hastings. Yet Harold then had to march urgently south to face William the Conqueror, which probably contributed to his defeat on October 14, 1066.
Question 3 : September 25, 1915 is considered the deadliest day in French history. What event is linked to it?
Possible answers:
- The Battle of the Marne
- The assault on Verdun
- The start of the 2nd Battle of Champagne
- The Battle of the Somme
Explanation: The start of the 2nd Battle of Champagne, on September 25, 1915, cost the lives of 22,591 French soldiers in a single day. This offensive, launched by Joffre, aimed to break through the German front but resulted in minimal territorial gains for colossal human losses.
Question 4 : Which French composer, born on September 25, 1683, is especially famous for his operas and harpsichord pieces?
Possible answers:
- François Couperin
- Marc-Antoine Charpentier
- Jean-Baptiste Lully
- Jean-Philippe Rameau
Explanation: Jean-Philippe Rameau is one of the greatest French Baroque composers. He published his famous Treatise on Harmony in 1722, which revolutionized Western music theory. His operas such as Hippolyte et Aricie and Les Indes galantes remain masterpieces of the Baroque repertoire.
Question 5 : On September 25, 1997, the Thrust SSC achieved a historic technical feat. What was it?
Possible answers:
- It breaks the world rail speed record
- It breaks the sound barrier on land
- It completes the first round-the-world trip by car
- It becomes the first solar vehicle to cross a continent
Explanation: The Thrust SSC, powered by two fighter jet engines, reached 1,228 km/h in the Black Rock Desert in the United States, becoming the first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier. It was driven by Andy Green, an officer in the British Royal Air Force.
Question 6 : What unprecedented political event took place in France in the Senate on September 25, 2011?
Possible answers:
- The Senate passes a motion of no confidence against the government
- The Senate swings left for the first time under the 5th Republic
- The Senate adopts a major constitutional reform
- The Senate elects a woman as its president for the first time
Explanation: For the first time under the Fifth Republic, founded in 1958, the French Senate swung to the left. This historic shift was made possible in part by the results of the previous local elections. François Hollande was then First Secretary of the Socialist Party, before his victory in the 2012 presidential election.
Question 7 : Cuba legalized same-sex marriage on September 25, 2022. By what mechanism was this decision adopted?
Possible answers:
- By a decree of the Council of State
- By a vote of the Cuban National Assembly
- By popular referendum
- By a Supreme Court decision
Explanation: Cuba's new family code, approved by referendum with around 67% in favor, also legalized same-sex adoption and regulated surrogacy. Cuba thus became one of the rare communist countries to adopt such progressive family rights legislation.
Question 8 : In which artistic field is the painter Mark Rothko, born on September 25, 1903, primarily recognized?
Possible answers:
- Photographic realism
- Abstract expressionism
- Figurative surrealism
- Impressionism
Explanation: Mark Rothko is a major figure of American abstract expressionism. His mature works, called "multiforms", are characterized by large rectangles of luminous overlapping colors, meant to provoke an intense emotional experience in the viewer. He died by suicide in 1970.
Question 9 : The Peace of Augsburg of 1555, signed on September 25, regulated relations between which religious groups?
Possible answers:
- Catholics and Orthodox
- Catholics and Protestants
- Christians and Muslims
- Lutherans and Calvinists
Explanation: The Peace of Augsburg established the principle "cuius regio, eius religio" (whose realm, his religion), allowing the princes of the Holy Roman Empire to choose between Catholicism and Lutheranism for their territory. However, it did not recognize Calvinism, which contributed to fueling the tensions that led to the Thirty Years' War in 1618.
Question 10 : The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, founded on September 25, 1969, is today the second largest intergovernmental organization in the world. How many member countries does it approximately bring together?
Possible answers:
- About 35 countries
- About 57 countries
- About 80 countries
- About 22 countries
Explanation: The OIC brings together 57 member states spread across four continents, making it the second largest intergovernmental organization by number of members after the UN. Its headquarters are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in reaction to the arson attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in August 1969.
