True or False: Myths & Legends

Question 1

Question 1 : On average, we swallow 8 spiders a year while sleeping.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! This myth dates from 1993 and was invented to show how false info spreads. Spiders flee from human vibrations.

Question 2

Question 2 : Toilets flush in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! The Coriolis effect is too weak to affect toilet water. It's the bowl shape that determines the direction.

Question 3

Question 3 : Nails and hair continue to grow after death.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! The skin dehydrates and retracts, creating the illusion that nails and hair have grown.

Question 4

Question 4 : Albert Einstein failed math in school.

Réponses possibles :

Question 5

Question 5 : Sharks can detect a drop of blood from miles away.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! Their sense of smell is good but not miraculous: about 1 part per million, meaning a few hundred meters max.

Question 6

Question 6 : Chewing gum takes 7 years to digest.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! Gum isn't digested but is naturally expelled within a few days like any waste.

Question 7

Question 7 : A coin dropped from the Empire State Building could kill a pedestrian.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! Air resistance limits a coin's terminal velocity. It would hurt but wouldn't be fatal.

Question 8

Question 8 : Chameleons change color to camouflage themselves.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! They primarily change color to communicate (mood, temperature, courtship), not for camouflage.

Question 9

Question 9 : There are more ways to arrange a 52-card deck than atoms on Earth.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

TRUE! 52! (factorial) = 8×10^67 arrangements, far more than the ~10^50 atoms on Earth.

Question 10

Question 10 : Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when scared.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! They lie on the ground with their head extended to be discreet. From a distance, it looks like they're burying themselves.

Question 11

Question 11 : Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! The sound comes from gas bubbles bursting in synovial fluid, it's harmless. A doctor even cracked only one hand for 60 years to prove there's no link to arthritis!

Question 12

Question 12 : Humans have the same number of hairs as chimpanzees.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

TRUE! We have the same number of hair follicles, but our hair is finer and less visible.

Question 13

Question 13 : Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen after his death.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! He was cremated in 1966. This urban legend persists despite denials from his family.

Question 14

Question 14 : A duck's quack doesn't produce an echo.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! A quack does produce an echo, but it's hard to hear because the original sound masks its reflection.

Question 15

Question 15 : The human body replaces all its cells in 7 years.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! Some cells (neurons, lens cells) are never replaced. Others renew in just a few days.

Question 16

Question 16 : Bulls are enraged by the color red.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! Bulls are colorblind. It's the cape's movement that angers them, not its color.

Question 17

Question 17 : Glass is a liquid that flows very slowly.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! Glass is an amorphous solid. Old windows thicker at the bottom are due to manufacturing techniques.

Question 18

Question 18 : We have more bacteria in our body than human cells.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

TRUE! It's estimated at 38 trillion bacteria vs 30 trillion human cells (ratio ~1.3:1).

Question 19

Question 19 : We lose 80% of our body heat through our head.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! The head represents ~10% of body surface and loses ~10% of heat. This myth comes from a misinterpreted military study.

Question 20

Question 20 : Inuits have dozens of words for snow.

Réponses possibles :

True
False

Answer

FALSE! It's exaggerated. They have a few root words that decline, like in any language (snow, snowy, to snow...).

Accepted Answer

FALSE! Einstein excelled at math. This legend comes from confusion with the reversed Swiss grading system.

Question 5 : Sharks can detect a drop of blood from miles away.

Question 6 : Chewing gum takes 7 years to digest.

Question 7 : A coin dropped from the Empire State Building could kill a pedestrian.

Question 8 : Chameleons change color to camouflage themselves.

Question 9 : There are more ways to arrange a 52-card deck than atoms on Earth.

Question 10 : Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when scared.

Question 11 : Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.

Question 12 : Humans have the same number of hairs as chimpanzees.

Question 13 : Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen after his death.

Question 14 : A duck's quack doesn't produce an echo.

Question 15 : The human body replaces all its cells in 7 years.

Question 16 : Bulls are enraged by the color red.

Question 17 : Glass is a liquid that flows very slowly.

Question 18 : We have more bacteria in our body than human cells.

Question 19 : We lose 80% of our body heat through our head.

Question 20 : Inuits have dozens of words for snow.

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Les 20 questions du quiz

Question 1 : On average, we swallow 8 spiders a year while sleeping.

Question 2 : Toilets flush in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 3 : Nails and hair continue to grow after death.

Question 4 : Albert Einstein failed math in school.

Question 5 : Sharks can detect a drop of blood from miles away.

Question 6 : Chewing gum takes 7 years to digest.

Question 7 : A coin dropped from the Empire State Building could kill a pedestrian.

Question 8 : Chameleons change color to camouflage themselves.

Question 9 : There are more ways to arrange a 52-card deck than atoms on Earth.

Question 10 : Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when scared.

Question 11 : Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.

Question 12 : Humans have the same number of hairs as chimpanzees.

Question 13 : Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen after his death.

Question 14 : A duck's quack doesn't produce an echo.

Question 15 : The human body replaces all its cells in 7 years.

Question 16 : Bulls are enraged by the color red.

Question 17 : Glass is a liquid that flows very slowly.

Question 18 : We have more bacteria in our body than human cells.

Question 19 : We lose 80% of our body heat through our head.

Question 20 : Inuits have dozens of words for snow.

Similar quizzes

True or False: General Knowledge

General Knowledge: The Basics

Elite Universities: Do You Really Know the Temples of World Knowledge?

True or False: History