Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What Central American country hosts the Orotina Fruit Festival?

Panama
Guatemala
Nicaragua
Costa Rica

The correct answer is Costa Rica

So why is this answer correct? : Orotina is a city near the central Pacific Coast of western Costa Rica, the capital of a region known for growing much of the country’s fresh produce. The Orotina Fruit Festival has been held in March for more than 20 years. Farmers at the festival are carefully chosen for the quality of their fruit, and the festival also features eco-friendly agricultural practices, along with carnivals and contests.

Trivia: American patriot Ethan Allen is a co-founder of what U.S. state?

New York
Vermont
Florida
Ohio

The correct answer is Vermont

So why is this answer correct? : A soldier and frontiersman, Ethan Allen was the leader of the Green Mountain Boys, a patriot militia who famously captured Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York in May 1775 — more than a year before the Declaration of Independence. However, during the majority of the war, Allen toiled to secure the future of Vermont, a French portmanteau of “vert” (green) and “mont” (mountains).

Trivia: What country’s national dish is a sandwich with steak, bacon, and egg?

Guatemala
Uruguay
Ecuador
Paraguay

The correct answer is Uruguay

So why is this answer correct? : It’s called “chivito,” which means “little goat,” but goat is not among the ingredients of this popular Uruguayan sandwich. The sandwich starts with churrasco steak, which is topped with bacon or ham (or both). The chivito also features mozzarella, mayonnaise, olives, and a fried egg on top. Finally, lettuce, tomato, and salsa golf complete Uruguay’s national dish.

Trivia: What was the name of the ship famously captained by John Paul Jones?

USS Constitution
USS Bonhomme Richard
USS Monitor
USS Providence

The correct answer is USS Bonhomme Richard

So why is this answer correct? : Named in honor of Benjamin Franklin (whose pen name was Richard Saunders, or “Poor Richard”), the USS Bonhomme Richard was given to Captain John Paul Jones by the French King Louis XVI. On September 23, 1779, the ship engaged with the British frigate the HMS Serapis. When asked to surrender, Jones famously replied “I have not yet begun to fight!” After his stunning victory, Jones transferred his crew to the captured Serapis and the Bonhomme Richard sank the next day.

Trivia: Chocolate santafereño is a Colombian drink made with chocolate and what?

Corn masa
Cheese
Coffee
Marshmallows

The correct answer is Cheese

So why is this answer correct? : Hot chocolate in Colombia is made by simmering pure cacao with cinnamon, cloves, and panela (unrefined cane sugar). When it’s done boiling, Colombians skip the marshmallows and instead add in a few chunks of queso campesino, a salty, soft cheese that’s similar in texture to mozzarella. While the sweet and salty flavor combo might be a little unexpected, the popular drink has been in fashion since the 19th century.

Trivia: After the war, U.S. officers formed a fraternal group known as what?

Society of the Warriors
Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Revolution
Society of the Masons

The correct answer is Society of the Cincinnati

So why is this answer correct? : After the end of the Revolutionary War’s, continental officers formed a fraternal hereditary group known as the Society of the Cincinnati. The group gets its name from Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a statesman during the Roman Republic who, after serving as dictator during Rome’s most desperate hour, resigned peacefully and returned to farming. Cincinnatus was idealized for his republican ideals and noble spirit.

Trivia: Where does the potato come from?

Guyana
Argentina
Peru
Guatemala

The correct answer is Peru

So why is this answer correct? : Potatoes were first cultivated by Incans and other Indigenous populations in the Andes Mountains of Peru around 8000 to 5000 BCE. Spanish explorers eventually brought the tubers around the world, and today potatoes are the fifth-most important crop in the world, grown on every continent but Antarctica.

Trivia: What is a key ingredient in the Nicaraguan dish vigorón?

Cassava
Chicken
Pork cracklings
Celery

The correct answer is Pork cracklings

So why is this answer correct? : Vigorón is a well-known street food in Granada, Nicaragua, usually eaten by hand on a “plate” of banana leaf. The dish starts with starchy boiled cassava, which is then topped with crunchy pork cracklings (aka chicharrones) and a vinegar-based cabbage slaw. The dish dates to a 1914 street vendor, and some say it cannot be replicated outside of Granada because it requires a tangy local fruit called mimbro and a local chile pepper.

Trivia: Which of these dishes starts with a thick corn-flour cake?

Bandeja paisa
Ropa vieja
Arepas
Suspiro limeño

The correct answer is Arepas

So why is this answer correct? : Arepas are a versatile dish, and they have long been a staple of Indigenous peoples of modern-day Colombia and Venezuela. Arepas start with finely ground corn flour, which is then cooked on a griddle. It can be eaten like a pancake, a sandwich, or a flatbread, served with or without fillings of cheese or meat. It’s estimated there are nearly 100 variations of the arepa in Colombia and Venezuela, and other versions are popular throughout Latin America.

Trivia: How do Londoners know when the Queen is home at Buckingham?

Big Ben rings three times
A special flag is flown
The royal orchestra plays
The guards change uniforms

The correct answer is A special flag is flown

So why is this answer correct? : When Queen Elizabeth II is at home at Buckingham Palace, the Royal Standard flag is flown. The Royal Standard looks very different from the red, white, and blue pattern of the Union Jack flag. Instead, it features four quarters — the upper left and lower right corners feature three lions passant to represent England, the upper right corner shows a lion rampant to represent Scotland, and the harp in the lower left corner represents Ireland.