Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: South America is home to the world’s 20 highest what?

Waterfalls
Mountains
Volcanoes
Skyscrapers

The correct answer is Volcanoes

So why is this answer correct? : The 20 highest volcanoes in the world, in terms of peak elevation, all have one thing in common: They can be found in South America. More specifically, they can be found along the Ring of Fire in the Andes Mountains in South America. Nevados Ojos del Salado, in Chile and Argentina, is the highest of them all, reaching more than 22,500 feet above sea level.

Trivia: Mamie Eisenhower’s fashion inspired an official shade of which color?

Pink
Green
Red
Purple

The correct answer is Pink

So why is this answer correct? : Mamie Eisenhower simply loved pink. She used it to decorate her private homes and later the White House, leading some to dub it the “Pink Palace.” She wore the color as frequently as she could and even had a pink telephone and scale. Eisenhower became so associated with the color that her favorite shade became known as “First Lady Pink,” or “Mamie Pink.”

Trivia: Which South American country has coasts on both the Caribbean and Pacific?

Colombia
Peru
Suriname
Paraguay

The correct answer is Colombia

So why is this answer correct? : Colombia borders the Pacific on the western side of the country; on its northern edge is the Caribbean Sea (considered a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean). The country’s extensive coastline makes it a mecca for water activities such as snorkeling and scuba diving. One other South American country also borders both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans: Chile.

Trivia: Which First Lady banned dancing from the White House in 1845?

Ida McKinley
Sarah Polk
Lucretia Garfield
Jane Pierce

The correct answer is Sarah Polk

So why is this answer correct? : Sarah Polk was not the only First Lady to limit alcohol in the White House (Lucy Hayes was nicknamed “Lemonade Lucy,” and several other First Ladies maintained relationships with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union), but Mrs. Polk also limited other activities she felt were undignified for the White House. She eschewed card-playing and refused to attend horse races (due to the relationship to gambling), and she discouraged the Marine Band from playing music that might encourage dancing.

Trivia: Which South American country is NOT crossed by the Andes Mountains?

Bolivia
Brazil
Peru
Ecuador

The correct answer is Brazil

So why is this answer correct? : The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world, spanning over 4,350 miles and passing through seven countries: Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia. The mountain range contains some of the highest peaks in the Western Hemisphere. Tallest among them is Mount Aconcagua, which sits at 22,831 feet above sea level on the border of Argentina and Chile.

Trivia: Which First Lady brought the cherry blossoms to Washington, D.C., in 1909?

Helen Herron Taft
Caroline Harrison
Ida McKinley
Edith Wilson

The correct answer is Helen Herron Taft

So why is this answer correct? : In 1909, Helen Taft joined conservationist Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore in working to bring sakura, Japanese cherry trees, to Washington, D.C. In 1910, the mayor of Tokyo presented the U.S. with 2,000 cherry trees, but they did not survive the journey. In 1912, they tried again, this time using specially designed freight cars to transport the trees from Seattle to Washington, D.C. Mrs. Taft was among those who planted the U.S. capital’s first cherry trees.

Trivia: Bolivia is home to Salar de Uyuni, which is the world’s largest what?

Freshwater lake
Salt flat
Hot spring
Volcano

The correct answer is Salt flat

So why is this answer correct? : Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat in the world, spanning over 4,000 square miles. Located at 12,000 feet above sea level, the salt flat formed when a lake dried up between 10,000 and 25,000 years ago and is now a major source of salt for Bolivia as well as a popular tourist attraction.

Trivia: Which First Lady attended Stanford University and spoke Mandarin?

Lou Hoover
Jill Biden
Mamie Eisenhower
Eleanor Roosevelt

The correct answer is Lou Hoover

So why is this answer correct? : Herbert Hoover met Lou Henry when they were both studying geology at Stanford University. They married in 1899; she then joined him on a work trip to China, where she learned to speak and write Mandarin. The couple traveled the world for 14 years as Mr. Hoover worked as a mining engineer. Mrs. Hoover also published her translation of a 1565 manual on mining from Latin into English.

Trivia: The Pampas is a region of which South American nation?

Argentina
Bolivia
Peru
Chile

The correct answer is Argentina

So why is this answer correct? : Argentina, the world’s eighth-largest country, covers much of the southern portion of the South American continent, stretching 2,360 miles from north to south and 880 miles across at its widest section. The Pampas — a series of grasslands in the nation’s central plains — is one of the main regions of Argentina. The name “Pampa” comes from the Quechuan language and means “flat plain.”

Trivia: Martha Washington has what type of vegetable named after her?

Corn
Cabbage
Beet
Asparagus

The correct answer is Asparagus

So why is this answer correct? : The first-ever First Lady is commemorated in an unusual way on spring plates — that is, the popular “Asparagus Officinalis” crop, better known to most as Martha Washington Asparagus. The easy-to-grow crop has been actively cultivated for over 100 years thanks to its resistance to “rust,” a pesky parasite that plagued asparagus crops in the early 20th century. This special veggie is cultivated on the Washingtons’ Mount Vernon estate in tribute to its famous namesake.