French Cultural Trivia Quiz 2022
How many avenues converge into la Place de l'Étoile around the Arc de Triomphe ?
12
What is the year that the French Revolution began ?
1789
When was la Tour Eiffel built, and why ?
1889 for the World's Fair
When did France win the football world cup?
1998, 2018
How many arrondissements are there in Paris ?
20
How many different kinds of cheeses are there in France ?
365
What was the Bastille ?
A prison (un prison) that only held 7 prisoners, but it held all the ammunition so the peasants stormed through the thick walls to get the arms so they could fight against the government soldiers in the French Revolution
What did le Musée d'Orsay used to be ?
A train station
Name a French Airline
Air France
Who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, and Man in the Iron Mask ?
Alexandre Dumas
What is la Sorbonne ?
Another name for the University of Paris
Who is the author of Le Petit Prince?
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Who is one of the most famous female French actors, who played Amélie in the movie Amélie, and Coco Chanel in the movie Coco before Chanel ?
Audrey Tautou
Who is the sculptor who made the Thinker (le Penseur) and the Gates of Hell (les Portes d'enfer) ?
Auguste Rodin
What did Edgar Degas paint most often ?
Ballerinas
What is France's national holiday ?
Bastille Day, le 14 juillet
What do Printemps and Galeries Lafayette have in common ?
Big department stores
What is the coastal region where most French people go for vacation ?
Bretagne (Brittany)
What is the name of the largest château in France, built by François I ?
Chambord
What is the name of the famous bubbly wine that is only grown in this region ?
Champagne
Which French president was also a well-respected war general and leader of the French Résistance?
Charles de Gaulle
What is the name of the château that crosses a river (like a bridge) ?
Chenonceau
Name French brand cars
Citroen, Renault, Bugatti
What is the nickname for Paris ?
City of Lights / "La Ville de Lumière
Who wrote the French National Anthem ?
Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Who is the father of the French Impressionism ?
Claude Monet
What do the French typically eat for breakfast ?
Croissant et café
What is the city in France that is famous for la moutarde ?
Dijon
What is the little white dog's name in the cartoon Asterix?
Dogmatix
Who discovered champagne ?
Dom Perignon (monk)
What nationality is Vincent Van Gogh ?
Dutch
Who is a famous French singer ?
Edith Piaf
Who is France's current president ?
Emmanuel Macron
When is the world's biggest cycling event held ?
Every first half of July
What does Mardi Gras mean ?
Fat Tuesday
Why is it rude to bring chrysanthemums to a dinner party in France ?
Flowers for cemeteries
What holds up the sides of la Cathédrale de Notre Dame ?
Flying buttresses
What is Le Mont Blanc?
France's highest mountain
What cake do they eat at Epiphanie ? What date does Epiphanie fall on ?
Galette des rois / le 6 janvier
What sculptures are on top of la Cathédrale de Notre Dame, to scare off evil spirits ?
Gargoyles
Which Paris museum houses the modern art exhibits ?
Georges Pompidou Center
Who built la Tour Eiffel ?
Gustave Eiffel
Who is one of the most famous French actors, who played Cyrano in the movie Cyrano de Bergerac, and the hunchback in Jean de Florette ? (Also in 102 Dalmatians, and Green Card )
Gérard Depardieu
What does the term "haute couture" mean ?
High fashion
Who designed and built the glass pyramid that serves as the entrance to the Louvre ?
I.M. Pei (Chinese-American)
What else is the Georges Pompidou Center referred to ? Why ?
Inside-out building (Stairs, pipes, structure is visible on the outside)
What is the name of the French inspector in the movie Pink Panther ?
Inspector Clouseau
What did Paul Gaugin paint most often ?
Island women from Tahiti
Where did the Quartier Latin get its name ?
It houses the University of Paris, or Sorbonne, and they used to speak Latin then.
Who was the protagonist of Les Misérables and what was his prison ID number ?
Jean Valjean #24601
Which famous American is buried in the Père LaChaise cemetery in Paris ?
Jim Morrison
Who wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Around the World in 80 Days ?
Jules Verne
Who was the Roi Soleil ?
King Louis XIV
Which king and queen were decapitated for spending all of France's money ?
King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette
What is the name of the newest modern glass arch in Paris ?
L'Arche de la Défense
What is the area called where all the tall skyscrapers are in Paris ?
La Défense (business district)
What was France's name when the Romans occupied it ?
La Gaule
What is the name of the French National Anthem ?
La Marseillaise
What is the northern region of Africa called ?
Le Maghreb
What is April Fool's Day called in France ?
Le Poisson d'Avril
What is the sightseeing boat called that takes tourists down the river through Paris ?
Le bâteau-mouche
What is another name for the French flag ?
Le drapeau tricolore
What is traditionally the biggest meal of the day in France ?
Le déjeuner
What does the winner of each day win and get to wear the next day ?
Le maillot jaune
What is the most popular form of transportation in Paris ?
Le métro
What do the French eat at every meal ?
Le pain
What is motto, or "la devise", of France?
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
What does, "Tel père, tel fils" mean ?
Like father, like son
Who is the first person to fly the English Channel?
Louis Blériot
Who created a system of reading for the blind?
Louis Braille
Name 3 famous French designers
Louis Vuitton, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent
What is the world's biggest museum ?
Louvre (art museum)
Who invented / created the first film ever?
Lumière brothers
Who was Jeanne d'Arc ?
Maid of Orleans
What is La Joconde ?
Mona Lisa
What is the only hill in Paris called, which includes le Sacré-Cœur and la Place du Tertre where the artists hang out ?
Montmartre
Which museum in Paris houses the impressionist paintings ?
Musée d'Orsay
Who had the Arc de Triomphe built ?
Napoleon Bonaparte
Who occupied France in WWII ?
Nazis
What is the area that the allies made a surprise landing in WWII, which saved France ?
Normandy Beaches
What is the capital of France ?
Paris
What is another famous industry that Paris is known for, that women are known to wear behind their ears and on their wrists ?
Perfume
Name 3 famous French brands
Perrier (water), Lancôme (make-up), Estée Lauder (make-up), Renault (car), Peugeot (car), Citroen (car), Michelin (tires)
Where is the world's biggest cycling event held ?
Predominantly in France, sometimes a little bit into other bordering countries
What North American province speaks French ?
Québec
What are two other purposes of the Tour Eiffel, besides tourism ?
Radio Antenna on top ; Restaurant on top called Le Jules Verne
What is one of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous paintings ?
Starry Night, Sunflower, Night at the Cafe Terrace
What is the name of the underground group of loyal French citizens who helped fight against the Nazis in WWII in covert ways ?
The Resistance
What is ratatouille ?
Thick stew with vegetables and beef
Why is there so much French in Western Africa ?
Those countries used to be French colonies
What is situated beneath the Arc de Triomphe that the president lays a wreath on each year in memory of the fallen soldiers ?
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier / la tombe du Soldat Inconnu
What does "TGV" stand for?
Train à grande vitesse
What famous peace treaty was signed in the Hall of Mirrors ?
Treaty of Versailles
What palace did the Roi Soleil have built ?
Versailles
What was the name of the French government that collaborated with the Nazis?
Vichy
Who wrote Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame ?
Victor Hugo
What did Claude Monet paint most often ?
Waterlilies from his pond
What battle did Napoleon finally lose in 1815?
Waterloo
What did Auguste Renoir paint most often ?
Women and children; people
What are the neighborhoods in Paris called?
arrondissements
What is "bouillbaisse" made of?
fish soup
What are the 3 countries which encompass le Maghreb ?
l'Algerie, la Tunisie, le Maroc
What is the name of the big old arch in Paris that Napoleon had built ?
l'Arc de Triomphe
What is the present currency for France, and most countries in the European Union ?
l'Euro
What is France's nickname?
l'Hexagone
What cake do they eat at Noël ?
la Bûche de Noël
What is the name of the river that runs through Paris ?
la Seine
What 3 other Europeans countries speak French, besides France ?
le Luxembourg, la Suisse, la Belgique
Which mountain range is in the lower center of the country ?
le Massif Central
What is the name of the world's biggest cycling event ?
le Tour de France
What is France's favorite sport ?
le foot
What was the former currency for France ?
le franc
What is the mountain range that divides France from Italy and Switzerland ?
les Alpes
What is the area called beneath the streets of Paris which houses people's bones ?
les Catacombes
Which mountain range divides France from Spain ?
les Pyrénées
Which mountain range divides France from Germany ?
les Vosges
How do you say 'capital letter" in French?
majuscule
How do you say "lower case letter" in French?
miniscule
What does the term "francophone" mean?
speakers of French
What does "les banlieux" mean?
suburbs
What is the name of newest train that connects Great Britain to France?
the Eurostar
How do you say a "billion" in French?
un milliard
What do you call a cell phone in France?
un portable
What is a small corner grocery store?
une épicerie
