Tuesday Travel Trivia (Week 20)

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia, the game for smart people whose undemanding jobs leave them nothing else to do at 10 am on a Tuesday except answer a trivia quiz. Respect to last week’s big winners Alex and Eva, whose prizes are both in the mail.

Want to become this week’s champ? Check out the following ten questions and leave your answers in the comments. No Googling!

  1. The words schmooze and glitch both originated from what language spoken in the homes of almost 200,000 Americans?
  2. Which line of latitude is farther north: The Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn?
  3. Name one Beatles song whose lyrics are partly in a language other than English.
  4. What German-to-English loan word means “a strong desire or impulse to explore the world”?
  5. The most popular search engine in China is called what?
  6. If you saw the word “???????????” printed on the side of your airplane, what airline would you be flying?
  7. Name two rhyming European capitals. (Hint: Head east.)
  8. What popular travel writer penned the classic book Video Night in Kathmandu?
  9. The Arabic word hajj means “pilgrimmage,” one of the Five Pillars of Islam. To which of the Five Pillars does the word zakat refer?
  10. What actor and comedian is currently starring in the Broadway play You’re Welcome, America?

Last week‘s answers are printed below the fold…

  1. What famous American author, attempting to rediscover his home country in the 1960s, went on a three-month trip with his dog Charley and eventually penned the book Travels with Charley in Search of America? Answer: John Steinbeck
  2. Tokyo has at least seven cafes where customers pay about US$10 per hour to sip tea among what four-legged animals? Answer: Cats
  3. Fill in the two missing countries in this series: Russia, Canada, China, _________, _________, Australia, India. Answer: United States, Brazil (Largest Countries by Area)
  4. What is the occupation of the vast majority of people who work for the company Berlitz? Answer: Teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL)
  5. What four-letter British term means to engage in some type of public performance in order to earn tips? Answer: Busk
  6. If your plane is landing at Jose Marti International Airport, in which Caribbean capital city will you find yourself? Answer: Havana, Cuba
  7. What are the two official languages of the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus? Answer: Turkish & Greek
  8. What word for a type of Spanish appetizer means “lid” or “cover”? Answer: Tapas
  9. Which US state does not make up one of the “Four Corners,” the only spot where a person can be in four states at once: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, or Colorado? Answer: Nevada
  10. What’s the name of the world’s largest organization of youth hostels, with more than 4,500 members? Answer: Hostelling International