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The Cyrillic Alphabet Trivia Quiz

In January 2007 Cyrillic became the third official alphabet of the European Union. It is used by many different languages around the world. I hope you enjoy this quiz and learn something new about its interesting history and characters! :)

A multiple-choice quiz by mchem. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
mchem

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
271,024

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
341

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Every alphabet has its first letter. In the Cyrillic alphabet this is the letter A. But do you know its name? Hint

alpha

anda

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Question 2 of 10

2. Now for the name of the alphabet itself - where does the name 'Cyrillic' come from? Hint

From the old Russian verb 'kyrilam', meaning 'to write'.

From the ancient text Cyrilla - the first historic document written in Cyrillic.

From the Slavic words 'cirii' (picture) and 'rili' (word).

From the name of the Byzantine monk St. Cyril, who contributed to its creation.

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Question 3 of 10

3. The Cyrillic alphabet is also known by an alternative name, which in some languages means 'alphabet'. Which is the correct term? Hint

alfomeg

latinitsa

bukva

azbuka

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Question 4 of 10

4. Some of the Cyrillic letters are the same as letters from the Latin alphabet - both in character as in the sound they represent. Which one of the following is NOT such a letter? Hint

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Question 5 of 10

5. There are however some 'false friends' - letters that look the same, but represent a different sound. An example is the Cyrillic letter H. Which Latin character corresponds to the same sound?

Answer: (A letter from the Latin alphabet)

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Question 6 of 10

6. One of the seldom used Latin characters is also a 'false friend' - which one? Hint

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Question 7 of 10

7. There is a Cyrillic letter called 'the short I'

True

False

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Question 8 of 10

8. The Cyrillic alphabet originated in Bulgaria and is consequently used mostly in Slavic languages. Which language, despite being Slavic, does NOT use the Cyrillic alphabet? Hint

Czech

Serbian

Russian

Macedonian

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Question 9 of 10

9. There are, however, some countries where Cyrillic is the alphabet used, even though the language is not Slavic in origin. Which of the following is an example of such a country? Hint

Laos

Tajikistan

Malawi

Hungary

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Question 10 of 10

10. On January 1, 2007 a country joining the European Union introduced Cyrillic as the third official alphabet of the EU. Which country was that? Hint

Romania

Bulgaria

Macedonia

Poland

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Every alphabet has its first letter. In the Cyrillic alphabet this is the letter A. But do you know its name?

Answer: a

OK, this was perhaps too easy...
The pronunciation of the Cyrillic A is close to the sound in HAHAHA, not like the Latin A in wave.
Alpha is, of course, the first letter of the Greek alphabet.
Az is the name of the first letter in the old Slavic alphabet Glagolitsa, of which the Cyrillic alphabet is derived.
Anda I made up ;)

2. Now for the name of the alphabet itself - where does the name 'Cyrillic' come from?

Answer: From the name of the Byzantine monk St. Cyril, who contributed to its creation.

The two brothers St. Cyril and St. Methodius created the Glagolitsa - an alphabet from the ninth century, AD. This was later modified and simplified by their disciples to from the Cyrillic alphabet. The name remained as a sign of respect to the work of St. Cyril.

3. The Cyrillic alphabet is also known by an alternative name, which in some languages means 'alphabet'. Which is the correct term?

Answer: azbuka

The word is a combination of the first two letters of the old Glagolitsa.
Alfomeg is just me playing with the word alphabet ;)
Bukva is the Bulgarian word for letter.
Latinitsa is the Latin alphabet.

4. Some of the Cyrillic letters are the same as letters from the Latin alphabet - both in character as in the sound they represent. Which one of the following is NOT such a letter?

Answer: S

The similarities originate from the Greek 'roots' of both alphabets - each one is based on the ancient Greek alphabet, but developed in a different way.

5. There are however some 'false friends' - letters that look the same, but represent a different sound. An example is the Cyrillic letter H. Which Latin character corresponds to the same sound?

Answer: N

Other examples are P - which corresponds to the Latin R, and C - which depicts the sound S.

6. One of the seldom used Latin characters is also a 'false friend' - which one?

Answer: X

It depicts the sound of the Latin H.

7. There is a Cyrillic letter called 'the short I'

Answer: True

Being 'short', it does not represent a vowel, but is rather used in combination with vowels - similar to the Y in yo-yo.

8. The Cyrillic alphabet originated in Bulgaria and is consequently used mostly in Slavic languages. Which language, despite being Slavic, does NOT use the Cyrillic alphabet?

Answer: Czech

Russia is perhaps the most widely-known example of a country that writes in Cyrillic. Serbia uses both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets alternatively.

9. There are, however, some countries where Cyrillic is the alphabet used, even though the language is not Slavic in origin. Which of the following is an example of such a country?

Answer: Tajikistan

This is due to Tajikistan being a part of the former USSR.

10. On January 1, 2007 a country joining the European Union introduced Cyrillic as the third official alphabet of the EU. Which country was that?

Answer: Bulgaria

Romania and Poland both use the Latin alphabet. Macedonia did not become a EU member in 2007.
The other two alphabets are, of course, Latin and Greek.

Source: Author mchem

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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