Man Made Structures, Part 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum, located in Agra, India. Constructed out of white marble, it was built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, third wife of Emperor Shah Jahan, who died in childbirth. It houses the tombs of both Shah Jahan and his wife. During the almost 22 years of its construction, approximately 20,000 people worked on the structure.

Answer: Egypt

The Sphinx was built on the banks of the River Nile in Giza, Egypt. It was built during the reign of Egyptian Pharaoh Khafra, who was also responsible for the second pyramid at Giza. Believed to be originally built as a representation of the sun god, it was sculpted out of sandstone and faces the east, to meet the rising sun.

It has the face of the king and the body of a lion. It is 20 meters tall and 200 meters long. There are various stories about what happened to the nose. The fact that it is in as good condition as it is, is attributed to the fact that it was buried in sand (and protected from erosion) for a long time.

Answer: The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is located in Paris, France and is 324 metres high. When it was completed in 1889, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world. It held that title until 1930, when the Chrysler Building was built in New York.
The Eiffel Tower was built to be the entrance to The World's Fair, which also celebrated the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution.

Answer: Sydney Opera House

This performing arts centre sits in Sydney Harbour, hence the image of sails. It houses seven different venues, from a 2,679 seat concert hall, to a less formal, 210 seat room. The idea for the centre was first proposed in the late 1940s, construction began in 1959 and the opening, which was officiated by Queen Elizabeth II, was on 20th October 20 1973.

The original design was by Jorn Utzon.

Answer: France

Lady Liberty was designed by Frederic Bartholdi and presented to the people of the United States in October of 1886. The statue is that of Roman Goddess, Liberatas (the goddess of freedom) and the tablet she holds bears the date of the American Declaration of Independence.

Answer: The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is actually a series of walls, built at different times from around the 5th century B.C. and into the 16th century. Running from Shanhaiguan to Lop Nur, at 8,851,8 km in length, the Great Wall is actually made up of sections of wall (6,259.6 km), sections of natural defensive features (2,232.5 km) and trenches (359.7 km).

Answer: Vatican City

St. Peter was considered the first bishop of Rome, and thereby the first pope. Many popes have also been interred here making it a very holy site.
While there has been a church at this location since the 300s, the basilica seen in the picture was completed in 1625 (having taken 120 years to complete).
Established in 1929, Vatican City is a walled enclave that is located in Rome, but is not part of Rome. It is a city/state of its own right.

Answer: Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was built around 1450, by the Incan Emperor Pachacuti. Most archaeologists believe that it was built for the emperor, as an estate, while others believe that it was a religious site. It was abandoned in 1572. There is evidence to indicate that the inhabitants were wiped out by smallpox, brought into the area by travellers.

The site is still largely intact, which makes it fairly unique, in terms of Incan artifacts.

Answer: Rushmore

Mount Rushmore is located near Keystone, South Dakota, and is part of The Black Hills. The concept of carving famous faces into the rocks of the mountains, to generate tourism, is originally credited to Doane Robinson. However it was the artist, Gutzon Borglum, who chose both the mountain and faces to be used. The presidents, from left to right are, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln and their faces were carved between 1934 and 1939. Gutzon died in 1941, and his son, Lincoln, took up the chisel in his father's place.

However, due to a lack of funding, he was forced to stop before the carving could be completed to original design (all four were supposed to be seen from their waists up).

Answer: Italy

Pisa is located in the district of Tuscany, which is in Central Italy. The tower is the bell tower for Pisa's cathedral. Construction on the tower began in August, 1178. By the time the third floor was built, construction was halted because the tower had already begun to tilt.

This was due to both an inadequate foundation and being situated on unstable subsoil. For the next 100 years, the tower was largely ignored, as the area was in an almost constant state of war with neighbouring areas. This inadvertently gave the soil on which it was built time to settle. In 1272 construction started again, and subsequent floors were built with one side longer than the other. Construction stopped again in 1284, because of another battle.

The building was finally completed in 1319, not including the bell chamber and bells, which came later.