Matryoshka - a Russian Toy Trivia Quiz

Answer: A set of dolls

Matryoshka are a special set of dolls crafted to fit inside each other. All but the smallest, innermost doll can be opened, usually in the middle, revealing a smaller doll inside.

Answer: Linden wood

While you can find some cheap plastic sets made for very small children, a proper, traditional matryoshka set is made of wood, with a possible thin layer of cork at the separation surfaces to give a tighter fit.

Answer: Late 19th century

While many in the West would think of matryoshka as collectible, intricately crafted items and they can well be found at antique fairs, they have actually only been invented in 1890. The first set, designed by Sergey Malyutin, and encompassing eight dolls, still exists.

Answer: Family

The traditional matryoshka set represents a family with the outermost doll almost invariably being a female, usually the grandmother. Then, as you progress inward, you will find progressively younger members of the family, either all female or both male and female, with the innermost doll usually representing a baby.

Answer: False

While this idea is somewhat common and the nesting nature of the dolls does suggest that they could indeed be carved from a single block, in reality, it would be impossible to do so with hand tools and, most likely, even with modern machinery. You only need to look at the joint between the two halves of an outer doll and how tightly it fits to imagine that it would not be realistic to carve the whole set of connectors from one block.

Answer: Babushka

The word "matryoshka" literally translates to "little matron". As the family theme of most sets places a grandmother character on the outside, the alternate name of "babushka" - a term meaning grandmother or old woman - has also taken hold, however that term overemphasizes the outermost doll over the others.

Answer: Onion model

Matryoshka or onion models are found in many fields of science and technology. They are common in computer programming, with nested data structures and functions, and the term is also commonly used as a reference to complex, nested corporate holding structures often aimed at realizing tax or legal benefits from having offices and profit centers in multiple countries.

Answer: The stations of the cross

Matryoshka dolls represent fertility and growth, so sets representing a negative or sad event such as the passion of Christ are virtually unknown. Easter and Christmas are common themes and sets representing saints, often painted in traditional icon styles, also exist, usually in very high quality and often featuring the virgin Mary as the outermost doll.

Answer: 101

The 2003 world record set consists of 51 dolls, all but the smallest of which are of course made of two pieces (top and bottom) each, to yield a total of 101 parts. The biggest doll measures almost 54 centimeters while the smallest is a mere 3 millimeters. All dolls have similar faces and clothing, but the belly of each one shows a unique painted scene.

Answer: By order of having taken office

The most common order of the political matryoshka set is to have the current or most recent leader on the outside and then go backwards in time until the smallest one frequently represents Lenin or one of the tsars. The opposite order also exists, which is technically closer to the traditional set that has the oldest member of the family on the outside.

The other orders are rarely if ever used.