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Canals  Dams Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Canals  Dams Quizzes, Trivia

Canals & Dams Trivia

Canals & Dams Trivia Quizzes

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11 quizzes and 120 trivia questions.
1.
  The Panama Canal    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
See how much you know about the history of the most famous canal of our time
Tough, 10 Qns, nrs21, Aug 05 21
Tough
nrs21
Aug 05 21
726 plays
2.
Canals of the World
  10 Questions about Canals of the World   popular trivia quiz  
Photo Quiz
 10 Qns
Canals, like bridges, are engineering feats. How many of these important canals can you identify?
Average, 10 Qns, nmerr, Nov 01 16
Average
nmerr gold member
399 plays
3.
  Canals of the World    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Canals all over the world have led to significant advances for humans. How many of these major canals can you identify?
Average, 10 Qns, lowtechmaster, May 06 16
Average
lowtechmaster
885 plays
4.
  Can You Ken a Canal?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Do you know something about different canals around the world? Here's a chance to find out. Look for clues hidden in the questions.
Average, 10 Qns, littlepup, Jan 19 15
Average
littlepup
285 plays
5.
  Aswan Dam - Taming the Nile    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The Nile has been the main sustainer of life down its long course for millennia. This quiz is mostly about the Aswan High Dam, built in the 20th century.
Average, 10 Qns, windrush, Apr 14 19
Average
windrush gold member
Apr 14 19
153 plays
6.
  History of The Hoover Dam    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
An interesting look at the history of the Hoover Dam.
Tough, 20 Qns, aerynsun19, Nov 16 20
Tough
aerynsun19
Nov 16 20
683 plays
7.
  Connecting the Seas - the Panama Canal    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A short quiz on the history of the Panama Canal, an engineering marvel.
Average, 10 Qns, vikan, Aug 14 23
Average
vikan
Aug 14 23
948 plays
8.
  It's Dam Good    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Dams are some of the largest structures around. They are used to prevent flooding, create electricity, or irrigate farmland. Test your knowledge about dams.
Tough, 10 Qns, catamount, Mar 13 19
Tough
catamount
Mar 13 19
512 plays
9.
  Canals around the World    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
How much do you know about the earth's man-made waterways? Take this quiz and learn many interesting facts about some of the world's most important canals.
Tough, 10 Qns, ilovethisgame, May 22 18
Tough
ilovethisgame
May 22 18
799 plays
10.
  Suez Canal    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz on historical, geographical and architectural aspects of the Suez Canal. There's a mixture of question types. Please enjoy.
Tough, 10 Qns, cmt101, Jan 26 15
Tough
cmt101
455 plays
trivia question Quick Question
The idea of regulating Nile flow has been around for some time. When was the first known feasibility study undertaken into building a dam?

From Quiz "Aswan Dam - Taming the Nile"




11.
  Canals    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A potpourri about some well-known and lesser known canals.
Tough, 10 Qns, cristabel56, Feb 22 04
Tough
cristabel56
620 plays

Canals & Dams Trivia Questions

1. The idea of regulating Nile flow has been around for some time. When was the first known feasibility study undertaken into building a dam?

From Quiz
Aswan Dam - Taming the Nile

Answer: 11th century

Around 1010 CE, the Fatimid Caliph summoned the Arab engineer Ibn al-Haytham (aka Alhazen) to Egypt to design and build a dam near Aswan, having heard of his theory that he could regulate the flow of the Nile and eliminate the periodic droughts and floods which did so much damage. Unfortunately, once he properly surveyed the area Alhazen concluded that this vast project was impracticable. Legend has it that he then feigned insanity and was placed under house arrest to escape retribution at the caliph's hands. During these ten years (before the caliph's death), he wrote a scientific book on optics. He espoused the scientific method of experimentation and confirmation, some five centuries before the Renaissance scientists. The man was a genius, far ahead of his time. It is possible that he might have been capable of building the dam, had the resources of Pharaonic times been available to him.

2. Which nation has the longest canal in the world?

From Quiz Canals of the World

Answer: China

In China, the Grand Canal (Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal) is 1,115 miles long. Running from Beijing to Hangzhou, it links the major rivers of China, particularly the Yellow and Yangtze, and is designed to decrease the time needed for shipping. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it was first opened in 485 BCE. It has a long history of building and rebuilding from such problems as floods, earthquake damage, poor maintenance and the like, and has experienced many times when only part of the canal was navigable. It is still used to move cargo and people, and is a major tourist attraction.

3. The Suez Canal connects the Gulf of Suez to which port?

From Quiz Suez Canal

Answer: Said & said & Port Said & port said

The Gulf of Suez is an arm of the Red Sea and is connected to Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea. The canal goes from north to south across the Isthamus of Suez.

4. What was the name of the first ship to sail through the Panama Canal?

From Quiz Canals

Answer: s.s. Ancon

15th August 1914 saw the official opening of the canal. It is estimated that 800,000 people were involved in the construction of it.

5. On what date was the canal formally opened?

From Quiz The Panama Canal

Answer: August 15, 1914

The cargo ship Ancon passed through the canal on August 15, 1914, although it wasn't actually the first ship to do so. The SS Cristobal went through two weeks earlier, on August 3rd.

6. Which canal in Turkmenistan is known as the "River of Life"?

From Quiz Canals around the World

Answer: Karakum Canal

The Karakum Canal is the longest irrigation canal in the world. It is 683 miles long (1,093 km). It provides water for cotton fields in the Karakum Desert. Karakum means "Black Sands".

7. The ruler of which country first ordered a study of the isthmus for a possible canal?

From Quiz Connecting the Seas - the Panama Canal

Answer: Spain

The Spanish were using mules trains to transport the Conquistadors' gold from Peru to the Atlantic Ocean, where it could be shipped to Spain. In 1534, Charles V ordered a study of the feasibility of a canal to connect the seas. Events in Europe intervened and the study was never carried out.

8. What is the retrospectively applied name of the first successful Nile dam in Egypt?

From Quiz Aswan Dam - Taming the Nile

Answer: Aswan Low Dam

For 70 years (1882-1952) Egypt was a British protectorate with a puppet monarchy. In 1898, the British built a dam across the Nile about 6 km upstream of the present site of Aswan High Dam. The original Aswan Dam was useful in regulating flows; for the first time it was possible to irrigate in times of drought and to reduce flooding. It was not, however, large enough to prevent overflow in particularly wet seasons, and it was only a few decades before a more reliable construction was investigated.

9. Which canal did France attempt to build beginning in 1881, but abandoned its work in 1894 because of construction problems and a high mortality rate among workers?

From Quiz Canals of the World

Answer: Panama Canal

The United States took over from the French in 1904 and opened the Panama Canal in 1914. The canal, about 50 miles long, cuts through the Isthmus of Panama and links the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is generally considered one of the greatest engineering feats ever. Once completed, it shortened a ship's voyage from New York to San Francisco from about 13,000 miles to some 5200 miles. [In 1901, the work of a medical team led by Dr. Walter Reed determined that Yellow Fever was transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. This discovery led to a sharp decline in the mortality rate (which had plagued the French), allowing the United States to build the canal.]

10. The Suez canal, when originally constructed, had a bottom width of 22m or 72 feet. What is the current width of the bottom of the Suez Canal?

From Quiz Suez Canal

Answer: 60m

The canal itself is 101 miles (163km) long. The original depth of the canal was 8m (26 feet) and the surface width was 58m (190 feet). The canal can accomodate ships weighing up to 15,000 tons fully loaded.

11. When was the Suez Canal officially inaugurated?

From Quiz Canals

Answer: 17th November 1869

Verdi was commissioned to compose an opera for the opening ceremony, but he did not complete it on time. The opera "Aida" was premiered one year later at the Cairo Opera House.

12. Who was considered the "mastermind" behind the canal? (Hint - he designed the lock system for the Panama Canal).

From Quiz The Panama Canal

Answer: John Stevens

John Stevens was the so called "genius" behind the construction of the Panama Canal. Unfortunately, he resigned his post before the completion of the project.

13. The Federal Bureau of Reclamation signed a contract for the construction of the Hoover Dam in the sum of approximately ____?

From Quiz History of The Hoover Dam

Answer: $50 Million

The contract, allowing for the construction of the Hoover Dam, was awarded to 6 companies on March 11th, 1931. The actual winning bid was $48,890,995.

14. What canal connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea?

From Quiz Canals around the World

Answer: Suez & suez canal

Although the canal is in Egypt, it was constructed with the aid of France and England. The canal was completed in 1869. Tolls are taken from the ships that use it. The toll money is an important source of income for Egypt. The canal is very important because it makes the trip from Europe to Asia much shorter.

15. In 1885, a French company named the Campagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique started work on a canal through Panama. The Frenchman who was the leader of that company was _______ ?

From Quiz Connecting the Seas - the Panama Canal

Answer: Ferdinand Lesseps

Ferdinand Lesseps had been responsible for the completion of the Suez Canal and was known as the "Hero of the Suez".

16. What event in Egypt provided the catalyst in building the Aswan High Dam?

From Quiz Aswan Dam - Taming the Nile

Answer: The revolution and overthrow of the monarchy

Although Egypt had indeed always been subject to sometimes cataclysmic flooding and droughts, they were not the trigger for building the dam. Prior to the 1952 Revolution, King Farouk dismissed ideas of a dam, favouring an alternative plan (never implemented) to store water in Ethiopia and Sudan. In 1952, with the Egyptian Revolution, Farouk was ousted by the Free Officers Movement, with a short-serving president, soon replaced. Shortly after gaining power (formalised in 1956), the new President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, accepted a plan by Adrian Daninos to build a much larger capacity dam than the existing one at Aswan.

17. Which canal, built between 1667 and 1694 in the reign of Louis XIV, helps links the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean?

From Quiz Canals of the World

Answer: Canal du Midi

The Canal du Midi is a 150 mile network of 328 structures, including locks, bridges, and tunnels. Beginning at the Mediterranean in southern France, it connects to the 120 mile long Canal de Garonne, forming the Canal des Deux Mers and connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean.

18. "I've got a mule and her name is Sal; fifteen miles on the..." The name of what canal comes next in the song? It's downright spooky how many Americans remember the song from their childhood.

From Quiz Can You Ken a Canal?

Answer: Erie Canal

The Erie Canal opened up easy transportation from Albany on the Hudson River in eastern New York State to Buffalo and the Great Lakes in the western portion. The Hudson River's connection with New York City meant merchandise could travel far into the Midwest completely by water from New York City. Mule-pulled canal boats transported tons of freight, until engine-driven canal boats took over, but increasing competition from railroads and trucks finally made the canal unprofitable in the 20th century, despite improvements. Thomas S. Allen wrote the song "Low Bridge" (1905) about the canal's heyday and it has been recorded many times with many variations.

19. The canal has how many locks throughout its entire length?

From Quiz Suez Canal

Answer: 0

The Suez Canal does infact have no locks at all, as it connects two pieces of land directly, with no high or raised ground en route.

20. The collapse of which dam destroyed the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania?

From Quiz It's Dam Good

Answer: South Fork Dam

On May 31, 1889, the dam burst and a wave half a mile wide and forty feet high rushed down the valley and levelled the city within 10 minutes. 2,209 people were killed and thousands left homeless. The disaster occurred because the spillways were poorly maintained.

21. Who designed the Caledonian Canal?

From Quiz Canals

Answer: Thomas Telford

Telford was born in Scotland. He became involved in building roads and bridges. Work began on the Caledonian Canal in 1804 but was not finished until 1822.

22. Which US president helped the Republic of Panama gain independence and received a lease of land around the "canal zone" on which the canal was built?

From Quiz The Panama Canal

Answer: Theodore Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt was able to gain a land grant spanning 50 miles in Panama. On this land was built the modern day Canal.

23. Who was the President of the United States when construction of the Hoover Dam began?

From Quiz History of The Hoover Dam

Answer: Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, was preceeded by Calvin Coolidge and followed by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

24. Which Chinese canal is the longest in the world?

From Quiz Canals around the World

Answer: Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is 1,795 km (1,114 miles) long. It connects the Yellow and the Yangtze Rivers. The canal runs through Suzhou, called the "Venice of the East".

25. The Panama Canal links two major bodies of water, the Atlantic Ocean and the ________ ?

From Quiz Connecting the Seas - the Panama Canal

Answer: Pacific Ocean

A ship traveling from New York to San Francisco can save 7,872 miles using the Panama Canal instead of going around the tip of South America.

26. Several countries offered Egypt loans for the Aswan High Dam. How did Nasser propose to repay the successful lender?

From Quiz Aswan Dam - Taming the Nile

Answer: By seizing control of the Suez Canal

There were several offers of loans and material help from Britain, the USA and the USSR while Nasser was seeking finance for the dam. However, his purchase of arms from the USSR prompted both Britain and the USA to withdraw their offers, leaving the USSR as the only major partner. In 1956, President Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal and closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, prompting "the Suez Crisis". Britain, France, and Israel promptly invaded Egypt. However they were soon forced to withdraw by the United Nations. With Russian loans secured and revenue rolling in from the Suez Canal, Nasser was now free to commence work on the dam.

27. The Manchester Ship Canal directly links Manchester, England, to which body of water?

From Quiz Canals of the World

Answer: Irish Sea

Built between 1887 and 1894, the Manchester Ship Canal transformed Manchester from a river port to a seaport. It runs 36 miles from Manchester to the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool. Although it turned Manchester into a major port, the canal can no longer handle most modern ocean-going vessels and much of its traffic is containers transported by barge.

28. The Suez Canal utilizes 3 bodies of water, these being: Lake Mazala, Lake Timsah and which other?

From Quiz Suez Canal

Answer: Bitter Lakes & bitter lakes & Bitter lakes

The Bitter Lakes is one stretch of water.

29. China built a dam which was, at the time of its completion in 2009, the biggest dam in the world. What is its name?

From Quiz It's Dam Good

Answer: Three Gorges Dam

It created a reservoir on the Yangtze river of over 28 billion cubic yard and generates 18.2 million kilowatts of electricity, the equivalent of 18 nuclear power plants or the burning of 40 million tons of coal.

30. The name of the dam changed several times. What was its official name on the day of its completion?

From Quiz History of The Hoover Dam

Answer: Boulder Dam

The Hoover dam started out being named "Boulder Dam". When Herbert Hoover became President, he changed the name in 1930 to "Hoover Dam". Then when Roosevelt became President, the name was changed back to "Boulder Dam" until 1947 when President Truman permanently renamed it "Hoover Dam".

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