Recondite Rivers? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Volga

'At first' is an indication of where to look for the answer. The initial letters of 'very old ladies grow apples' spell 'Volga' - a river in Russia.

The name of the Volga is derived from a Slavic word meaning 'wetness', which is probably something of an understatement, considering that it is the longest river in Europe. In popular culture, the river is probably best remembered for giving its name to the 'Song of the Volga Boatmen'.

Answer: Nile

'Moves' indicates an anagram. The African river is the Nile - an anagram of 'line'.

The name of the river in Arabic and English comes from the Latin word 'Nilus'. In Ancient Egyptian the river is called 'Iteru' which simply means 'river'. The river gives its name to a shade of pale green, eau de Nil, meaning 'water of the Nile' in French.

Answer: Danube

'Changes' also indicates an anagram. This time it is of 'NE' from 'North-eastern' and 'daub', which can be rearranged to make 'Danube'.

Danu was a Hindu goddess who embodied primeval waters. Her name was taken to mean 'water', and has been used as the basis for the names of several rivers, including the Don, Dnieper and Dniester as well as the Danube. The river flows from the Black Forest to the Black Sea, but Strauss described it as blue in the title of his famous waltz.

Answer: Todd

The alternate letters of 'Took Dad' spell 'Todd' - a river which flows (sometimes!) through Alice Springs in the centre of Australia.

The Todd River is named after Charles Todd, a former Postmaster General of South Australia. The town of Alice Springs takes its name from his wife, Lady Alice Todd. The indigenous Arrernte people call the river Lhere Mparntwe. Usually all the water flows underground, but after heavy rain to the north of the town, the river can fill, and even flood. It is the scene of the annual Henley-on-Todd Regatta, when all the 'boats' are bottomless to make it easier for the 'sailors' to propel them along the dry course with their feet. The regatta was cancelled in 1993 due to flooding!

Answer: Euphrates

An anagram of 'hate super', as indicated by 'changes', is Euphrates.

Mesopotamia comes from the Greek, and means 'between the rivers'. The two rivers are the Euphrates and the Tigris. The area is regarded by some as the cradle of civilisation in the western world. The Euphrates rises in Turkey and flows through Syria and Iraq, where it joins the Tigris before they empty into the Persian Gulf.

Answer: Amazon

The reversed negative is 'no' backwards, i.e. 'on'. The short maze is 'maz'. The letter 'a' is given to you. Putting the three parts of the clue together produces 'a-maz-on'.

In the sixteenth century a Spanish explorer, Francisco de Orellana, encountered strong opposition from native tribes while exploring. They were led by fierce women, so he named the area Amazonas after the mythological Greek female warriors. The River Amazon is the second longest, but carries the greatest volume of water of any river in the world. It flows through rain forest, and has no bridges along its length.

Answer: Thames

The word 'cover' indicates that the answer, a British river, is hidden in the other words of the clue. Ignoring the 'wi' of 'with' and the 'h' of 'mesh' leaves 'th a mes'.

The name 'Thames' may be derived from a Sanskrit word meaning 'dark'. Another theory is that the Roman 'Tam' meaning wide, and 'Isis' meaning 'water' were combined. The 'h' is silent, and was added in the Renaissance to make the river's name appear more classical. Although it is the longest river in England, it is only 215 miles (346km) long. It is the setting for the annual boat race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Answer: Mekong

Taking every other letter, as indicated by 'alternately', of 'meet known egg' gives 'MeEt KnOwN eGg' i.e. Mekong - a river in Asia.

In Thailand and Laos the river is called 'Mae Nam Khong', meaning 'Khong, the mother of water', from which the English name for the river is derived. The Vietnamese call it 'Song Cuu Long', which means 'the river of the nine dragons', referring to the many branches through the delta.

Answer: Hudson

The word 'move' indicates an anagram. 'Hounds' can be rearranged to make 'Hudson' - a river in North America.

The river is named after Henry Hudson, a seventeenth century English explorer, who was searching for the North-West Passage. At times the river has been known as the North River, the Manhattan River or the Great River. The Lenape people, who used to inhabit present-day New Jersey and Manhattan called it the 'Muhheakantuck', which means 'river that flows two ways'. In 2009 Chesley B. Sullenberger made history by successfully landing his Airbus A320 on the river after a flock of geese had damaged both his engines shortly after take-off.

Answer: Congo

'Finally' is an indication that the last letters of 'manic, kangaroo in big zoo' should be used to find a river, Congo, which is in Africa.

The River Congo takes its name from the Kingdom of Kongo, which covered a large part of west central Africa. At times it has been known as the Zaire River, which comes from a Portuguese adaptation of the Kikongo word 'nzere' meaning river, which, in turn is short for 'nzadi o nzere' meaning 'river swallowing rivers'. From its source in the mountains of Zambia, the river first flows north before curving round, crossing the equator twice, and flowing out into the Atlantic Ocean.