A Common Bond on Common Ground with my Pen Pal Quiz / Test

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. My pen pal resides in the city of Vienna, the capital and largest city of Austria. The second longest river in Europe also flows through the city. What is this river, which is second in length to the Volga River?

Answer: Danube

At 1,785 miles (or 2,872 kilometers for my Austrian friend), the Danube is the second longest river in the European continent. Overall it passes through or borders a total of ten different countries and four capital cities: Vienna (Austria), Budapest (Hungary), Belgrade (Serbia), and Bratislava (Slovakia). The Volga River is 2,294 miles (3,692 kilometers) but only flows through one country, Russia.

2. My pen pal always had dreams of visiting a particular American city, so I make travel arrangements to meet my pen pal in that city for a sight-seeing tour. Which American city and surrounding area contains such attractions as the Campbell House Museum, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, and the Gateway Arch?

Answer: St. Louis

The Campbell House Museum commemorates the life of American frontiersman Robert Campbell and his wife Virginia. Campbell is best known for his exploration of the Rocky Mountains. Anheuser-Busch most famously produces the Budweiser brand of beer, but is also produces several other beer brands, including Stella Artois and Becks. Arguably the most famous landmark in St. Louis, the Gateway Arch is the tallest man-made monument in the United States at 630 feet (192 meters) tall.

3. I finally get the chance to meet my pen pal. We shake hands and are excited to finally meet. Unfortunately, the airline lost his luggage and we need to find a clerk to talk to about the lost luggage. Fortunately, we find one, but he happens to be a bit cantankerous. Which word best describes his mood?

Answer: Grumpy

In the United States, approximately 1 in 150 airline passengers experiences problems with their luggage getting lost. This chance is increased when a passenger takes connecting flights with multiple stops along the way. It's generally good practice for passengers to take a carry-on bag on the plane filled with essential items like toiletries and a change of clothes. If their luggage is lost, they can use items from their carry-on until they get their luggage back or purchase some replacement items.

4. Since my pen pal is missing luggage, we decide to hail a taxi and go shopping for a few items that he needs. During the ride, the taxi driver is listening to a song called "The Thrill is Gone" and my pen pal asks her who the singer is. She responds that the singer won a Grammy for the song back in 1971. Who is this singer?

Answer: B.B. King

B.B. King won the 1971 Grammy for Best Male R&B Performance and his recording won a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1998. Born as Riley B. King, he is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Over a period of more than 40 years, King has won multiple Grammy Awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

He has received many other accolades in his impressive career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Kennedy Center honors, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

5. The taxi drops us off at a retail store so my pen pal can do some much needed shopping. This particular store is part of a chain of retail stores that was first founded in 1899. Which of the following retail chains was created from the original SS Kresge Corporation?

Answer: K-Mart

Sebastian S. Kresge first founded his corporation in Detroit, Michigan but the company headquarters relocated to Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The first retail store with the name K-Mart was not established until 1962, shortly before the launch of the rival retail chain, Wal-Mart.

In the early 2000s K-Mart had to file for bankruptcy protection but was eventually able to turn a profit once again. Unfortunately, this success was short lived and despite a merger with the department store chain Sears, K-Mart continued to have financial difficulties and to lose money.

In late 2011, K-Mart was forced to announce the closure of over 100 stores due to poor sales during the holiday season.

6. Back in the taxi, we head over to the hotel. On the way, my pen pal shows me a book he bought for his infant son. I recognize the book instantly because I myself have read it to my niece on several occasions. What is the name of this popular book by Margaret Wise Brown which features a bunny wishing a good night to various objects around the room?

Answer: Goodnight Moon

First published in 1947, "Goodnight Moon" became a best selling bedtime story around the world, selling over four million copies. In addition to the original English, the book has been published in a variety of languages, including French, Hebrew, and Spanish. The illustrations in the book were done by Clement Hurd. Hurd and Brown would also collaborate on a sequel to the book, "My World," published two years later in 1949.

7. We finally get to the hotel and check into our respective rooms. My pen pal is particularly impressed because the hotel contains replica paintings of his favorite artist. Who is this artist who is known for painting such masterpieces as "Guernica" and "The Old Guitarist?"

Answer: Pablo Picasso

Spanish artist Pablo Picasso lived from 1881 to 1972 and worked in a variety of artistic media including painting, ceramics, and printmaking. Among his most memorable achievements, Picasso is credited as being a co-founder of the Cubist art movement. "Guernica" may be his most famous painting and depicts the bombing of the city of Guernica by the Germans during the Spanish Civil War.

More of his artwork has been sold worldwide than any other artist, according to total sales from various art auctions.

8. Oh no! It's raining outside so we are forced to stay in at the hotel. We flip through some television channels and a certain cartoon catches my pen pal's eyes. What show do we watch that contains such characters as Brainy, a certain "Papa," and the arch nemesis Gargamel?

Answer: The Smurfs

"The Smurfs" was a cartoon series that originally ran from 1981 to 1989 on American television. The Smurfs were tiny creatures who lived in their own Smurf village and had their own Smurf forest. They often used "smurf" as a word to replace other words, leading to many nonsensical phrases.

The television series was based on a Belgian comic series that was first published in 1958. Despite the television show ending in 1989, it has had a lasting impact in syndication and on pop culture. A feature film, "The Smurfs," starring Neil Patrick Harris, was released in 2011.

Despite generally negative reviews from critics, the film grossed over half a billion dollars worldwide.

9. It's almost bed time, but we aren't quite tired. My pen pal suggests we try our hand at one of the board games found in the hotel lobby. Despite my best efforts, my pen pal is able to win the game when he declares that "It was Professor Plum in the kitchen with the lead pipe!" What classic board game did we play?

Answer: Clue/Cluedo

In the classic game board, the contestants are tasked with solving the murder of Mr. Boddy (United States version) in his mansion. At the beginning of the game, a murder, weapon, and room of the mansions are placed in a closed envelope. Players are dealt the remaining cards and make accusations about the murderer, weapon, and room.

Other players are forced to reveal their cards to disprove the accusations, thus allowing players to eliminate options. The game ends when a player moves around the board to the room of the murder and correctly guesses the contents of the envelope.

The popularity of the game helped spawn a book series, jigsaw puzzles, and even the motion picture "Clue" released in 1985.

10. Hopefully the rest of our trip goes better! "Color" me impressed if you can figure out the common bond that united the first day of the trip. What word unites all days' events as well as this very clue?

Answer: blue

1) "The Blue Danube" is a popular waltz by Johan Strauss II.
2) The St. Louis Blues play in the National Hockey League.
3) Grumpy is the blue Care Bear in a popular children's television show.
4) B.B. is widely regarded as one of the greatest Blues musicians of all time.
5) K-Mart was known for shopping discounts called "Blue Light Specials."
6) A blue moon could refer to the second full moon in the same calendar month, an event that happens rarely (once in a blue moon...), or a popular American beer.
7) Pablo Picasso has a "Blue Period" in his art where he painted almost exclusive in the color blue ("The Old Guitarist" is an example of this period).
8) The Smurfs have a blue appearance.
9) "Blue's Clues" is a popular children's program in the United States.

Source: Author kstyle53

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Snowman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

A Common Bond on Common Ground with my Pen Pal Quiz

Growing up, I developed pen pal relationship with a fellow adolescent from Austria. Trying to find some common ground of our cultures, we travel to meet each other... Can you spot the common bond that unites the first day of our visit?

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