Cross Examination Trivia Game | Thematic Fun

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Some of the world's oldest national flags contain a cross as the main feature. Which of these cross-bearing flags is generally considered the oldest of them all?

Answer: Danish (white cross on red background)

Legend has it that the Danish flag was first flown during a battle in Estonia in 1219. Historical documents date it to at least around 1400. That is also the time period where one can start talking about national states in Scandinavia, although the hereditary kingdoms took another 150 years or so to establish.

Iceland, the Faeroe Islands (part of Denmark) and �land (part of Finland) also have similar flags.

2. The flag of England is white with a centered red cross. One usually sees it in sporting events, where the different countries in the UK compete separately. This cross is named after the patron saint of England. Who is that?

Answer: St George

St George is a historical figure from the third century, born in a Greek family in Syria. The most well-known story about St George is that of the slaying of the dragon, a story that suited many medieval rulers who toppled a previous king: they likened the deposed king to the dragon and themselves to St George, thereby building credibility and an aura of righteousness. If you visit Stockholm, Sweden, you can see a magnificent statue from the 15th century with this very motif.

There, the dragon represents Denmark, a country in more or less perpetual war with Sweden for many centuries.

3. The inverted or upside-down cross is often, erroneously, attributed to satanism. Instead, it is the symbol of one of the early apostles. The story goes that he refused to be crucified in the regular fashion because he was not worthy of dying the same way as Jesus. The Romans obliged and crucified him upside down. Who was this martyr?

Answer: St Peter

Before his death, St Peter is said to have established the first Christian church in Rome and is therefore referred to as the "Bishop of Rome". This title has continued to be used ever since (although early historical records are sketchy) and is one of the titles used by the pope of the Catholic church.

The other symbol of St Peter is a set of keys, signifying that he is the gatekeeper of heaven.

4. St Andrew is not only a well-known golf course in Scotland, he is the patron saint of the country. He, too, has a specific cross attributed to him. What does that look like?

Answer: Like the letter X

The Scottish flag is blue with a white St Andrew's cross that looks like an X. You can see it as part of the Union Jack, the flag for all of UK. Another country that has a flag with the St Andrew's cross is Jamaica, but with the pan-African colors black, green and gold.

An alternative name for St Andrew's cross is a saltire.

5. The symbol that most of us think of when we hear the word "cross" is the Latin cross: the bottom arm is longer than the other three. There is also a variant where all the arms are of equal length, much like a plus-character ("+"), that was in much use in early Christianity. What is such a cross called?

Answer: Greek cross

The flag of Switzerland features a white Greek cross on a red background and the organization Red Cross has the exact inverse of that as a symbol. The Greek flag, too, has a Greek cross: a white cross on blue background in the top left corner; the rest of the flag is horizontally striped in blue and white.

6. In the 8th century, or possibly earlier, crosses that combined the regular Latin Cross with a circle started to appear. From which group of people does this kind of cross get its name?

Answer: The Celts

The Celts lived in continental Europe as well as on the British Isles, but are nowadays mostly associated with Ireland. Celtic crosses are often elaborate and beautiful. You can find them in several countries such as Ireland, Scotland and France.

The circle is believed to represent a pagan symbol for the sun, and the Celtic cross either just combines the symbols or shows that the Christian god rules over the sun as well.

7. Crosses are by no means found as symbols only in Christianity. One ancient culture used a cross where the upper part is shaped like an oval. The symbol is known as an "ankh". In which culture did the ankh originate?

Answer: Egyptian

Almost all Egyptian gods are portrayed carrying an ankh, as are the pharaohs. It may represent eternal life; nobody knows for certain. The ankh is still regarded by many as both exotic and beautiful and features regularly in jewelry design, tattoos, etc.

8. Symbols can be both controversial and powerful. One ancient cross symbol described as "an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles" can today not be used in many parts of the world because of its connotation to the Nazis. What is this symbol called?

Answer: swastika

A swastika can be both right-facing and left-facing. The symbol is commonly used in several Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. It is old indeed: the oldest known example is twelve thousand years old. And yet it only took a couple of decades to give it a new and terrible reference. Even where legal to display it, no company would choose it as a part of their logo.

9. Several star constellations look like crosses; it is an easy symbol to see. The most well-known is perhaps the Southern Cross, a constellation only seen in the southern sky. It is featured in several national flags, including which of the following?

Answer: Brazil

The stars on the Brazilian flags represent the states and the federal district where the capital Brasilia is found, but if one looks closely it is clear that five of the stars are arranged as the Southern Cross.

Other flags that display the Southern Cross are the ones from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

10. The cross as used as a symbol in the Western world ultimately represents execution by crucifixion. One purpose of crucifixion, in particular in ancient times, was the display of the dead bodies as a deterrent to the public. When a slave rebellion was crushed by Rome in BC 71, as many as 6,000 were crucified along the Appian Way. Who was the leader of this rebellion?

Answer: Spartacus

Rome may be regarded as the cradle of European civilization, but there is nothing civilized about displaying 6,000 dead bodies along one of the busiest roads.

In the 1960 movie "Spartacus" starring Kirk Douglas, the title character is himself crucified at the end. In reality, nobody knows for sure what happened to him, but he probably died in the last battle of what is called the Third Servile War.

Sadly, the practice of crucifixion is still in use in some parts of the world.

Source: Author akg1486

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
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Cross Examination Trivia Quiz

The cross is a symbol found in many cultures, but perhaps most prevalent in Christianity and the Western world. In this quiz we will examine some variants of crosses and their uses.

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