Monoresponsory Quiz | Thematic Fun

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The most devastating volcanic eruption of the last four centuries occurred in the territory of which kingdom (at that time)?

Answer: Netherlands

In 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatau, between Java and Sumatra, exploded. In fact, the whole island, as such, disappeared. But a new island was formed. It was named Anak Krakatau by the Indonesians meaning "the child of Krakatau". It has been maintained, by some sources, that about 30,000 human lives were lost as a result of this catastrophe.

2. On the territory of which kingdom could be found the greatest Muslim population during the first four decades of the 20th century?

Answer: Netherlands

By the time the beginning of the 20th century arrived, Indonesia (then known as Netherlands-Indies or Dutch East Indies) had the greatest Muslim population compared with other countries.

3. A brother of Napoleon reigned for about four years as King over this country. He was the father of another Emperor (at least legally). Of which country was he King?

Answer: Netherlands

Louis Napol�on Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, was installed in 1806 by his formidable brother as King of Holland (hence, the very confusing alternation between the names "Netherlands" and "Holland".) But Louis developed an affection for the Dutch and they for him. So, in 1810, Napoleon got rid of him and annexed the whole country (that annexion ended in 1813.)

Louis was the father of Napoleon III who, in 1852, founded the "Second Empire". False tongues will have it that Louis' wife, Hortense de Beauharnais (daughter of Napoleon's first wife, Jos�phine, out of her first marriage) had produced this future Emperor out of a relationship with a Dutch admiral. But this rumour is not substantiated by facts.

4. What country had a navy who inflicted the greatest defeat of all centuries upon the English navy?

Answer: Netherlands

Chatham! 1667!

The Dutch Admiral, de Ruyter, destroyed nearly the whole English navy in the mouth of the river Thames. Later, in 1672, he defeated a combined Anglo-French fleet (Lesson: never form a combination against the Dutch again! You British! You French). If you did not answer this question correctly, you are not British nor Dutch. But then, the British are good sports! They are willing to admit it. Perhaps because they have nowadays less fear for the Dutch than for the Russians or North-Koreans.

5. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Shogun of Japan was - quite rightly so, in my view - worried about Western foreigners. These Western foreigners brought with them, amongst other things, the Christian belief which was considered by the Shogun to be a potential political and cultural menace to Japan. So, he ordered that any Westerner who wanted to trade with Japan had to spit upon the Cross. Virtually all Western traders refused. Only the merchants of one Western country complied. Which one?

Answer: Netherlands

Yes, the Dutch! Those door hypocritical Calvinists! They were the only nation, along with China, which was allowed to trade with Japan up to 1854. With the result that, for nearly two and-a-half centuries, Japan gathered science and technology by means of the Dutch; amongst other things naval artillery. Not a wise act of the Dutch to teach them that, in retrospect...

6. Descartes. Does it ring a bell with you? Of course: "cogito, ergo sum." Lesser known is the fact that Descartes was a mercenary in the pay of which state?

Answer: Netherlands

And, if I am well informed (but in general I am not), his works were published for the first time in the Dutch Republic.

7. Ok, if by this time you haven't guessed the right answers, it's about time that you will be expelled from this formidable trivia site for lack of competence. But I will give you a last chance! Tell me this: in which country was the 17th century painter Dujardin born and raised?

Answer: Netherlands

Karel Dujardin (1622-1678) spent a couple of years in Italy. This was as mandatory for painters in those times as for devout Muslims to go to Mecca. He was also in France for a short time, but this had nothing to do with his name. Perhaps his father was a Calvinist refugee from France or what is now Belgium. Who knows!

8. Which country has a population that is considered to be the tallest in the world?

Answer: Netherlands

Don't ask me why. It seems that since WWII, the Japanese have grown, at least physically. But, even in that respect, they still are no match for the Dutch (unfortunately, they were so, in another respect, in 1942).

9. Which country sent the battalion that about 1995 had to protect, under auspices of the U.N., the Muslim population of Srebrenica in Bosnia against the attacking Serbs, but failed miserably in doing so?

Answer: Netherlands

When a person really feels patriotic, he must never try to cover up the black pages in the history of his country. The Srebrenica-affair is one of those black pages in the history of the Netherlands. About 4000 Muslim males were murdered by General Mladic's Serb troops, so-to-speak, under the eyes of the Dutch battalion. Years later, the Dutch cabinet fell on ground of a report about the affair. And rightly so.

The report was rather mild about the Dutch soldiers on the spot, but very severe about the men who sent them there (amongst other things, with a serious lack of heavy weaponry).

10. There is a general tendency in the world to believe that more and more places are changing their political status from monarchies into republics. Yet, there is one country in the world that was born as a republic and remained so for centuries, but which now is a monarchy. Which one?

Answer: Netherlands

The Dutch state was established in 1579 with the so-called Union of Utrecht. William the Silent of Orange played a primordial role in this event, but the new state was a Republic. In Napoleonic times, the Dutch state became first a short-lived monarchy in 1806, with Napoleons brother Louis as King, and became, in 1813, a monarchy with another William, elevated to the Kingship. Since then, the Dutch state has been a monarchy. My hunch is that it will stay so for a long time.

Well, I said you had only to answer three questions correctly to see the point of this quiz! Or to to guess the meaning of my neologism in the title!

Source: Author Oblomov

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Linda1 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Monoresponsory Trivia Quiz

There is something funny with this quiz. First is the title. Furthermore, I had to resort totally to the objectionable method of fill-in-the-blanks. If you have the luck to answer at least three questions correctly, you will know why!

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