Not That EZ Trivia Quiz

Answer: They are regarded as an Islamic sect.

Zoroastrians follow the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster and believe in the deity Ahura Mazda as the good creator. The influence of Zoroastrianism declined in Iran as the dominance of Islam grew in the region in the 7th century AD. Zoroastrians first reached India in the 9th century AD while trying to escape religious persecution in their homeland. India is today considered to be home to the largest population of this community in the world.

Answer: Greek

Zephyr is derived from Zephyrus, the Greek god of the west wind who is also regarded as the messenger of spring. Myths contain accounts of his having multiple wives, among them Iris, the goddess of the rainbow who also happened to be his sister. His Roman counterpart is named Favonius.

Answer: Peacock

Pelican crossings have push button operated signals which help to indicate when it is safe for pedestrians to cross the road. Toucan crossings are designed for the use of both pedestrians and cyclists while puffin crossings have sensors helping them detect when pedestrians are waiting to cross or already crossing the road. Yet another type of crossing found in the UK is the Pegasus crossing for the use of horse riders.

Answer: Mexico

Zinnias were originally native to the area ranging from the American southwest to South America but were mainly concentrated in the region of Mexico. The flowers generally grow as single stalked blooms and are found in a number of bright colours. Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist popularly called the Father of Taxonomy, named this genus in honour of Johann Gottfried Zinn.

Answer: Zurich

Zurich, located on the northern tip of Lake Zurich, is the capital of the canton of the same name. Frequently topping the lists for both the highest quality of life and the most expensive city to live in, Zurich is home to the Swiss Stock Exchange and the headquarters of various Swiss banks.

Answer: John the Baptist

Zacharias was married to Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Both he and his wife had long since passed the child bearing age. Angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias while he was performing his priestly duties in the temple and told him that he would soon have a son whom he was to name John.

His son was to grow up to be the forerunner of the Messiah. When Zacharias expressed his disbelief at this prophecy, the angel struck him mute till the birth of his son, as a sign.

Answer: Indian

Zanzibar remained a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania post the unification. The island is the source of a variety of spices including cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon, thus earning it the moniker of Spice Islands. Rare native animals of this region include the Zanzibar leopard and the Zanzibar red colobus, a rare African primate.

Answer: Boris Pasternak

Boris Pasternak's novel was first submitted to a Russian literary journal named "Novy Mir". However, it was deemed anti communist due to some of the passages and the criticism of Stalin implied in some sections didn't go down too well either. The novel was eventually smuggled out of the Soviet Union with the help of a rich Italian publisher, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.

It quickly gained popularity and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. Pasternak was worried that if he travelled to Stockholm to accept the award he would not be allowed to return to the Soviet Union. Thus, giving in to pressure from the authorities, he refused the award.

Answer: Zulu

Zulu belongs to the Bantu group of languages and is characterized by the presence of click sounds found only in Southern African languages. It is primarily an oral language and was documented using the Latin script only after missionaries arrived in Africa. Zulu phrases were included in the song "Circle of Life" from the Disney film "The Lion King".

The other official languages of South Africa are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda and Xhosa.

Answer: California

The killer called himself 'Zodiac' in a series of letters sent to the local police gloating over their inability to catch him. Of his seven confirmed victims, two survived. The identity of the killer has remained unknown though various people were suspected at different points in time.