Can You Repeat That Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wales

You ask the teacher "Can you repeat that place name please?" Meanwhile the correct answer is Wales. Most of you will have recognised this name as something constructed in a Celtic language.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is translated into "Saint Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Saint Tysilio by the red cave". So apparently the village has two main churches.

Originally the village was called "simply" Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, sometimes abbreviated to Llanfair PG. But an anonymous local merchant (a cobbler or a tailor, sources differ) has extended the name in an effort to boost about having the longest place name of one word in the world.

You're quite lucky that the teacher doesn't want you to write down the full name of the village. But I pity the teacher for having to pronounce this word.

Answer: Lake Webster

Puzzled at this name, you ask the teacher "Can you repeat that?" Of course you get no satisfactory answer. Then you remember that the teacher said something about a dictionary, and you make an educated guess. "Lake Webster", you write down.

Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg indeed is a lake in Massachusetts, near the border with Connecticut. Shorter names are Lake Chaubunagungamaug and Lake Webster, for the town of Webster lies on its shores.

Incidentally, the name Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggcahubunagungamaugg translates to something as "Fishing Place at the Boundaries".

Answer: Maori

"Can you repeat that?" you ask. "Yes, I can - but I won't" is the witty answer by the teacher. "Taumatawhatever" you think.

The different languages to choose out are spread over the whole world.
The autochthon inhabitants of New-Zealand are the Maori, and that's the name of their language too.

So Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu is Maori. If you look it up, this is in fact a "short" official version of the name.

Non-official sources cite Taumata-whakatangihanga-koauau-o-Tamatea-haumai-tawhiti-ure-haea-turi-pukaka-piki-maunga-horo-nuku-pokai-whenua-ki-tana-tahu.

The Maori name of the hill translates in English to "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one. " The longest version includes some anatomical details best let out on this site. Tamatea is one of the heroes of Maori myth.

If you would like to visit this hill, you head for the North Island. Taumata Hill is near the east shore. It's probably easier to climb than to pronounce three times in a row.

Swahili is an African language, Arapaho refers to North-American native people, and Tagalog is spoken on the Philippines.

Answer: South Africa

"Can you repeat that?" you ask the teacher. She sits quietly and smiles as you try and find the correct answer.

As the teacher hasn't given any hints, you should try to recognise the language. Some of you might think of Dutch, and in fact it is quite related. Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein is the Afrikaans for "The spring where two buffaloes were killed with one single shot".

Afrikaans is one of the eleven official languages in South-Africa, so this country is the right location for this farm. If you would like to visit the farm, head for Pretoria and drive west about 200 km.

Answer: Champagne

"Can you repeat that?" you ask blatantly. The teacher in her typical pink dress reminds you that this is an exam, and no circus show.

Saint-Remy is French for a Christian Saint who once was bishop in the city of Reims, one of the most populous cities in the Champagne region. So you discover that Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson is located in France, near the Champagne region. In fact, Reims is in the same Department as Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson.

Rioja is a Spanish wine region. Napa Valley is home to some of the best Californian winemakers. And Chianti is an Italian wine produced in Tuscany.

Answer: Bangkok

"Can you repeat that?", you bluntly ask. To no avail, however - you should by now know better.

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit can be translated into English as "The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarma".

The translation of this official capital city name should help you find the correct answer. Indeed: the god Indra is one of the Hindu deities, and the only of the listed cities having a large Hindu influence is Bangkok.

For those of you who wonder why the short version "Bangkok" doesn't resemble the ceremonial name: the name "Krung Thep" and so on is written in Pali and Sanskrit, two languages that are no longer spoken in Thailand. More over the original Bangkok was built on the west bank of the Chao Pradya River, where Krung Thep (I won't repeat the rest of this name) was constructed on the east bank of the same river, more or less across.

Answer: Poland

"Can you repeat that?", you try in vain once again. Luckily your teacher speaks the local language in this village fluently. If I (your quizmaster) would dare to pronounce Przedmiescie Szczebrzeszynskie, I might scare off my two pet cats.

Seriously: Przedmiescie Szczebrzynsynskie is situated in Poland, near the border with the Ukraine and Slovakia. The "SZCZ" part is typical of Slavish languages, and would not be found in any place name in South-Korea, Mexico or Madagascar.

I've two remarks for our Polish friends playing this quiz. First of all, there are some diacritic marks I've left out in the name Przedmiescie Szczebrzeszynskie. Chances are that these diacritics would not be properly rendered on every screen. Secondly, I'm quite convinced that with the exact Polish pronunciation this place name has a melodious sound. Unfortunately, I'm not able to speak Polish in this harmonious way. I'm afraid I would hiss the "SZCZ" part in a way resembling the sound of furious cats.

Answer: The cry for independence started here

"Can you repeat that", you vaguely stammer. But your teacher refuses to repeat herself.

Initially the city was named shortly "Dolores". September 16th, 1810 saw a remarkable act of the parish priest Father Hidalgo. He rang the church bells, waited until some hundreds of young men assembled, and then made a passionate speech for independence from Spain. This was indeed the start of the revolt against Spain, which would ultimately lead to independence - but only in 1821. Meanwhile Father Hidalgo and many other revolutionaries were already executed.
In honour of father Hidalgo, the city was renamed Dolores Hidalgo. After Mexico obtained independence, the words "Cuna de la Independencia Nacional" ("Cradle of the national independence") were added.

Answer: San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore

"I insist. Can you repeat that", you launch at both the teacher and your quizmaster. Well, I might comply and repeat "If the question pops up in a timed game, go for an educated guess and don't start counting..." But that is not what you wanted to be repeated.

Pino sulla Sponda del Lago Maggiore is a small village in the Italian region Lombardy, bordering Switzerland and with a great view on (as the name states) the Lago Maggiore (which would translate to "Great Lake". Yes, we Europeans have one too). In 2004 this village counted only 251 inhabitants.

San Valentino in Abruzzo Citeriore is another small Italian town, nested on a steep slope in the Abruzzi. This town was named after Saint Valentine and the town's location.

Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik Lake is a lake in Canada. This lake is situated straddling the province of Manitoba and the Inuit territory. The name would signify something as "Where the wild trout are caught by fishing with hooks". If you have taken the time to count the letters, you would have counted 35 (including the "Lake" part).

Washington-on-the-Brazos is, as you could have guessed, a place name in the USA. It is a small village in Texas, situated on the River Brazos. Here the Texan Declaration of Independence was signed in 1836. Count carefully and you'll reach 21 letters (plus three hyphens).

Carrickwilliamodonnell is a rock in Ireland, County Galway. It is, as the name harmoniously says so, the carrick (rock) belonging to William O'Donnell. I haven't found any useful information as to the identity of this particular William O'Donnell (for I suppose it's quite a common name in Ireland). The name of this rock contains 22 letters, if you have paid attention.

Answer: Schleswig-Holstein

"Can you repeat that", you ask, exhausted.

Well, the teacher asked for a federal state in Germany. Only one of the options qualifies as a federal state in Germany, the others are situated in other independent countries.

At first, I wanted to ask something about the hamlet of Klein-Niederdreiochsenheimerskirchburg ob der Lahn, which I didn't find on any map. Apparently this hamlet is a hoax, as player Triviapaul pointed out.

So I've replaced the question with a fusion community consisting of three tiny hamlets: Hellschen, Heringsand and Unterschaar. These three were joint in a community with the town hall situated in Hellschen.
Hellschen-Heringsand-Unterschaar is a municipality in Schleswig-Holstein, near the North Sea. In 2010 it counted only 180 denizens.

Schwyz is a canton in Switzerland. Carinthia is a federal state of Austria. And Südtirol (alternative spelling Suedtirol) is the German name for the region Trentino -Alto Adige in Italy, a region with an important German-speaking minority.