Easy Don't Cry for Me Trivia Quiz | South America

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. As we prepare for our grand tour, the good doctor straps a case of Kleenex to my back muttering about the usefulness of facial tissue. He claims it makes a good jewelry buffer cloth and proceeds to explain that the name Argentina refers to some precious metal, although he can't remember which, do you know?

Answer: Silver

Argentina achieved independence from Spain in May of 1810. The name of the country comes from the Latin word for silver "argentum" and is the reason silver has the chemical symbol ag. The connection to silver has its basis in a legend of a "silver mountain" that early explorers sought and ultimately failed in locating.

2. Dr. Johnson continued to mumble about heathen chilies he'd encountered in his previous tours. I thought him confused and handed him a tissue to wipe his nose, a consequence of our current altitude high in which mountain range that makes up the border between Argentina and Chile?

Answer: Andes

At 4,300 miles in length, the Andes are the longest mountain chain in the world. The range separates Argentina and other countries from Chile and are a result of plate tectonic action. The highest peak within the range is Mount Aconcagua, located entirely in Argentina and rising at nearly 23,000 feet.

3. Some say the good doctor is a germaphobe, thus the amount of sweating that commenced while viewing 12,000 year old artwork deep within a cave along the Pinturas River was understandable. He barely could eke out the name of the cave, whispering in muffled tones, Cueva de las what?

Answer: Manos

The Cueva de las Manos is a series of caves located in Santa Cruz, Argentina. Within the cave, covering the walls are stenciled paintings of hands (left hands to be precise, as the artist was apparently right handed) along with other creatures and images.

The age of the paintings ranges from 9,000-13,000 years, approximated by experts. The images were made by placing the left hand against the surface of the walls and blowing mineral-based paint through a reed of some sort held in the right hand, leaving the image behind.

The cave is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

4. I handed Dr. Johnson another tissue as we explored the salt flats of a barren land mass that has some of the lowest elevations in Argentina. He eyed some nearby seals while holding the tissue over his mouth and I was barely able to hear him say "those UNESCO people need to get with Exxon and do something about all these seals" on which peninsula?

Answer: Valdes

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site on July 20, 2012, the Valdes peninsula is a barren, uninhabited natural reserve on Argentina's Atlantic coast. Home to a vast array of seals and whales, the peninsula is roughly shaped like a hummingbird. The salt lakes located on the island lie some forty meters below sea level and were long considered one of the lowest elevations in Argentina, second only to Laguna del Carbon, a salt lake sitting 105 meters below sea level.

5. Dr. Johnson was crying, but I rather enjoyed the good air in the cool of the evening as we walked along the Plaza Mitre watching two couples tango. "That dance of their inventions, it's so beautiful," he sobbed as the two bodies moved in unison. I handed him a tissue and we progressed through the streets of what city?

Answer: Buenos Aires

Founded in the 1500s, Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, named for the "good winds" that brought the early explorers to the region. A city rich in culture and history with their Spanish and French heritage, it is also the birthplace of the Argentine tango.

6. Eyes watering, I stood with Dr. Johnson on a knoll surveying a vast grassland. Wiping his similarly watery eyes with the tissue I handed him, the doctor sneezed and gestured to the waving fronds synonymous with what geographic location?

Answer: Pampas

Covering a quarter of Argentina (all of Uruguay and the southern tip of Brazil), the Pampas is a temperate grassland teeming with plant and animal life. The area is prone to wildfires and as such, trees are few and far between. Gardeners the world over appreciate the plant species "Cortaderia selloana," the showy pampas grasses used as ornamental decor in many garden settings.

7. Dr. Johnson and I continued in our travels, following the Santa Cruz River to its source. The poor doctor was blue and cold, covering his nose with a tissue as we surveyed the icebergs floating in the largest freshwater lake in the country, a body of water called what?

Answer: Lago Argentino

Located entirely within the Los Glaciares National Park, Lago Argentino is a Patagonian lake largely fed by glaciers and mountain streams. The lake has a surface area of 566 square-miles and a maximum depth of over 1600 feet. The area is popular with tourists coming to glimpse the spectacular glaciers and icebergs that are found there.

8. I was definitely pleased with my preparations as Dr. Johnson and I began to summit the highest mountain in the Southern Hemisphere. Dr. Johnson, however, was not as impressed as I'd packed too many boxes of tissues for our climb of which non-technical peak?

Answer: Aconcagua

Aconcagua, the highest point in all of Argentina, is also the highest mountain on the Andes mountain chain. Rising at 22,831 ft, the mountain is located in the Aconcagua Provincial Park in Mendoza, Argentina. Despite the height and real possibility of altitude sickness, Aconcagua is a non-technical climb, with most climbers ascending without the use of supplemental oxygen.

There are several routes to the top, including one that crosses the Polish Glacier on the north-east face of the mountain.

9. Our journey took us further south where we surveyed the Patagonia. Muffled in his goose-down parka, Dr. Johnson's cold brain mumbled random thoughts, "Magellan thought the inhabitants here were giants. Some think this region was likely part of the (muffled) continent." I didn't quite make out the continent he mumbled, can you help me out?

Answer: Antarctica

Current research on the Patagonia land features and ice fields have led to the theory that Patagonia was once part of Antarctica.

Magellan encountered the sparsely populated Patagonia in 1520. The native people he found there he called "patagons," a term derived from a mythical people of significant stature. It is thought that perhaps the people he encountered WERE taller than the average European, thus the name.

The area has boomed in recent years with tourist activity, both in cruise ships viewing the spectacular scenery and extreme backpackers.

10. Since we were nearby, we decided to visit the Patagonia's most celebrated piece of ice. The good doctor chipped off a chunk as a souvenir, commenting that this spectacular display was "still growing," baffling his colleagues but delighting millions of annual visitors. Awe-struck, I merely nodded, dabbing my moist eyes with a tissue as I admired what?

Answer: Perito Moreno Glacier

The Perito Moreno Glacier is located in the Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz, Argentina. Rising some 240 feet over Lago Argentino, the glacier acts as a dam, separating part of the lake from the whole. This damming effect causes the dammed portion of the lake to rise some 30 meters higher than the rest of the lake.

This produces significant amounts of pressure, building until it eventually (and periodically) ruptures. Encompassing 97 square miles, the glacier is the third largest source of fresh water in the world.

Source: Author TemptressToo

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Tizzabelle before going online.
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Don't Cry for Me Trivia Quiz

According to Dr. Johnson, there's nothing to cry about in Argentina. A country of vast resources, varied geography and rich history, follow the good doctor on his tour of the country armed with boxes of tissues.

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