Exploring Port-au-Prince! Trivia Quiz

Answer: French

"Port-au-Prince", meaning "Port of the Prince", is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Haiti, located on the Gulf of Gonâve on the Caribbean Sea. It is not very clear which prince would have been honored with this name. There is a theory that the place was named after "Le Prince", the ship which arrived in the area in 1706. In 1894, the city became the capital of the new country Haiti, on the occasion of its independence from France.

In 2010, Port-au-Prince was devastated by an earthquake (reaching 7.0 on the Richter Scale) and subsequent aftershocks that virtually destroyed the historic area, the airport, and the seaport, making it impossible to send relief to the area in the first week. In addition, the area has suffered frequent and severe hurricanes and storms.

Answer: Porcupine

Of the choices, only the word porcupine can be spelled using letters of Port-au-Prince. The word "porcupine" comes initially from the Latin "porcus" for pig + "spina" for spine, quill. The word porcupine had many forms in Middle and Early Modern English, including portepyn (port meaning "to carry", as though "carry-spine"). In "Hamlet" Shakespeare mentions "porpentine".

A porcupine is a large rodent covered with sharp spines or quills, which serve as protection. Its body is rounded, with short and stocky legs and a tail that can be short or long and is sometimes prehensile. The quills, which are modified hairs composed of keratin, are embedded in the musculature skin of the back and the tail and easily detached. When the porcupine slaps its tail, its form of defense, or when an attacker tries to bite it, the quills will be embedded in the attacker.

The words cenotaph, endocarp and baritone contain a letter (h, d and b respectively) not found in the word Port-au-Prince.

Answer: A bird

A tern is a black and white seabird, with a long and forked tail, narrow pointed wings, short legs and long bills. The body plumage is white or light gray with a small black cap on the head. Terns run well, rarely swim, and only stop in the water to bathe. The terns, gulls and skimmers are in the family Laridae.

Terns are distributed all over the world, inhabit sea coasts and inland waters, and fly great distances. Many species of tern feed on small fish and crustaceans, which they catch by diving; a few species are insect-eaters. They are gregarious and noisy birds and live in groups that often have thousands of individuals. When sailors see terns, they can be pretty sure they are close to shore.

Answer: A product derived from a fruit

Copra is a word derived from the Malayalam language, "Koppara", which means dry coconut. Copra is a product developed by traders in the South Seas in the 1860s.

It is obtained from the coconut (Cocos nucifera Linnaeus, Arecaceae), from which the shell is removed. Coconut pulp or meat is exposed to the air and sun outdoors or placed in an oven to dry. From the dried pulp, called "copra", coconut oil, which is widely used in human food and in other types of industries, is extracted, and the residues are mostly used as livestock feed.

Answer: Reptiles

The term "terrapin" (Malaclemys terrapin) was used until almost the end of the 20th century to name the many species of small aquatic turtles. Currently its use is more restricted and refers to the "diamondback terrapins" from the family Emydidae that live in brackish water.

There is evidence that the word "terrapin" comes from the word "torope", from the Algonquian language used by early European settlers to name these turtles that live in brackish-water. The State of Maryland named the "diamondback terrapin" as its official state reptile in 1994.

Answer: Eat it

Poutine is a dish that appeared in the rural Quebec province in the late 1950s and was served in snack bars. It consists of French fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy. It is a symbol of Québécois culture and the Quebec province. Today it is a popular dish not only in Canada, but in many other countries and served in fast-food chains to fine restaurants.

In the "Dictionnaire Historique du Français Québécois" a list of 15 meanings to "poutine" appears, most of them are related to food. The meaning of the word "poutine" as "fries with cheese and gravy" dates from 1982.

Answer: Curare

The word "curare" probably has its origin in the indigenous words of the Caribbean region, "ourara", "urali", "urari", or "woorari", which are variations of the word poison. Curare is an alkaloid drug derived from organic compounds, sourced from several tropical plants, mainly the Chondrodendron species of the family Menispermaceae and Strychnos species of the family Loganiaceae.

Initially, the indigenous people of Central and South America prepared curare cooking the bark of these plants, until it became a paste that was applied to the arrow or dart head with the aim of paralyzing prey or enemies. Currently this substance and the alkaloids obtained from these plants are used as skeletal muscle relaxants, used in conjunction with anesthesia in certain surgeries.

Answer: A fruit

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) is a stone fruit of the Rosaceae family, related to peaches, almonds, plums, and cherries. It has a smooth or velvety peel whose color varies from yellow to orange; usually the flesh is succulent with the taste sweet to tart. It has only one seed that is enclosed in a hard stony shell.

This plant was first cultivated in China and today it is found on all continents, except Antarctica, in temperate climate regions. Fruits can be eaten fresh or preserved, dried or in liqueurs. In China apricot is linked to education and medicine. Legend says that Confucius taught his students in locations surrounded by apricot trees; moreover the apricot kernel was a component of traditional Chinese medicine.

Answer: In a casino

The croupier is usually found in casino gambling; he/she is the person in charge of gaming tables, collecting money, or paying out and dealing with playing cards. The use of the word croupier in this sense dates back to 1709. It is a French word that originally meant "one who rides behind another, on the croup of a horse".

"Croupier" (1998) is a British noir film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Clive Owen, Kate Hardie and Alex Kingston. In the film, Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) wants to be a writer and to support himself, he gets a job as a croupier.

Answer: Precaution

Precaution is the longest English word formed with the letters of Port-au-Prince. Taking precaution means taking measures to prevent something dangerous, unpleasant or inconvenient from happening. It is an act of having foresight, taking heed. This word is derived from the Latin "precautio", from "praecavere", "praecautum" formed by "prae" (before) + "cavere" (to be one's own guard).

The words rejection, prenuptial and depuration contain a letter (s, l and d respectively) not found in the word Port-au-Prince.

It is known that American James Fenimore Cooper was reading a novel aloud to his wife. As the novel seemed dull to them he put it aside and commented that he would be able to write something much better. Susan Cooper challenged him to do it. The result was "Precaution" (1820), the author's first novel, published anonymously and attributed to a female writer.