Life of Pi Trivia Quiz

Answer: A swimming pool in France

The writer was looking for a great story for his next novel and Mamaji suggested that he look for Pi. Pi told the writer that his uncle, Mamaji, had swum in every swimming pool that he came upon, and he particularly recommended a swimming pool in France, Piscine Molitor (the word piscine means swimming pool in the French language).

In the film, the role of the writer was played by the English actor Rafe Spall. American actor Tobey Maguire, who was known for his "Spider-Man" films, was reported to have landed the role of the writer but the director, Ang Lee, felt that he was too recognizable so he opted for Spall instead. Following his decision, some of the scenes were reshot entirely.

Answer: Pondicherry

Pi described Pondicherry as a beautiful and pristine place. He attended a school, where he learned French. His father was a businessman and he opened a zoo as one of the attractions in town. Pi's mother, Tabu, was a botanist and she helped decorate the zoo.

Some of the scenes in the film were shot in Pondicherry, India. The name of the place means new town in the Tamil language. The scenes with the lifeboat and the raft were shot in Taichung and Kenting, Taiwan. The filming of the scenes between adult Pi (played by Irfan Khan) and the writer were done in Montreal, Canada.

Answer: Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam

Pi was first introduced to the Hindu God, Krishna, by his mother. He then was challenged by his elder brother, Ravi, to go into a church and drink the Holy Water. Pi was greeted by a priest and he started posing all sorts of questions to the priest. Pi also embraced Islam.

He admitted that his Arabic was not good, but every time he performed his prayer, he found peace. However, Pi's father asked him to follow only one religion, because he thought that believing in all three religions was no different than not believing in any of them.

Answer: Columbus

Pi met his first love, Anandi in a dance class. During the dinner, Pi's father was discussing the possibility of moving to Canada but Pi got distracted and he was not paying attention to his father's words. When Ravi and Tabu clarified that they were indeed moving to Canada, Pi was disappointed. Pi's father explained that he knew someone in Winniepeg who could help him find a job when he arrived at Canada. So he said ambitiously that they would sail like the famous explorer, Christopher Columbus. Pi then went and met his girlfriend, Anandi one last time.

He promised Anandi that he would be back one day.

Answer: A tiger, a hyena, a zebra, and an orangutan

The Japanese freighter sank during a severe thunderstorm. Pi realized that his parents and elder brother were gone forever. A panicked zebra jumped into the lifeboat when the freighter was just about to sink. Pi heard a voice somewhere in the middle of the sea so he threw out a float, only to realize in horror that it was the Bengal tiger, Richard Parker.

The next morning, Pi found out that there was a hyena hiding under the tarp of the lifeboat. Pi also found Orange Juice, the orangutan, floating on a net full of bananas.

He saved and directed the orangutan to his lifeboat.

Answer: A whale

The whale jumped out of the water and the action caused a giant wave, which caused Pi to lose most of his biscuit and fresh water supplies. He blamed himself for bringing all the supplies to his raft.

Answer: Meerkat

Pi was happy to learn that the algae were edible and therefore, he could replenish his food supply. He then followed the voice and walked further into the island. What came next was yet another remarkable scene of the film. Pi was greeted by thousands of meerkats living on the island. Pi found a clear lake in the middle of the island. He swam in the lake and rested for a while.

Answer: A tooth

At night, the water in the lake on the island became toxic and it killed all the fish inside it. Pi plucked a fruit from a plant and opened it. To his surprise, he found a human tooth inside it. He speculated that the tooth belonged to another person who found the island. He believed that the island was carnivorous so he decided to leave.

Answer: Mexico

The Japanese freighter sank near the world's deepest trench, the Mariana Trench, near The Philippines. Pi's lifeboat drifted for 227 days before reaching the coast of Mexico. Lying on the beach, he felt that the sand was very soft. He was then rescued by the locals.

He also recalled the poignant story of the merciless Richard Parker. Pi remembered that he was crying like a child, not because of the joy of being rescued, but it was because the tiger simply leaped out of the boat and disappeared into the jungle without saying goodbye to him.

Answer: True

The insurance agents found that Pi's story was too unbelievable and they needed a real story, which was more believable for their reports. So Pi told them another story that involved himself, his mother, the helpful sailor, and the fierce cook. The cook was a brutal man who killed the injured sailor and Pi's mother. Pi eventually could take no more and killed the cook.

The writer then noticed the similarities between the two stories - he deduced that the sailor was the zebra; the cook was the hyena; Pi's mother was the orangutan; and Pi himself was the tiger, Richard Parker. Pi agreed and asked the writer which story did he prefer.

The writer pondered for a while and replied that he liked the story with the tiger in it. The writer later also read the report submitted by the Japanese insurance agents - they also preferred the story with the tiger in it.