FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Rainforest Potpourri Trivia Quiz

Rainforests are among the most publicized endangered environments, but this isn't about that--it's just a few apolitical questions about this interesting feature of our planet.

A multiple-choice quiz by austinnene. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
austinnene

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
276,253

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
2497

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Where is the northernmost rainforest in the world? Hint

China

Alaska

Northern Africa

Indonesia

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In one common classification system, there are four "layers" comprising tropical rainforests. Which of these is home to the greatest number of species (including plants, insects and animals)? Hint

Understory layer

Canopy layer

Floor layer

Emergent layer

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Which US National Forest is a rainforest? Hint

Columbia River National Forest

Choctawhatchee National Forest

Deschutes National Forest

Tongass National Forest

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Rainforests contain a high number of plants that contain substances classified as "alkaloids". What are they? Hint

Plants that contain nitrogenous substances that are useful in making medicines

Plants that could be developed into commercial food crops in the rainforest climate

Plants with exotic and showy flowers, orchids and epiphytes for example

Plants that hold water and help to maintain the high humidity needed for the rainforest to flourish

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Of all the rainforest regions in the world, which are thought to have been in existence the longest? Hint

The North American rainforests

The Southeast Asian rainforests

The South American rainforests

The African rainforests

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Which rainforest is the most diverse in terms of climate? Hint

The African rainforest in Cameroon

The Amazon rainforest in South America

The Australian rainforest in Queensland

The Asian rainforest in Indonesia

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Which of the world's rainforests covers the most area? Hint

Asian

Australian

Amazon

African

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. What conditions are the determinants of whether an area is classified as a rainforest or not? Hint

Annual rainfall amounts only

Annual rainfall amounts and average temperature.

Average daily humidity and soil water retention figures

Average temperature, annual rainfall, and average humidity all factor in.

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Of the following, which does NOT grow in a tropical rainforest? Hint

cinnamon

lemons

yams

apples

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. It's easy to forget that rainforests are home to people, not just plants and animals. What tribe lives in rainforests of South America? Hint

the Inuits

the Pygmies

the Yanomami

the Huli

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Where is the northernmost rainforest in the world?

Answer: Alaska

There are actually rainforests in Alaska and Canada! They aren't tropical forests, which is what most of us envision when we hear the term. They are temperate rainforests, and they occur in mild climates that receive lots of rain. About half of them are in North America, on the west coasts of the USA and Canada.

2. In one common classification system, there are four "layers" comprising tropical rainforests. Which of these is home to the greatest number of species (including plants, insects and animals)?

Answer: Understory layer

The emergent layer is comprised of the tallest trees and must be able to withstand heat, lots of sunshine, and dryness. Below that is the canopy layer, supporting many species of plants and animals. The understory is next, said to be home to up to 40% of the combined plant and animal species on earth. All of these layers are arboreal, meaning the species they support live in trees, above ground level.

The ground level layer is called the floor.

3. Which US National Forest is a rainforest?

Answer: Tongass National Forest

The Tongass National Forest in Alaska is a rainforest on two islands. The National Forest was established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1907 and claims to be the largest intact (i.e., not tampered with by man) temperate rainforest in the world. It is part of a rainforest environment that runs down the western coast of North America from Alaska to Oregon. Temperate rainforests cover just 0.2 percent of the Earth at this writing in 2007.

They exist in only a few places: the coasts of New Zealand, Tasmania, Patagonia and western North America.

4. Rainforests contain a high number of plants that contain substances classified as "alkaloids". What are they?

Answer: Plants that contain nitrogenous substances that are useful in making medicines

Biochemists believe alkaloids help protect plants from disease and insects. Many alkaloids have medicinal value to humankind.

5. Of all the rainforest regions in the world, which are thought to have been in existence the longest?

Answer: The Southeast Asian rainforests

The Southeast Asian rainforests have been continuously in existence for the longest span of time. They date to to the Pleistocene Epoch, about 70 million years ago. It is thought they owe their longevity to the fact that they straddle the equator and are continguous to more water than rainforests on larger land masses.

6. Which rainforest is the most diverse in terms of climate?

Answer: The Australian rainforest in Queensland

Climatic types of rainforest found in Queensland:

Tropical
Subtropical
Dry
Warm temperate
Cool temperate

7. Which of the world's rainforests covers the most area?

Answer: Amazon

In 2007 the Amazon Rainforest covers over a billion acres, occupying portions of Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia. If it were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world. No other rainforest area comes close to the Amazon's size.

8. What conditions are the determinants of whether an area is classified as a rainforest or not?

Answer: Annual rainfall amounts only

There are a couple of different standards out there for how much rain needs to fall in an area for it to be a rainforest. Some say 75 inches is enough, others say 100.

There are actually at least two places on earth that get over 500 inches of rain annually--one in Bangladesh, the other in Hawaii. So what's a mere 100 inches?(For comparison, London gets 23 inches annually, New York City 43, Beijing 20, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, 54).

9. Of the following, which does NOT grow in a tropical rainforest?

Answer: apples

Rainforest foods include a number of things you might not expect: avocados, figs, tomatoes and citrus fruits; vegetables including corn, potatoes, rice, and winter squash; spices like black pepper, cayenne, chocolate, cloves, ginger, sugar cane, tumeric, vanilla; and nuts, including cashews and Brazil nuts.

10. It's easy to forget that rainforests are home to people, not just plants and animals. What tribe lives in rainforests of South America?

Answer: the Yanomami

The Pygmies and Huli peoples live in rainforests, but not in South America. Pygmies live in African rainforest areas, Huli in Papua New Guinea. Inuits live in Northern Canada, not in a rainforest environment.

Source: Author austinnene

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.