Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. As most people believe, the Olympics are one of the oldest organised games in the world, but they are far from the oldest. The first recorded organised games were held in Ireland much earlier than the first Olympics, but when were they held, and what were the called?
2. In the Greece of 700 B.C, the Greek people would measure time in Olympiads, which were intervals of four years. This is why the Olympics were held every four years. Of course, the Olympics were not the only set of games played in Greece at this time. Which of the following was not one of the other three games that were played?
3. In the days of the first Olympics in Greece, homosexuality was a widely accepted lifestyle choice. At one point, it even became fashionable and chic, and so the Olympics were sometimes used as a way for men to meet each other. Only males were allowed to be in the audience at the Olympic games, but there was always one woman present at the games; the priestess of Demeter.
4. All of the people that participated in the Games were male, as the Greeks were in fact rather uptight as far as women and their participation went. This meant that the majority of the games were played in the buff, but which of these words has a root that comes from the naked nature of the first Olympics?
5. Many philosophers in Ancient Greece spent a lot of time thinking about sport and its connotations. Which of the following lines can be attributed to the great Greek philosopher, Plato?
6. As the Irish have shown, the Greeks weren't the first people to use sport as a method of recreation. How is it known that the Ancient Egyptians and Assyrians also participated in modern day Olympic sports, as far back as 4000 B.C?
7. Although archery has always been an Olympic event, the Japanese samurai had their own variations, such as mounted archery, which came about as early as the sixth century. What was the penalty for missing the target in these games of mounted archery?
8. When it comes down to the modern Olympic sports, one of the most competitive events is gymnastics. Gymnastics is a sport that was played in the original Olympic games, but diving is a much newer sport. In fact, it came from 'fancy diving', which was first carried out in Germany and Sweden. People who were a part of the gymnastic clubs that had formed there first began 'fancy diving' in the early 1800s.
9. In 1766, the site of the original Olympic games was rediscovered in Olympia, Greece, and exactly 130 years later, one man took it upon himself to revive the Olympic games. This man was Baron de Coubertin, a French man (but an infamous Anglophile) who wanted to reinstate the great games as a testament to masculinity. He was also extremely purist in his views, and wanted all professionals to be banned from the games. Which of these descriptions best fits de Coubertin's attitude of the games?
10. Many games, played in the Olympics and in many other sporting tournaments, have basis in real life. Javelin throwing, for example, is as the throwing of a spear. Pole vaulting, the leaping of a stream by using a big stick. One such sport is the 'harrijasotzaileak', a sporting event played in the Basque regions of Spain and France. What does this sporting event actually involve?
11. Hammer throwing is a sport that dates back almost a thousand years, to the 11th century. In fact, it was one of the sports that was played in the early Scottish games that was also in the first few Olympics. Which of these other sports were played in the first Scottish games, as well as the early modern Olympic games, but is not played in today's Olympics?
12. Although the Olympic Games have many of this type of sport today, no games of this kind were played in Ancient Greece. They were not held in high regard by the Greeks, and even though the Romans set aside specific areas for these kind of games, they were not spectator sports. They would be played on the street, while chariot racing was held in large arenas. What kind of games/sports am I talking about?
13. In the early 1900s, there was lawn tennis. This extremely popular modern sport was in fact only a game to play in one's own back garden before Suzanne Langlen brought it into the fore. With her interesting gait, incredibly graceful movements, and astoundingly short skirts, she shocked and amazed the spectators at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. What nationality was this famous player?
14. In 1976, a young Romanian by the name of Nadia Comaneci arrived at the Montreal Olympics. What was so special about this young gymnast and her achievement at the 1976 Olympics?
15. The last major Olympic upset of the 20th century was the boycotting of the Moscow Olympics by the USA, because Russia entered Afghanistan (something which the USA also did 20 years later). 60 countries followed the USA in the boycott, but the United Kingdom and many other European countries chose to enter. Which other city did Moscow beat to hold the 1980 Olympic Games?
Source: Author
Flynn_17
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