The High and the Mighty Trivia Quiz

Answer: Burj Khalifa

Blech! This tower's an eyesore- just look at that thing! It takes up 828m of space that would be better left empty. Built over the span of six years, it's been an indicator of the prosperous country of the United Arab Emirates since its groundbreaking. Of course, halfway through the building, the world hit an economic recession and the city was forced to request millions from neighbouring cities just to finish the thing. See! It's just as much a problem for them as it is for us! The other structures listed are all in Dubai. Burj Al Arab is a world-famous, six-star hotel, Rose Tower finished construction in 2009 becoming the world's tallest hotel, and Wild Wadi is a water park containing the super-tall Jumeirah Sceirah water slide.

Answer: CN Tower

Sigh...after this thing finished an extensive three-year construction in 1976 (we could've had SO many other, smaller buildings in three years) it was the world's tallest structure until Dubai's Burj Khalifa surpassed it. One of the most famous and, arguably, important towers in Canada, it looks over all of Toronto from its spot near the shore of Lake Ontario. From its top deck (the SkyPod), people can see the mists of Niagara on a clear day. Three elevators ascend and descend the tower on any given day (enough to make your ears pop out of control if you're an attendant) and they are located on the outer sides of the structure.

The top also contains a glass floor (vertigo!) and a rotating restaurant (dizziness!) and one of the highest bars in the world (inebriation!). Seems like a problem.

Answer: Taipei 101

Although all four buildings are found in Taipei, Taipei 101 has the dubious honour of being more 'uppity' than the rest, reaching a total height of 509m and poking the clouds above us (and bragging, I'm sure). Opening in 2004, it was the world's tallest actual skyscraper until the Burj Khalifa topped off five years later. Nevertheless it's an important building in Taiwan, so much so that it's a major site of business and commerce in a relatively powerful Asian nation known for its industry and strong business ethic.

After its completion, it also took the record of being the World's Tallest Sundial. As if it needs more honours to its name; it can't be happy until it has them all. Sigh.

Answer: Petronas Twin Towers

The tallest connected twin towers in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers are in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and have been there (taking up double the necessary space) since the late 1990s. Sure, the building is one of Malaysia's most famous symbols, but was it really so good they needed two? Jeeze.
Both towers reach a height of nearly 452m and the Skybridge connecting them is found on the 41st and 42nd floor (it's two stories). It's the highest double-decker bridge in the world
The World Trade Center Towers both stood in New York City before the September 11th attacks, the Highlight Towers are in Munich, and Plaza 66 is in Shanghai.

Answer: Empire State Building

One of the tallest American buildings, the Empire State Building was actually the tallest skyscraper in the world for forty years (and it was beaten by the World Trade Centers). Completed in 1931, the building is a classic image associated with New York, the Empire State, and has been seen in photos, movies, and TV shows for decades. But come on.

In 1945, a plane crashed into it. Don't people realize that these high towers are taking up airspace? Although the Empire State Building is one of the most well-known tourist spots in the city and one of the most-visited towers in the world, isn't there something to be said about its height being a bit much? Even the aliens in "Independence Day" went straight for it.

Answer: The Stratosphere

If you don't like heights (and you shouldn't considering the overall tone and message of this quiz), then the Stratosphere is not a guilty pleasure. Reaching a height of 350m, it's not only a casino, but a thrill park as well. Heading to the top observation decks you can board one of several vertigo-inspiring, nausea-inducing rides with names that scream "get-off-the-ride-now" including 'Insanity' and 'X-Scream', both of which are some of the highest amusement rides in the world ('Insanity' actually spins people in circles over the edge of the building).

The Stratosphere is the tallest building in Las Vegas and it opened in 1996. Due to the local airport, the building was required to stay under a certain height, otherwise, according to initial drafts, it would've been much, much taller. See- some people learn.

Answer: Shanghai World Financial Center

While all of the listed buildings are in the upper echelons of super-tall structures, the Shanghai World Financial Center is the tallest of them. Finished in 2008, it tops off at 492m and contains many of Shanghai's important commerce firms. For those of you who thought the picture was a bottle opener, I still persist that it was the original idea. Why we needed a 492m bottle opener is beyond me. Maybe Shanghai is also planning the world's largest Coca-Cola bottle.
Proclaimed by many engineers, architects, and planners as an exemplar of amazing workmanship and design, it was temporarily the world's second-highest skyscraper.
All of the other answers are the tallest in their respective Chinese cities with Guangzhou West Tower being the most recent (finished in 2010).

Answer: The Grand Lisboa

While most of the world's tallest hotels (including the Rose Rayhaan by Rotana and the Burj Al Arab) are found in Dubai, UAE, Macau boasts the Grand Lisboa, a rather unique building falling just under the top hundred highest buildings listing. The structure brings in a lot of tourists for the tiny Chinese-associated region of Macau, most of whom visit the building for its pristine amenities and gambling. The Grand Lisboa actually paved the way for what many call "the Vegas of the East".
It seems that what Macau makes up for in size, it makes up for in height. Sigh...

Answer: Ryugyong Hotel

The Ryugyong Hotel is in Pyongyang, North Korea. The tallest in the country, the people building it originally started the project in 1987. Perhaps they realized that we didn't need another obstructing structure in our midst, you say? Well, no. They continued to make the building well into the twenty-first century, topping it off in 2010 at 330m. For over a decade and a half, no work was done on this building, but its outer construction was finished in 2011. The other three buildings listed are all found in South Korea.

The Northeast Asia Trade Tower in Seoul was actually one of the most expensive skyscrapers ever made.

Answer: Willis Tower

Willis Tower was originally known as Sears Tower upon its completion in 1973 and it held the title of 'tallest skyscraper' for twenty-five years. Originally built for Sears Roebuck, it was vacated by said corporation in the 1990s and occupied by other financial and commercial businesses; it has also been used to mount television antennas.

The name changed in 2009 to Willis Tower after a banking firm taking up a large portion of the building. This Chicago landmark stretches 527m to the top of its tallest spire though anyone standing in the city will see that 442m of its black facade is blocking out their view of the sky. All of the other buildings listed are found in Chicago as well. Both Willis Tower and Trump International Hotel and Tower are taller than the vast majority of buildings in New York City.