Question 1: Which language has the most native speakers worldwide?
Question 2: If someone claims they have spotted the Loch Ness Monster, in which country are they likely to be?
The Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, is a legendary creature said to inhabit Loch Ness, a large freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands. Reports of sightings have been surfacing since the 1930s.
Question 3: The slow loris is native to which region?
Slow lorises are a group of several species of primates which reside in Southeast Asia. They're the only venomous primates in the world.
Question 4: Which car company first introduced seat belts as a standard feature?
Volvo was the first car company to introduce seat belts as a standard feature in 1959. The three-point seatbelt design we use today was also introduced by Volvo and is estimated to have saved over one million lives worldwide.
Question 5: In which religion is the Bhagavad Gita a central text?
The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. It is a conversation between prince Arjuna and the god Krishna, who serves as his charioteer.
Question 6: What is the largest e-commerce company in the world?
While Amazon is very well-known worldwide, Alibaba, a Chinese company, actually takes the title for the largest e-commerce company. Alibaba's online transactions totaled about 1 trillion yuan ($157 billion) more than Amazon's in 2019.
Question 7: Which ancient civilization is known for creating an early form of paper called Papyrus?
Created by the ancient Egyptians around 3000 B.C., Papyrus was a major development in recording history and played a key role in developing their civilization.
Question 8: If a pharaoh ruled ancient Egypt, who ruled ancient Babylon?
Ancient Babylon, part of Mesopotamia, was ruled by kings. Notable kings include Hammurabi, who introduced the Hammurabi's Code, one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world.
Question 9: What is the largest species of tree in the world?
Giant Sequoias, native to California, can reach up to 279 feet in height and have a diameter of up to 30 feet. They are considered the largest trees in the world by volume.
Question 10: Why is the year 1971 significant in relation to U.S. currency?
In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced that the U.S. was officially abandoning the gold standard. Prior to this, the U.S. dollar was directly tied to gold, but after 1971, the value of the U.S. dollar became a matter of faith in the U.S. government.
Mandarin Chinese, with over a billion native speakers, holds the top position for the language with the most native speakers worldwide. This is largely due to the huge population of mainland China where Mandarin is predominantly spoken.