How well do you know France Quiz

What is the name of France’s highest mountain? Who was the President of the French Republic between 1995 and 2007? In which architectural style was Notre-Dame de Paris built? These are some of the questions you will be challenged with! Let’s see how well you know France and as we say in French: “Bonne chance !”

Level of difficulty: medium

Number of questions: 20

How well do you know France?

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Question 1

Which city is nicknamed the "Ville-Lumière", the City of Lights?

Ville lumière © French Moments

A	Lyon Hint: la capitale de la gastronomie française !
B	Marseille Hint: la cité phocéenne.
C	Paris Hint: la capitale française.
D	Reims Hint: le site du sacre des rois de France.

Question 1 Explanation:

This nickname was given to Paris as it was the leading city in Europe during the Age of Enlightenment (end of 17th to end of 18th centuries).

Question 2

What is the name of France's highest mountain?

A	Le Grand Ballon Hint: located in the Vosges mountains.
B	La Barre des Écrins Hint: located in the Écrins National Park.
C	Le Mont-Blanc Hint: located in Haute-Savoie near Chamonix.
D	Le Pic du Midi d'Ossau Hint: located in the Pyrenees.

Question 2 Explanation:

Mont-Blanc is 4,810 m high and is the highest mountain in the European Union.

Question 3

Where was this picture taken?

A	Beynac Hint: A beautiful village located in Périgord Noir.
B	Honfleur Hint: A little harbour town in Normandy.
C	Riquewihr Hint: A beautiful village along the Alsace Wine Route.
D	Yvoire Hint: A beautiful village on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Question 3 Explanation:

Riquewihr is listed as one of France's most beautiful villages and attracts throngs of visitors each year.

Question 4

In which region is Mont-Saint-Michel located?

A	Bretagne Hint: Brittany (West)
B	Normandie Hint: Normandy (North-West)
C	Picardie Hint: Picardie (North)
D	Provence Hint: (South-East)

Question 4 Explanation:

Mont-Saint-Michel is located in Normandy but right near the border with Brittany.

Question 5

Which castle listed below is a Renaissance château found in the Loire Valley?

A	Castelnaud-la-Chapelle Hint: The most visited castle in the South of France.
B	Chambord Hint: A chateau located in the Sologne near Blois.
C	Haut-Kœnigsbourg Hint: Sit atop a 750m high hill above Sélestat near Colmar.
D	Pierrefonds Hint: Restored by Viollet-le-Duc at the edge of the forest of Compiègne.

Question 5 Explanation:

Chambord was built by King François 1er in the Sologne area East of Blois.

Question 6

Who was the President of the French Republic between 1995 and 2007?

A	Jacques Chirac Hint: This President saw the introduction of the euro currency.
B	François Mitterand Hint: This President saw the fall of the Berlin Wall.
C	Nicolas Sarkozy Hint: This President met newly elected Barack Obama in Strasbourg.
D	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Hint: He was elected following the death of former President Georges Pompidou.

Question 6 Explanation:

Jacques Chirac was elected President in 1995 and re-elected in 2002. A French President is elected by the people of France for a period of 5 years. The length of the term was reduced from 7 to 5 years under the office of Jacques Chirac.

Question 7

What is the approximate population of France in 2013?

A	50,400,000
B	60,100,000
C	65,800,000
D	75,600,000

Question 7 Explanation:

The population of France is estimated to 65,800,000 in 2013 including the overseas département (but excluding the overseas territories).

Question 8

From its shape, France is often referred to in French as:

A	le Carré
B	l'Hexagone
C	l'Octogone
D	le Pentagone

Question 8 Explanation:

France is the largest country in western Europe and is often called l'Hexagone by the French because of its six sided shape.

Question 9

Which region is the second leading tourist destination in France, after the Paris region?

A	Alsace Hint: Located in the North-East with popular sites: Strasbourg, Colmar, the Alsace Wine Route, the Vosges...
B	Languedoc-Roussillon Hint: Located in the South with popular sites: Canal du Midi, Carcassonne, Montpellier, the Cathar castles, the Eastern Pyrenees.
C	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Hint: Located in the South-East with popular sites: Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, the Luberon, the French Riviera, the Verdon Canyon.
D	Rhône-Alpes Hint: Located around Lyon and the French Alps with popular sites: winter resorts of Chamonix, Val d'Isère, and Courchevel, Annecy and its lake, the Vanoise and Écrins National Parks.

Question 9 Explanation:

It is estimated that Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur welcomes over 10 millions tourists a year.

Question 10

Which French company operates the railway network of France?

A	Réseau Express Régional (RER)
B	Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF)
C	Trains à Grande Vitesse (TGV)
D	Trains de France (TdF)

Question 10 Explanation:

The SNCF ("National Company of French railways") is France's national state-owned railway company. It was formed in 1938 with the nationalisation of France's five main railway companies.

Question 11

What is the name of these briochy little cakes?

A	Calissons Hint: Originally from Aix-en-Provence
B	Canelés Hint: Originally from Bordeaux
C	Madeleines Hint: Originally from Commercy
D	Religieuses Hint: Made of choux pastry cases filled with crème pâtissière

Question 11 Explanation:

These delicious little briochy cakes have been traditionally produced in the Lorraine town of Commercy since the 18th century.

Question 12

What is the name of this French cheese:

A	Brie Hint: A cow's milk cheese produced in the Brie region, East of Paris.
B	Camembert Hint: A cow's milk cheese produced in the Pays d'Auge in Normandy.
C	Comté Hint: A cow's milk cheese produced in the Franche-Comté.
D	Roquefort Hint: A blue-vein cheese made from raw full-cream ewe’s milk in the Grandes Causses (Aveyron).

Question 12 Explanation:

Camembert is a raw cow’s milk cheese with a soft pâte and a white mouldy rind which may have red stains. The fat content is at least 45%. This is the most famous cheese of Normandy.

Question 13

What is the "Tour de France"?

A	a road bicycle race
B	a sports car endurance race
C	the name of the national football team
D	a cake dedicated to France

Question 13 Explanation:

The "Tour de France" takes place every year around France and is the most famous road bicycle race in the world.

Question 14

Which city does the River Garonne flow through?

A	Bordeaux Hint: a town in Aquitaine
B	Lyon Hint: a town in Rhône-Alpes
C	Orléans Hint: a town in the Centre region.
D	Strasbourg Hint: a town in Alsace

Question 14 Explanation:

The Garonne is a river in southwest France with a length of 602 km that crosses the cities of Toulouse and Bordeaux. It joins the Atlantic Ocean in the Gironde.

Question 15

In which architectural style was Notre-Dame de Paris built?

paris-copyright-french-moments-notre-dame-1

A	Baroque Hint: c.1590-c.1725
B	Gothic Hint: c.1150-c1500
C	Renaissance Hint: c.1494-c1610
D	Romanesque Hint: From the late 10th to 12th centuries

Question 15 Explanation:

Construction on Notre-Dame commenced in 1163 during the Middle Ages and is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture.

Question 16

Which city has a bridge that has achieved worldwide fame thanks to a popular song from the 16th century?

A	Aix-en-Provence
B	Arles
C	Avignon
D	Nîmes

Question 16 Explanation:

The French song "Sur le Pont d’Avignon" (On the Bridge of Avignon) is dedicated to Pont St. Bénezet in Avignon.

Question 17

In which year was the Eiffel Tower completed?

paris-copyright-french-moments-eiffel-tower

A	1789
B	1889
C	1919
D	1989

Question 17 Explanation:

It took only two years, two months and five days to build the Eiffel Tower, which is a remarkably short period of time. The work started in 1887 and the tower was inaugurated in 1889.

Question 18

Which one of these places is listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco?

A	the old town of Colmar Hint: located in Alsace
B	the Hospices of Beaune Hint: located in Burgundy
C	the village of Gordes Hint: located in Provence
D	the Place Stanislas in Nancy Hint: located in Lorraine

Question 18 Explanation:

Place Stanislas has been listed by Unesco since 1983 alongside two other squares in Nancy: Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance.

Question 19

Where is emperor Napoleon Bonaparte buried?

A	Arc de Triomphe
B	Basilica of Saint-Denis
C	Hôtel des Invalides
D	Notre-Dame de Paris

Question 19 Explanation:

The monumental tomb of emperor Napoleon Bonaparte is located inside the Église du Dôme of Les Invalides.

Question 20

Which French region do crêpes come from?

crepes-07-copyright-french-moments

A	Bretagne Hint: Brittany
B	Bourgogne Hint: Burgundy
C	Normandie Hint: Normandy
D	Picardie Hint: Picardy

Question 20 Explanation:

The famous crêpes come from Brittany and are considered as a national dish. Not only popular in France, they also became famous throughout Europe, North America and even Australia.

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