Interactive quiz: 20 questions on France
What is a spéculoos? In which year was the last public execution in France carried out? How many answers can you get right?
1. Which late 19th-Century French artist is particularly associated with paintings of ballerinas?
A. Camille Pissarro, B. Edgar Degas, C. Edouard Manet
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B. Edgar Degas
2. Where can you visit Les Arènes de Lutèce?
A. Lyon, B. Marseille, C. Paris
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C. Paris. In the 5th arrondissement, in the Latin Quarter. Now a public park, it is one of the most significant ancient Roman remains in the city, dating from the 1st century AD, when Paris was known as Lutetia.
3. Which French king inaugurated the Pont Neuf in Paris in 1607?
A. Henri IV, B. Louis XIV, C. François I
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A. Henri IV. Construction began during the reign of Henri III in 1578, but the bridge was completed and inaugurated under Henri IV in 1607.
4. What was the name of Napoleon’s most famous war horse?
A Babieca, B Marengo, C Rocinante
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B. Marengo. It was named after the Battle of Marengo in 1800.
5. What is a spéculoos?
A. A medical instrument used in gynaecology, B. A biscuit baked with cinnamon and other spices, C. A board game which teaches children how to deal with money
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B. A biscuit baked with cinnamon and other spices. Speculoos is a spiced biscuit flavoured primarily with cinnamon, along with spices such as nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and pepper.
6. What is the name (in French) of the children’s tale in which the ogre says to his wife: “Je sens la chair fraîche” (“I smell fresh flesh”)?
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Le Petit Poucet by Charles Perrault (1697). It has various names in English, including Little Thumb (not to be confused with Tom Thumb)
7. What colour T-shirt is worn by the winner of the Tour de France?
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Yellow – le maillot jaune
8. What is Eugène Poubelle’s claim to fame?
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Eugène Poubelle gave his name to the French word for a rubbish bin. As prefect of the Seine department, he ordered the use of closed containers for household waste in Paris in 1884.
9. The shepherds of the Landes region used to walk in a particular way. What was it?
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They walked on stilts. Shepherds crossed the marshy terrain of the Landes on stilts, running, hopping and even bending down to pick flowers while maintaining their balance. The tradition survives today in folk performances.
10. If a student tells you he or she is doing a BTS, what qualification can they hope to obtain?
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The Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS). Roughly equivalent to a Higher National Diploma (HND) in the UK, it is a two-year vocational qualification undertaken after secondary education.
11. In which year was the last public execution in France carried out?
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1939. On June 17, Eugène Weidmann, a German serial killer, was publicly guillotined outside Saint-Pierre Prison in Versailles. The behaviour of spectators prompted the end of public executions in France.
12. What are “les juilletistes” and “les aoûtiens”?
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People who take their holidays in July and August respectively.
13. Who was posthumously promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 2025, and why?
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Alfred Dreyfus. Wrongly convicted of treason in 1894 in a notorious miscarriage of justice fuelled by anti-Semitism, he was posthumously promoted to brigadier general in recognition of the rank he would likely have attained had his military career not been interrupted by the Dreyfus Affair.
14. Who were Adrienne Bolland, Hélène Boucher and Raymonde de la Roche?
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Pioneering French aviators. They helped shape the early history of aviation in the early 20th Century by breaking gender barriers and advancing flying techniques and technology.
15. Which French king reigned the longest?
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Louis XIV. He reigned for 72 years (1643–1715) and died four days before his 77th birthday.
16. What is the special function of a plane called a Canadair?
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It is a water-bomber used to fight forest fires.
17. What was the military rank of Philippe Pétain when he became Head of State of “Vichy France” on July 10, 1940?
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Marshal of France (Maréchal de France). The highest military distinction in the French Army.
18. In 2025, Paris Saint-Germain won the Coupe de France. Which team did it beat?
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Stade de Reims. Paris Saint-Germain won 3–0, securing a record-extending 16th Coupe de France title.
19. In French cinema, what is the equivalent of an Oscar?
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The César Award (Les César). Created in 1976, it is France’s equivalent of the Oscar.
20. For what achievement is the French scholar Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832), a native of Figeac in the Lot, remembered?
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Deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. Champollion achieved this breakthrough largely thanks to the Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, which contained the same text written in Greek, Demotic and hieroglyphs.
