Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A symbol that comes from the stars

Gold's chemical symbol, Au, has nothing to do with the English word. It comes from the Latin aurum, meaning "shining dawn". The same root survives in "aurora", the dawn light, and in the element's older name among alchemists, who associated gold with the sun. Silver, Ag, follows the same pattern: its symbol comes from the Latin argentum.

The playwright who shaped everyday English

William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet early in his career, and it became one of the most performed plays in the world. What is less obvious is how much of our ordinary language comes from his work. Phrases such as "wild goose chase", "break the ice" and "heart of gold" either first appeared in his plays or were popularised by them.

A continent of twelve countries

South America has twelve sovereign states, from Colombia in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south, plus French Guiana, which is not a country but an overseas department of France. Brazil alone covers roughly half the continent's land area and shares a border with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.

Ahab and the whale that outlived him

Herman Melville's Moby-Dick follows Captain Ahab's obsessive hunt for the white whale that took his leg. The novel was published in 1851 and sold poorly during Melville's lifetime; he died largely forgotten as a writer. Its reputation grew only in the twentieth century, and it is now treated as one of the central works of American literature.

Peking duck and the art of the roast

Peking roast duck is one of China's best known dishes, with a preparation tradition that goes back centuries in Beijing. The classic version is prized for its thin, crisp skin, which is achieved by air-drying the duck and roasting it over an open fire. It is typically served with thin pancakes, spring onions and sweet bean sauce.