Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The two capitals that share a country's name

Benin's official capital is Porto-Novo, a port city on the country's southern coast. But the seat of government sits in Cotonou, the country's largest city, where most ministries and the president's office are based. That split between an official capital and a working one is more common than many people realise, and it regularly trips up quiz players.

A mountain range that shaped a nation

Nepal is home to eight of the world's ten highest peaks, including Everest, and tourism tied to trekking and climbing is a major part of its economy. The Himalayas were formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a process that is still pushing the mountains upward by a few millimetres each year. That slow growth is why Everest's official height has been revised more than once.

Why gold and silver sit apart from zinc

In chemistry, metals like platinum, silver and gold are called noble metals because they resist corrosion and oxidation. Zinc is not one of them: it reacts readily with acids and tarnishes in air, which is exactly why it is used as a sacrificial coating to protect steel from rust. The distinction is practical as well as theoretical, and it matters in everything from jewellery to shipbuilding.

A name left over from the spice trade

Before it became Jakarta, Indonesia's capital was known as Batavia, a name given by Dutch colonisers in the 17th century. The city served as the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company and grew into a major trading hub for spices, coffee and sugar. The name Batavia lingered in some contexts long after Indonesian independence in 1945.

What the Manhattan tells us about cocktail history

The Manhattan is traditionally built on whiskey, usually rye, combined with sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters. Its exact origins are disputed, but it is widely linked to New York City in the late 19th century. What makes it useful for trivia is the contrast with drinks like the martini or the daiquiri, which are built on entirely different spirits.