Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

Twelve animals, and one that never made the cut

The Chinese zodiac assigns an animal to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The lizard, despite being a reptile like the dragon and the snake, has never been part of that lineup. Each animal is traditionally linked to certain personality traits, and the cycle plays a real role in how many people across East Asia think about ages, compatibility and even birth planning.

The tiny state inside a city

Vatican City is the smallest independent state in the world, both by area and by population, and it sits entirely within Rome. That makes it one of the few countries genuinely surrounded by a single city. It is governed as an absolute monarchy headed by the Pope, and its economy relies heavily on contributions from Catholic institutions worldwide, museum admissions and the sale of stamps and publications.

A melting clock and the pull of memory

Salvador Dalí painted "The Persistence of Memory" in 1931, and its drooping pocket watches became one of the most recognisable images in surrealism. Dalí claimed the idea came to him after watching a piece of Camembert cheese soften in the sun. The small, strange figure at the centre of the canvas is often read as a self-portrait, asleep and vulnerable.

Why Venice earned the nickname La Serenissima

Venice has long been called La Serenissima, meaning "the most serene", a title tied to the old Republic of Venice and its claims of stable, dignified rule. Behind the flattering name lay a formidable maritime empire built on trade routes across the Mediterranean. The nickname survives today mostly in tourism and civic pride, a reminder of the city's centuries as an independent power.

One small step, one giant date

Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on 20 July 1969, and Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on its surface, followed by Buzz Aldrin. Michael Collins stayed in lunar orbit aboard the command module, waiting for their return. The mission fulfilled a goal set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, and an estimated 600 million people watched the landing on television.