Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A country where faith shapes daily life

Nepal is the only country in the world where Hinduism is the official state religion, and roughly eight in ten Nepalis identify as Hindu. The country is also home to sacred sites such as Pashupatinath in Kathmandu and Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, which draws Buddhist pilgrims from across Asia. This mix makes Nepal a striking example of how religion and national identity can intertwine.

Two novels that defined American adolescence and injustice

J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" follows teenager Holden Caulfield through a few restless days in New York, and its frank voice made it a touchstone for generations of young readers. Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" takes a very different route, exploring racial injustice in a small Alabama town through the eyes of a child. Both books remain staples of school reading lists, though for very different reasons.

The river that divides and connects three nations

The Paraguay River rises in Brazil and flows south through Paraguay before joining the Parana River at the border with Argentina. It splits Paraguay into two distinct regions: the more populated east and the sparsely settled Chaco to the west. For landlocked Paraguay, the river is also a vital commercial artery, carrying goods toward the Atlantic.

Why your cat sleeps through most of the day

Domestic cats sleep somewhere between 12 and 16 hours a day on average, though some individuals doze even longer. This habit is inherited from their wild ancestors, who conserved energy between short bursts of hunting. Kittens and older cats tend to sleep the most, and a cat's idea of a nap often looks suspiciously like a full working day.

Tchaikovsky and the art of the fairy-tale ballet

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed "The Sleeping Beauty", which premiered in St Petersburg in 1890. It followed his earlier "Swan Lake" and was later joined by "The Nutcracker", forming a trio of ballets that still anchor repertoire worldwide. Tchaikovsky's scores gave ballet music a symphonic weight it had rarely carried before.