Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The last German-speaking principality

Liechtenstein is one of only two landlocked double-landlocked countries in the world, meaning every country bordering it is itself landlocked - the other is Uzbekistan. It is a principality, not a kingdom or a republic, and the reigning prince still holds substantial political power. With roughly 160 square kilometres, it is one of the smallest countries in Europe, yet it has a thriving financial sector and a surprisingly industrial economy.

Macondo and the boom that changed reading

Gabriel García Márquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" follows the Buendía family through the fictional town of Macondo across seven generations. Published in 1967, it became the defining novel of magical realism and helped launch the Latin American boom, alongside writers such as Mario Vargas Llosa and Julio Cortázar. The book has sold tens of millions of copies and has been translated into dozens of languages.

A cheese with protected status

Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made from sheep's milk, or a mix of sheep's and goat's milk, and it has been produced in Greece for centuries. In 2002, the European Union granted feta Protected Designation of Origin status, meaning only cheese made in specific regions of Greece may legally be sold as feta within the EU. Similar white brined cheeses exist across the Balkans, but they go by other names.

Seven continents, many conventions

The count of seven continents - Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Australia and South America - is the most common convention in English-speaking education. It is not the only one: some countries teach six continents by merging Europe and Asia into Eurasia, and others merge the Americas. The number is therefore a matter of convention rather than pure geography.

Why lead is Pb

The chemical symbol Pb for lead comes from the Latin word plumbum, which also gives us "plumbing" - Romans used lead pipes in their water systems. Lead is a dense, soft metal that has been used since antiquity in coins, paint and pipes, though its toxicity is now well understood. Its symbol is a reminder that many element abbreviations trace back to Latin or older names rather than English.