Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A painting that shocked Paris

Édouard Manet's "The Luncheon on the Grass" caused a scandal when it was shown in Paris in 1863, partly because it placed a nude woman in a modern picnic scene alongside clothed men, rather than in a classical setting. Rejected by the official Salon, it was displayed instead in the Salon des Refusés, the exhibition arranged for works the establishment had turned down. Manet's loose brushwork and unapologetic subject matter made him a central figure in the shift from realism toward impressionism.

Athens with a Scottish accent

Edinburgh earned the nickname "Athens of the North" largely because of its neoclassical architecture and its reputation as a centre of learning during the Scottish Enlightenment. The city's skyline, with Calton Hill's unfinished monument and the Royal High School, deliberately echoed Greek classical models. Figures such as the philosopher David Hume and the economist Adam Smith gave the comparison intellectual weight as well as architectural justification.

The muscle that keeps you upright

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body and one of the strongest. It is central to standing, walking, running and climbing stairs, which is why it is so well developed in humans compared with other primates. Its size and power are closely tied to our upright posture and bipedal gait.

Two islands, two exiles

After his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was sent to Saint Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic, where he died in 1821. Earlier, after his first abdication in 1814, he had been exiled to Elba, much closer to the European mainland, from which he famously escaped. The choice of Saint Helena reflected a determination to place him far beyond any realistic chance of return.

Baku, a capital below sea level

Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, sits on the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian Sea and is the lowest-lying national capital in the world, roughly 28 metres below sea level. It has long been associated with oil, with petroleum seeping to the surface naturally and commercial extraction dating back to the nineteenth century. The city's old walled core, known as Icherisheher, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.