Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A country of four voices

Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. German is the most widely spoken, while Romansh, a descendant of Latin, is used by a small minority, mainly in the canton of Graubünden. This multilingual reality shapes Swiss politics and education, with many citizens moving between languages in daily life.

The race to transmit the human voice

Alexander Graham Bell is credited with inventing the telephone, but he was not working in isolation. His famous patent of 1876 was followed by years of legal battles, most notably with Elisha Gray, who had filed a similar claim on the same day. Bell's background in teaching the deaf deeply influenced his interest in sound and speech.

The Red Planet and its name

Mars takes its name from the Roman god of war, a nod to its blood-red appearance in the night sky. That colour comes from iron oxide, essentially rust, covering much of its surface. The planet has long fascinated astronomers and, more recently, engineers, who have sent rovers to explore its dusty terrain.

Roman numerals that still surround us

LXX is the Roman numeral for 70. The system uses seven letters: I, V, X, L, C, D and M. While we no longer do arithmetic with them, Roman numerals survive on clock faces, in book chapter headings, on film credits and in the names of major sporting events.