Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

Why neon signs glow in more than one colour

Neon is a noble gas, which means it is chemically inert and rarely bonds with other elements. When an electric current passes through a sealed tube of neon, the gas emits a distinctive reddish-orange light. Other colours in so-called neon signs usually come from different gases or from phosphor coatings inside the tubing, which is why the phrase covers far more than neon itself.

Haydn, the composer who practically built the symphony

Joseph Haydn spent much of his career in the service of the Esterhazy family, an aristocratic Hungarian house that gave him steady work and, importantly, his own orchestra to experiment with. That freedom helped him shape the symphony and the string quartet into the forms later composers inherited. He was also a friend and mentor to Mozart and taught Beethoven for a time, making him a genuine bridge between musical eras.

Rijeka and the Adriatic

Rijeka sits on the Adriatic Sea, the arm of the Mediterranean that separates the Italian peninsula from the Balkan region. The city has changed hands several times over the past century, passing between Austria-Hungary, Italy, Yugoslavia and finally Croatia, which is why it carries strong Italian and Central European influences alongside its Croatian identity. Its name literally means "river" in Croatian.

The Rialto Bridge and the floating city

The Rialto Bridge is one of the oldest and most recognisable crossings of Venice's Grand Canal. A wooden bridge stood on the site for centuries before the present stone version was completed in the late 16th century, designed by Antonio da Ponte. Its single arch and rows of shops made it a commercial hub, and it remains one of the few bridges in Venice that pedestrians can walk across without steps.

Why the Gulf of St. Lawrence counts as an estuary

An estuary forms where a river meets the sea, mixing fresh and salt water. The Gulf of St. Lawrence, fed by the St. Lawrence River, is often described as the largest estuary in the world because of its vast size and the way ocean tides push salt water far inland. It borders several Canadian provinces, including Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.