Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The man whose name became a byword for prophecy

Nostradamus was a 16th-century French physician and astrologer whose collection of cryptic verses, published as "Les Prophéties", made him famous across Europe. Because the quatrains are deliberately vague and full of symbolic imagery, readers have claimed they foreshadow everything from the French Revolution to modern disasters. That ambiguity is exactly why his name still works as shorthand for anyone who claims to see the future.

Suva, Lautoka and Nadi: a capital on the other side of the island

Fiji's capital, Suva, sits on the southeastern coast of Viti Levu, the country's largest island. The two other options in the quiz are also real Fijian cities, which is what makes this question tricky: Lautoka lies on the western side of the same island, while Nadi is home to the main international airport and the gateway most visitors pass through. Suva, however, is the political and administrative heart of the archipelago.

Freud and the vocabulary he gave us

Sigmund Freud, the Austrian founder of psychoanalysis, built his theories around the unconscious mind, the role of libido and the interpretation of dreams. Terms like "Freudian slip" and "ego" have slipped into everyday English, often with little connection to his actual clinical work. The pyramid of needs belongs to Abraham Maslow, and gestalt psychology grew from quite different roots, so it is worth keeping those names apart.

The story behind a five-minute bagatelle

Beethoven's "Für Elise" is one of the most played pieces in the piano repertoire, yet it was not published until decades after his death. The manuscript is dated 1810, and the identity of "Elise" has never been settled, with scholars proposing several candidates. Its gentle, almost improvisatory opening theme is why so many beginners encounter it early, even though the later sections are far from easy.

Waterfalls that share more than a name

Angel Falls in Venezuela is the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall, plunging from the plateau of Auyán-tepui. Victoria Falls on the Zambezi forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, while Niagara sits between the United States and Canada. All three are major tourist destinations, but they differ hugely in scale and setting, which is part of what makes them such popular landmarks.