Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A pipe, a coat and a very patient detective

Inspector Maigret, the creation of Belgian writer Georges Simenon, is one of crime fiction's most enduring policemen. Unlike the eccentric amateur sleuths who solve cases through brilliant deduction, Maigret works quietly and methodically, relying on patience, observation and an understanding of human weakness. His pipe is almost a character in its own right, appearing throughout the novels as he puzzles over a case. Simenon wrote dozens of Maigret stories, and the character has been portrayed on screen by many actors in several countries.

Two capitals that are easy to confuse

The Netherlands and Portugal both sit on Europe's Atlantic edge, and both have capitals that travellers mix up. Amsterdam is the official capital of the Netherlands, though the Dutch government, parliament and royal residence are in The Hague. Portugal's capital, Lisbon, sits on the Tagus estuary and is one of western Europe's oldest cities, predating Rome by centuries. Porto, often mistaken for the capital, is Portugal's second city and gave its name to port wine.

The Rhine and the Orinoco: two very different rivers

The Rhine begins in the Swiss Alps and flows through or along Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea. It has been a vital trade route since Roman times. The Orinoco runs almost entirely through Venezuela, draining a vast basin of rainforest and savanna before reaching the Atlantic. Its delta is one of the largest wetlands in South America.

Faraday's quiet revolution

In 1831, Michael Faraday demonstrated that moving a conductor through a magnetic field produces an electric current, a process known as electromagnetic induction. This single insight underpins the electric generator, the transformer and the modern power grid. Faraday had little formal mathematical training, yet his experimental work made him one of the most influential scientists of the nineteenth century.