Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The river that earned a maternal nickname

The Mississippi has long carried the nickname "Mother of Waters," a translation of the Ojibwe name Misi-ziibi, meaning "great river." It drains all or part of more than thirty US states, making it one of the largest river systems in the world. For centuries it served as a highway for trade, travel and settlement, which helps explain why it acquired such an affectionate, almost familial title.

A continent of many nations, not just a few islands

Oceania often gets reduced in people's minds to Australia and New Zealand, but it is home to 14 sovereign countries. These range from large nations to tiny Pacific states such as Nauru and Tuvalu, some of the smallest countries on Earth by both area and population. The region also includes thousands of islands spread across a vast stretch of ocean, which is why its political map is far more crowded than many people assume.

The Armada and the story behind the name

The Armada is most famously associated with Spain, whose fleet set sail in 1588 with the aim of invading England. The campaign ended in disaster for the Spanish, thanks to a combination of English naval tactics and punishing storms. The word "armada" simply means an armed fleet in Spanish, but history has tied it so firmly to this one expedition that it is often capitalised as a proper name.

A premiere that turned into a riot

When Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" premiered in Paris in 1913, the audience reaction was so explosive that it has gone down in music history as a riot. The pounding rhythms, dissonant harmonies and unconventional ballet choreography shocked many in attendance. Far from fading into obscurity, the work became one of the most influential pieces of the twentieth century and a cornerstone of modern classical music.

Where the steppe gets its open, treeless look

The Central Asian steppe is a vast belt of grassland stretching across the region, and grass is its defining vegetation. Low rainfall and harsh temperature swings make it hard for most trees to take hold, so hardy grasses dominate instead. These grasslands have historically supported nomadic herding cultures, whose way of life was shaped directly by this wide, open landscape.