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Fact... or Misconception #1

Can you guess whether these statements are facts or misconceptions?
Some of the misconceptions are well-known, others I just made up
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Quizmaster
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Last updated: June 20, 2024
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First submittedAugust 14, 2021
Times taken36,053
Average score66.7%
Rating4.21
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1. Humans evolved from chimpanzees
Fact
Misconception
2. French people drink a lot more wine than people in most other countries
According to one study, France drinks 44 liters per person per year, more than every other country except the Vatican and Andorra
Fact
Misconception
3. Snakes kill thousands of people in Australia each year
On average, only one or two people are killed
Fact
Misconception
4. Fortune cookies were invented in China
They were invented by Japanese people in the United States
Fact
Misconception
5. Identical twins have the same fingerprints
Fact
Misconception
6. Iceland is colder than most other European countries
By average temperature, Iceland is the 4th coldest country in the world, trailing only Russia, Canada, and Mongolia
Fact
Misconception
7. David Hasselhoff was once a popular singer in Germany
The Hoff has recorded multiple top 10 albums in Germany and even had a #1 hit
Fact
Misconception
8. Tortoises can live longer than humans
Fact
Misconception
9. The whale shark is a type of whale
Fact
Misconception
10. Most people in Mexico speak Spanish as a first language
Fact
Misconception
11. The Incan Empire lasted for thousands of years before the Spanish conquest
The Incan Empire only existed for about 100–150 years
Fact
Misconception
12. There are actual bird nests in traditional Chinese "bird's nest soup"
Fact
Misconception
13. China has won more than 50% of all Olympic gold medals in table tennis
Fact
Misconception
14. Thomas Edison electrocuted an elephant in order to discredit A/C power as unsafe
Fact
Misconception
15. Dijon mustard is named after the city of Dijon, France
Fact
Misconception
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51 Comments
Relox84
+42
Level 69
Aug 14, 2021
"France drinks 44 liters per person per year" factoid actually statistical error: I, who drink far to many wine bottles a year, am an outlier and should not have been counted.
MayaB
+6
Level 73
Aug 15, 2021
Next time you should tell them to use the median instead of the average to avoid this problem. :)
Findlay
+4
Level 80
Aug 15, 2021
Mmm, you gotta use the right measure of central tendency.
Dontforget
+7
Level 76
Aug 21, 2021
Relox 84, are you Spiders Georg?
brandybuck96
+8
Level 82
Dec 5, 2023
no he's Wine Georges
Tramp
+5
Level 79
Jun 21, 2024
Vinos Pierre
Pontiac
+1
Level 62
Mar 9, 2026
You should read the effects of wine.
joeythelemur
+4
Level 80
Aug 16, 2021
I predict a series of these! Fun quiz.
cuotak
+5
Level 70
Aug 16, 2021
Bird's nest soup contains the spit of swallows. There's no "nest" in the soup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_bird%27s_nest
Quizmaster
+24
Level ∞
Aug 17, 2021
I'm confused by your objection. Did you read the article? It begins with this:

"Edible bird's nests are bird nests"

cuotak
+9
Level 70
Aug 21, 2021
It depends on your definition of "nest". It is solidified spit that got accumulated on the swallow's nest. No bird makes a nest out of saliva only.
Sifhraven
+11
Level 76
May 24, 2024
Em yes they do. And exactly those nest are the ones that are used in the soup. Look up Edible-nest Swiflet.

"Its opaque and whitish bird nest is made exclusively of solidified saliva and is the main ingredient of bird's nest soup"

Notice the word exclusively? It is not about spit accumaleted on the swallow nest, the nest is made out of spit. And spit alone

@Cuotak (topcomment) yes there is a nest in the soup. You are thinking of twigs, there are no twigs in the soup.

Carry
+12
Level 63
Aug 23, 2021
If a recipe calls for an egg you don't put in the whole egg with the shell. So even if only the spit is used the ingredient is still the nest.
kalbahamut
+17
Level 79
Aug 21, 2021
With a small change in wording several of these misconceptions could be turned into fact. Or vice versa, I guess.
QuizzerBros
+2
Level 69
Aug 21, 2021
Awesome thumbnail lol
raneman11
+1
Level 68
Aug 21, 2021
All these tricky questions i ended up getting right, and here I forgot that humans aren't descended from chimps, they diverged from a common ancestor.
Miqueas
+3
Level 73
Aug 21, 2021
How is it tricky that Mexicans speak Spanish what else would they speak?????
michaelngwa
+6
Level 62
Aug 21, 2021
Well, if English people speak English, and French people speak French, I'd guess they'd speak Mexican.
PantsLobbyist
+3
Level 99
Jun 21, 2024
Well, they _do_ speak Mexican, a dialect of Spanish.
Pontiac
+1
Level 62
Mar 9, 2026
Time to use that to say that in the US we speak American.
jimhawkins90
+8
Level 78
Aug 21, 2021
lots of them still speak native american languages like mayan languages or nahuatl
Pontiac
+1
Level 62
Mar 9, 2026
Majority of Mexicans speak Spanish, like over 100 million of them. This would be like saying in America we don't speak English because some people speak Native Languages or other languages.
DenAm
+2
Level 64
Jun 8, 2023
Dang I read it as Iceland being OLDER than most of Europe and I was confused.
CaptainUnderpant
+9
Level 81
Jun 20, 2024
This is pedantic, but the follow up on the France wine question doesn't explain how it's a fact. If the fact is that French people drink a lot more wine than people in most other countries, then I wanna know how much wine people drink in country #4 from the study, not that the Vatican and Andorra beat France.
Djilas
+4
Level 86
Jun 22, 2024
It's presuming that if France is #3, the other 190 or so countries don't drink only slightly less than France.
CaptainUnderpant
+5
Level 81
Jun 23, 2024
Well yes, that's why I bring it up! I can't find anything online that shows Vatican and Andorra as top two, and Portugal is almost always ahead of France. Italy is also up there and the numbers are all very similar. Obviously that's the presumption, but the quiz doesn't provide any evidence for it.
WhatIsLove
+6
Level 63
Jun 28, 2024
This type of question should never include ambiguous terms such as "a lot more" and "most other countries" in my opinion, let alone both at the same time. Half of countries pretty much don't drink wine at all so in a sense every european country drinks "a lot" more wine than "most other countries". That's not a very interesting question, wording it as "France is top 3 in the world in terms of wine consumption per capita" would be a much more intersting question.
JackintheBox
+1
Level 82
Jun 21, 2024
Only got the David Hasselhoff one wrong
Djilas
+3
Level 86
Jun 22, 2024
In the right place at the right time. He sang "I've been looking for freedom" in front of the Berlin Wall.
equivallent
+1
Level 54
Jun 21, 2024
What in the World does "There are actual bird nests in traditional Chinese "bird's nest soup" " mean? i dont think thats really a logical english sentence
xtracripsy
+11
Level 55
Jun 21, 2024
They are saying something akin to, "There are actual rabbits in chocolate Easter rabbits."

Sometimes foods have a word in their title, but do not actually contain that item.

okonkwo21
+4
Level 57
Jun 21, 2024
Which once again proves my theory:

GERMANS LOVE DAVID HASSELHOFF

RoosterIllusion
+1
Level 46
Jun 30, 2024
I miss Norm...
Dollyfroggy
+3
Level 63
Jun 24, 2024
Why was the quiz reset?
BlackLab
+1
Level 66
Jun 24, 2024
The elephant thing is sad. I had always thought that it was a stunt by Edison.
YamatoFans
+10
Level 73
Jun 28, 2024
I got tripped up on the elephant one. Evidently although an Edison company electrocuted an elephant, it was not Thomas himself, directly.

Sorry, I still blame Tom.

CaptainUnderpant
+3
Level 81
Jun 28, 2024
I blame the circus showmen who decided it was right jolly fun to publicly execute an animal they abused for profit and have it recorded so that a century later we could watch Topsy die.
Triptych
+1
Level 65
Mar 15, 2026
The sorrow of the young giraffe killed in Denmark and fed in pieces to big cats because he grew to big to be affordable never left us.

Gave a great opening for tiger moms to bleat about man's dominion over the animals, too.

My Dad was too tall, like his mom, which earned him kicks and beatings from his dad.

But he was never murdered.

Pontiac
+1
Level 62
Mar 9, 2026
He also electrocuted a person to prove AC is unsafe. This was done by the Electric Chair. It was stated that an Axe would have done a much better job.
Nadhus
+1
Level 53
Jun 28, 2024
Russia isn’t in europe.?
Tuesday
+2
Level 77
Jun 28, 2024
Fact.. or misconception?
Bombadillo76
+1
Level 67
Aug 15, 2025
even if it is, iceland is still colder than "most" european countries
Thespian
+1
Level 40
Jun 28, 2024
Oh, I got a 15/15 first try! That never happens! Good job, me :)
jmellor13
+1
Level 68
Jun 28, 2024
You lied to me, D2: the Mighty Ducks.
BillShep1230
+3
Level 79
Jun 29, 2024
I blame Bob’s Burgers on me missing the Edison one. That’s what I get for taking my knowledge from a cartoon.
MovieQuizGuy
+1
Level 64
May 15, 2025
This is what I was going to say. Topsy Tina almost died for it!
buck1017
+1
Level 78
Aug 25, 2025
So, i thought that it was true as well, but because it's been in the public "knowledge" for decades. I just looked up the actual story of Topsy the elephant and it's FAR more horrifying than Edison just electrocuting her to discredit Tesla.
RoosterIllusion
+2
Level 46
Jun 30, 2024
The Edison questions pretty much answers itself. It's oddly worded, but it comes down to "He electrocuted an elephant to prove AC current safe." IF he electrocuted it, it's dead and, therefore, AC is not safe.
Bombadillo76
+1
Level 67
Aug 15, 2025
it says "unsafe" now
OverlordAlpha
+1
Level 44
Feb 6, 2025
If Iceland is 4th coldest in the world, being beat by Russia, Mongolia, and Canada, they are colder than most other European countries. 2nd out of 45 is much better than most of the competition. The restraining words are MOST and EUROPEAN.
buck1017
+3
Level 78
Aug 25, 2025
Well birds nest soup sounds gross now. I thought the "nest" was made with rice noodles.

Also, don't go look up the true story of Topsy the elephant. It's far worse than just Edison electrocuting her.

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