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1. Belfast is the capital of the Republic of Ireland
Dublin is the capital. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom.
True
False
2. Ireland's currency is the Euro
True
False
3. James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" takes place in ancient Greece
It is set in Dublin
True
False
4. About 40% of Irish citizens speak Irish as their primary language
Only about 2% speak Irish daily. The vast majority speak English.
True
False
5. No country has won the Eurovision song contest more times than Ireland
Seven times (1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1996). As of 2023, Sweden has equaled this record.
True
False
6. The Irish drive on the left
The Ireland/UK border would be complicated otherwise
True
False
7. Caber tossing is a traditional Irish sport
Caber tossing comes from Scotland
True
False
8. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on the supposed date of his death
17th of March
True
False
9. The population of Ireland is lower today than it was before the Great Famine of 1845–1852
Along with mass starvation, the famine saw a mass exodus of Irish citizens (19%), particularly to the US
True
False
10. The Government of Ireland does not officially recognise the term "British Isles"
"The British Isles is not an officially recognised term in any legal or inter-governmental sense. It is without any official status." Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern, 2005
True
False
11. Colcannon is Ireland's third-largest city
Colcannon is a traditional dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale
True
False
12. James Bond has been played by an Irish actor
Pierce Brosnan was born in Drogheda
True
False
13. The 1916 Christmas Rising was an insurrection against British rule
It was the 1916 Easter Rising
True
False
14. Lucky Charms is Ireland's most popular cereal
Lucky Charms isn't sold in Ireland (except as a special import). The most popular cereal is Corn Flakes.
True
False
15. There are no wild snakes in Ireland
Legend says that St. Patrick chased them into the sea
Embarassed not to get full marks on this one as an Irish person. I didn't know why 17th of March was Paddy's Day. Just that it was. The others were easy if you live in Ireland.
Same here CeartGoLeor, 100% Irish, and got the St Patrick's Day question wrong - and thought I was oh so clever for side stepping the 1916 question!! :)
Yes, Ulysses is the Latinised name of Odysseus, but the title of the novel is Ulysses.
At least the original title. I didn't realise but it has been published in some languages under the title Odysseus. My fault, should have checked that. The question could be changed to say "Odyssey", or if that's too close perhaps "Iliad". Quizmaster?
Trivia related to the uprising: In the memoirs of many people in pre-internet, pre-radio England many had assumed upon hearing that war had started in 1914 that it was with Ireland, not Germany.
13. The 1916 Christmas Rising was an insurrection against British rule.
A: False
Explanation: It was the 1916 Easter Rising
This seems to be explained sort of sideways. The 1916 Christmas Rising was actually an insurrection against the 1916 Easter Rising?
Shouldn't the explanation be something like, "There was no '1916 Christmas Rising.' The insurrection against British Rule in 1916 was the 'Easter Rising.' "?
The question seems to be deliberately misleading, as though the "1916 Christmas Rising" was a historic event and the question revolves around what triggered it. Why not say, "The 1916 insurrection against British rule was known as the 'Christmas Rising'."? Then the explanation would make perfect sense as is.
Exactly my thoughts. The question seems very out of place, as it the only one on these quizzes (that I know of) where the thing in question is just completely invented and the question does not ask about its historicity. I thought "well, who else would it've been against?" and clicked true.
I'd have no problem changing the question to "The 1916 insurrection against British rule is known as the Christmas Rising", except that as far as I'm aware doing so would reset the quiz and everyone would lose their points, so I don't think it would be approved.
The explanation is fine. Some people these days interpret texts only literally and have no comprehension of context, nor of general meaning and intent. It should be abundantly clear that "1916-Easter-Rising" should replace "1916-Christmas-Rising", due to the similarity of both phrases, instead of it replacing the completely different second part of the sentence regarding british rule.
The fact that this is even an issue is facepalm inducing.
love the fact that you added explanation for every question Great quiz! also: you totally fooled me with the "christmas rising" question, although i was well aware of "easter rising".. good job!
I'm so embarrassed I got one right by reading the question wrong. I somehow imagined a "never" while reading "James Bond has been played by an Irish actor" and guessed true. So perfect score by default?
The 1916 Christmas Rising was an insurrection against British rule
True
False
Both answers are correct. Since there was no 1916 Christmas Uprising, you're asking a question about the null set (a set with no elements). Everything is true (and false) about an element of the null set.
So if one of the questions said "Dingboff Zapadoo was a president of Ireland", would that be both true and false because there was no Dingboff Zapadoo?
That's unrelated to the point they were making, or what my reply was illustrating.
But to your point, you've made your analogy a lot more sneaky than the question imo. Robertson is much closer to Robinson than Christmas is to Easter. It would be more like saying Mary Smith was president...
Given that you have a question about the status of the term "British Isles" in Ireland it seems fair to point out that the Republic of Ireland is not the name of any existing state. The name of the country is, in the English language, Ireland. Republic of Ireland is a description of the state but not its name.
Got all except that one, must learn to read the question although I feel less bad seeing that only 28% of people have gotten it right despite it being one of the easier questions, everyone must fall into the same trap.
If anyone got 100% on this quiz then you actually got one question wrong. Sweden has now won the Eurovision Song Contest as many times as Ireland (7 wins each). They caught up with us in 2023. This question needs to be updated or removed.
At least the original title. I didn't realise but it has been published in some languages under the title Odysseus. My fault, should have checked that. The question could be changed to say "Odyssey", or if that's too close perhaps "Iliad". Quizmaster?
A: False
Explanation: It was the 1916 Easter Rising
This seems to be explained sort of sideways. The 1916 Christmas Rising was actually an insurrection against the 1916 Easter Rising?
Shouldn't the explanation be something like, "There was no '1916 Christmas Rising.' The insurrection against British Rule in 1916 was the 'Easter Rising.' "?
The question seems to be deliberately misleading, as though the "1916 Christmas Rising" was a historic event and the question revolves around what triggered it. Why not say, "The 1916 insurrection against British rule was known as the 'Christmas Rising'."? Then the explanation would make perfect sense as is.
Super quiz though, much enjoyed.
The fact that this is even an issue is facepalm inducing.
Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!
The 1916 Christmas Rising was an insurrection against British rule
True
False
Both answers are correct. Since there was no 1916 Christmas Uprising, you're asking a question about the null set (a set with no elements). Everything is true (and false) about an element of the null set.
So if one of the questions said "Dingboff Zapadoo was a president of Ireland", would that be both true and false because there was no Dingboff Zapadoo?
Answer: False
Explanation: It was Mary Robinson
Technically a correct question, but maybe some don't think it is very satisfying.
But to your point, you've made your analogy a lot more sneaky than the question imo. Robertson is much closer to Robinson than Christmas is to Easter. It would be more like saying Mary Smith was president...
Got all except that one, must learn to read the question although I feel less bad seeing that only 28% of people have gotten it right despite it being one of the easier questions, everyone must fall into the same trap.
Anyway, after Connery took the role Ian Fleming wrote the character of Bond to be of Scottish-Swiss parents, and raised in Scotland.