French Culture Test
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What is a “sous-préfet”?
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The local representative of the French state.
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A junior-ranking school prefect.
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A past participle in a subordinate clause.
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- 2.
Who are the Pieds-Noirs?
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One of the early Cro-Magnon tribes at Les Eyzies.
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Natives of Pas-de-Calais - a famous coal mining region.
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French colonials in Algeria.
Correct Answer
A. French colonials in Algeria.Explanation
The term "Pieds-Noirs" refers to the million or so people of predominantly French descent who lived in French North Africa. When Algeria became independent in 1962, the majority of those with French nationality were "repatriated" to mainland France - something of a misnomer, as most had been born in Algeria.
In popular culture, the Pieds-Noirs are often represented as experiencing double alienation from both their native homeland and their adopted land.Rate this question:
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- 3.
Which of these composers is NOT born French?
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Hector Berlioz
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Georges Bizet
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Frédéric Chopin
Correct Answer
A. Frédéric ChopinExplanation
Frédéric Chopin (1810-49) was born and grew up in Warsaw, Poland. However, we worked mainly in France and died in Paris.
Chopin remained close to his fellow Poles in exile as friends and he never felt fully comfortable speaking French: in fact he never considered himself to be French, despite his father's French origins, and always saw himself as a Pole.
Nevertheless, in France he used the French versions of his given names, and after receiving French citizenship in 1835, he travelled on a French passport.Rate this question:
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- 4.
In what order are courses served at a meal in France?
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Soup – starter – main – salad/cheese – dessert – coffee
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Soup – starter – main – dessert – salad/cheese – coffee
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Starter – soup – main – dessert – salad/cheese – coffee
Correct Answer
A. Soup – starter – main – salad/cheese – dessert – coffeeExplanation
There's no debate at table about whether it's dessert or cheese next. As sure as night follows day, "sucré" always follows "salé", just as red wine always follows white. There's the French way, or there's the wrong way!Rate this question:
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- 5.
What is a “soixante-huitard”?
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A late-comer – 68% of French people habitually arrive late.
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A baby-boomer, a child of the sixties.
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A veteran of the events of May 1968.
Correct Answer
A. A veteran of the events of May 1968.Explanation
The volatile period of civil unrest during May 1968 was punctuated by demonstrations and massive general strikes as well as the occupation of universities and factories across the country.
"May 68" is considered to this day as a cultural, social and moral turning point in the history of France: as Alain Geismar - one of the leaders of the time - later pointed out, the movement succeeded "as a social revolution, not as a political one".Rate this question:
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- 6.
Why is the Lacoste logo a crocodile?
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Lacoste initially made crocodile skin bags and shoes.
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René Lacoste was nicknamed "le crocodile" by his fans.
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René Lacoste's father was eaten by a crocodile.
Correct Answer
A. René Lacoste was nicknamed "le crocodile" by his fans.Explanation
René Lacoste was a French tennis star, dominating the game in the 1920s and early 1930s. He was nicknamed "le crocodile" by his fans because of his tenacity on the court.
In 1933, Lacoste founded La Société Chemise Lacoste and began to produce the revolutionary tennis shirt he had designed and worn on the tennis courts, with the crocodile logo embroidered on the chest.Rate this question:
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- 7.
What was Pascal’s Wager?
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Believe in God – you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
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The roulette table can be beaten with a mathematical formula.
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Democracy is like gambling, except the people always lose.
Correct Answer
A. Believe in God – you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.Explanation
Pascal's Wager is a philosophical argument that a rational person should believe in God. It was devised by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–62).
In essence, Pascal's Wager suggests that all humans bet with their lives on whether God exists or not: if God exists (and there is at least a small probability that he does) the stakes can be thought of as infinite.
Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If in the end it turns out that God does not actually exist, then such a person has lost nothing. On the other hand if God does exist, the rewards for this person's believing in God are infinite: an eternity in Heaven.
On the flip side, if a person chooses not to believe in God, and it turns out that God does not actually exist, then they lose nothing. However, if it does turn out that God exists, than such person would incur infinite losses (an eternity in Hell).
Talk about covering your bases!Rate this question:
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- 8.
Who treads “le parquet”?
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The principal ballet dancer at the Opéra in Paris.
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The Ministère Public, the French public prosecutor.
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The mayor – the term refers to the town hall.
Correct Answer
A. The Ministère Public, the French public prosecutor.Explanation
The term "le parquet" came in to use under the Ancien Régime (i.e. pre-Revolution). Originally meaning "little park", it refers here to the confined space in which judicial hearings would take place, at that time with the "procureur du Roi".
Today the term "le parquet" refers to the "ministère public", the body charged with protecting the public interest in the law courts, roughly equivalent to the Crown Prosecution Service (DPP) or the office of the District Attorney.
There is also the term "le parquet général", used for the team of prosecutors representing the "ministère public" in the courts of appeal.Rate this question:
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- 9.
For what would you have used “Minitel Rose”?
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Dating – Minitel was a precursor to the Internet.
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Sleeping – Minitel was a chain of small hotels.
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Sending flowers – Minitel was later bought by Interflora.
Correct Answer
A. Dating – Minitel was a precursor to the Internet.Explanation
Minitel was an information service accessible through telephone lines, effectively a precursor to the Internet.
The service was rolled out experimentally in 1978 in Brittany and throughout France in 1982 by the then PTT (Post Office). Users could make online purchases, make train reservations, check stock prices, search the telephone directory, have a mail box, and chat.
France Telecom retired the service in 2012.Rate this question:
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- 10.
What are “les Trente Glorieuses”?
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Thirty women who heroically stormed La Bastille.
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The period of economic growth in France from 1945 to 1975.
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The thirty French cathedrals that survived the Reformation.
Correct Answer
A. The period of economic growth in France from 1945 to 1975.Explanation
Over this thirty-year period, the French standard of living, which had been damaged by both World Wars, became one of the world's highest.
The population also became far more urbanized; many rural "départements" experienced a population decline while the larger metropolitan areas grew considerably, especially that of Paris.
Since the 1973 oil crisis, France's explosive economic growth has slowed down.Rate this question:
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- 11.
Which one of these French icons is actually French?
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Plastic Bertrand
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Jacques Brel
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Johnny Halliday
Correct Answer
A. Johnny HallidayExplanation
Plastic Bertrand (aka Roger Allen François Jouret), the one-hit wonder from the seventies, is in fact Belgian, as is the late great singer, songwriter and actor Jacques Brel (1929-78).
Whatever the rumours may say about the French Elvis, Johnny Halliday (aka Jean-Philippe Smet) is not in fact Belgian: he was born to a Belgian father and French mother in Malesherbes, Paris in 1943. The confusion might have arisen because in 2005, for tax purposes, he unsuccessfully tried to obtain Belgian citizenship.
In 2006 Johnny Halliday announced that he would move his permanent residency to Gstaad, Switzerland. However, in 2014 he revealed that his current residence was in fact in the United States.Rate this question:
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- 12.
Who escaped from prison, fought a battle and went back to prison - all in the space of a "Hundred Days"?
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Napoléon Bonaparte
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Le Comte de Monte-Cristo
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Charles de Gaulle
Correct Answer
A. Napoléon BonaparteExplanation
The "Cent-Jours" is the name given to the surprisingly brief period during which Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba, rode to Paris and then, amongst other things, fought the Battle of Waterloo, only to lose and be permanently exiled on the distant island of Saint Helena.Rate this question:
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- 13.
In his novel “La Disparition”, writer Georges Perec:
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Does not once use the letter “e” in any of its 300 pages.
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Leaves all the pages blank, except for the title page.
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Repeats the question “Où es-tu?” 25,000 times.
Correct Answer
A. Does not once use the letter “e” in any of its 300 pages.Explanation
Georges Perec (1936-82) was a French novelist, filmmaker and essayist. His novel “La Disparition” has twice been translated into English, one version omitting the letter "e", the other the letter "a" - as if translating wasn't already a difficult enough job!Rate this question:
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- 14.
“Je lui ai posé un lapin” – what does this mean?
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I stood him up.
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I made a fool out of him.
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I boxed his ears.
Correct Answer
A. I stood him up.Explanation
The origins of this very common expression are a little obscure. Marcel Proust uses it in "La Prisonnière" (1923) with its current meaning of failing to turn up for an appointment.
The previous century it meant to avoid paying for the services of a certain type of young lady.
In the 17th century a "lapin" was a tall story - such as might be told when making a date one had no intention of keeping . . .Rate this question:
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- 15.
The term “cordon bleu” has its origins in:
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The bell-pull used by Louis XIV to summon his meals.
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Chef’s trousers, which became today’s hound’s tooth pattern.
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The ribbon holding the medal of an order of French knights.
Correct Answer
A. The ribbon holding the medal of an order of French knights.Explanation
Created by Henri III in 1578, the "Ordre des chevaliers du Saint-Esprit" was the most senior order of chivalry, reserved for princes and powerful nobles.
The symbol of the order was the Cross of the Holy Spirit (a type of Maltese Cross) hung on a blue riband - as result the Knights became known as "Les Cordon Bleus". Over time, this expression came to be used to refer to other distinctions of the highest class, such as in cooking and sport.Rate this question:
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- 16.
The word “fastoche” means:
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Easy money
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A doddle
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A drag
Correct Answer
A. A doddleExplanation
Adding the suffix "-oche" to words is a 20th century phenomenon. It doesn't really change the meaning, but just makes it sound more "slangy". Hence "facile" becomes "fastoche". Other common examples are piscine-pistoche, ciné-cinoche, Platini-Platoche, La Bastille-La Bastoche and so on.
In this way "C'est fastoche" is similar to "It's dead easy".Rate this question:
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- 17.
Which of these cheeses is generally held to be the smelliest?
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Camembert
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Munster
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Roquefort
Correct Answer
A. MunsterExplanation
Munster is a soft cheese from the Alsace region, made from cow's milk. Whilst its taste is not particularly strong, if ever you've smelt Munster, you'll never forget it!
Whilst today Munster is also made in Germany, Denmark and America, the French Munster is widely considered to be the best.
There are two versions: the farmhouse one made from unpasteurized milk, and the industrial one made from pasteurized milk. Not surprisingly, industrially-made Munster lacks the penetrating taste and smell of the farmhouse one, which is the only Munster to have achieved AOC status.Rate this question:
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- 18.
Members of the Sénat (upper house of Parliament) are elected by:
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Universal adult suffrage.
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The members of the Assemblée Nationale (lower house).
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Mayors and other locally elected officials.
Correct Answer
A. Mayors and other locally elected officials.Explanation
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president. Indirectly elected by elected officials, the Senate enjoys less prominence than the lower house, the directly elected National Assembly; debates in the Senate tend to be less tense and generally receive less media coverage.Rate this question:
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- 19.
“La nostalgie n’est plus ce qu’elle était” are whose memoirs?
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Simone de Beauvoir
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Simone Signoret
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Marcel Proust
Correct Answer
A. Simone SignoretExplanation
Simone Signoret (1921-85) is widely regarded as one of France's greatest film stars. Married to the equally legendary French actor and singer Yves Montand, her memoirs, "Nostalgia Isn't What It Used To Be" were published in 1978.Rate this question:
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- 20.
The words “Après moi, le déluge” are attributed to:
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Louis XIV
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Louis XV
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Napoléon Bonaparte
Correct Answer
A. Louis XVExplanation
The words “Après nous, le déluge” are attributed to Madame de Pompadour who, wishing to raise the spirits of her lover, Louis XV, after the Battle of Rossbach, invited him to stop thinking about the terrible consequences of this defeat.
Louis XV later went on to make regular use of the expression "Après moi, le déluge”, predicting the catastrophic reign of his grandson and successor, Louis XVI, who did in fact die on the guillotine!Rate this question:
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Dec 23, 2015Quiz Edited by
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Dec 09, 2015Quiz Created by
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