Around the World in 20 Questions 30 Jul / 2018 | By TMA World One of the first books I remember being given was Pears’ Cyclopaedia – a one-volume British almanac of fascinating facts about the world. I would lie on the floor for hours looking through its pages and shout to anyone within hearing, “Did you . . . did you . . . know that . . .?” I’m sure I was an annoying pest in the eyes of many in the family. Later came a love for the Atlas and the more multi-volume encyclopedias. I still love to browse through reference books, but now I also have the Internet. No doubt those early adventures into world facts brought me to the work I do today: a global business/cross-cultural author and consultant at TMA World. With the aim of stimulating anyone’s curiosity about the world, I have put together the following quiz. Enjoy and stay curious! 1. What is Pinyin?a. The Chinese name for table tennisb. A Chinese dish consisting of boiled pork, shrimp, eggplant, and garlic saucec. A system for converting Chinese into the Latin alphabetd. The most read Chinese newspaper in mainland China 2. The year 2016 is the UN’s International Year of what?a. Lightb. Pulses (e.g. beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas)c. Familyd. Medicine 3. How would you write the date – May 18, 2016 – according to the international date format?a. MM-YYYY-DDb. YYYY-MM-DDc. DD-MM-YYYYd. YYYY-DD-MM 4. People in Japan sometimes carry around an origami frog. Why?a. To bring good weather b. To bring wealthc. To ensure a safe journeyd. To gain a promotion 5. In which country is it unlucky to whistle at home, especially in the evening?a. Russiab. Turkeyc. Japand. All of the above 6. If you put bread on the table upside down it means you will face poverty and hunger – in which country?a. Germanyb. Polandc. Franced. All of the above 7. How many languages are there estimated to be in the world?a. 9,500b. 7,100c. 6,200d. 5,015 8. In which country on New Year’s Eve would you eat a dish of pork sausage served over lentils?a. Italyb. Indiac. Nigeriad. Ukraine 9. The German phrase, “Ich glaub mein schwein pfeift” literally translated means “I believe my pig is whistling.” It is similar in meaning to which English idiom?a. “You are barking up the wrong tree.”b. “Once in a blue moon.”c. “Back to the drawing board.”d. “You could knock me down with a feather.” 10. When a U.S. businessperson says, “Let’s talk turkey,” what does that mean?a. Let’s talk serious businessb. Conduct the meeting in Turkishc. We’ll talk again after dinnerd. Keep the conversation friendly 11. In China, Russia, and the Islamic Middle East it is a disadvantage to attend a meeting without what?a. An expensive giftb. An intermediaryc. An expensive-looking business cardd. A bottle of Scotch whiskey to toast the relationship 12. India, China, and the U.S. are the most populous counties in the world. Which country is the next most populous? a. Russiab. Brazilc. Indonesiad. Pakistan 13. The top three countries with the largest numbers of Internet users are China, the U.S., and India. Which country has the next largest number of Internet users?a. Canadab. Finlandc. Singapored. Japan 14. According to Bloomberg’s Global Innovation Index (2015), which country is the most innovative?a. Chinab. USAc. S. Koread. Sweden 15. Which gesture should you never use in Brazil?a. Thumbs upb. Pointing with the index fingerc. A-Okay (connecting the thumb with the forefinger)d. High five 16. What is monotheism?a. Believing in a single Godb. Having a diversity of religious beliefsc. Worshiping natured. Having no religious belief 17. What is ethnocentrism?a. The longitude line connecting the North and South polesb. Belief in the superiority of one’s own culture or ethnic groupc. A location in a city where ethnic food is availabled. Not liking the country in which you were born 18. What is a diaspora?a. An online game for teaching about world geography and culturesb. A militant nationalist group in Greecec. A common form of greeting in Southern Africad. A large group scattered worldwide sharing a common heritage/homeland 19. Which country publishes more books per capita than any other?a. Swedenb. U.S.A.c. Icelandd. Denmark 20. The Japanese don’t like saying ‘no’ directly. What phrase(s) might a Japanese business person say to reject your offer?a. We open our mind to itb. We’ll try our bestc. We will think about itd. All of the above Scroll down for answers… Answers1. c2. b3. b4. b5. d6. c7. b8. a9. d10. a11. b12. c13. d14. c15. c16. a17. b18. d19. c20. d If you enjoyed reading this article click here to sign up to our newsletter and receive all future articles direct to your inbox. Interested in how introducing a cultural intelligence tool in your business could help to create a more borderless workforce? We’d love to show you our groundbreaking platform. Share this