Quiz Bowl Culture2008

1. Name the famous park located in Madrid. (Retiro Park)

2. What is the Spanish language called in all Spanish speaking countries?(castellano, Castilian)

3. In what country are the Altamira caves located? (Spain)

4. Name one of Mexico’s three mountain ranges. (Sierra Madre del Sur, Sierra Madre Oriental, or Sierra Madre Occidental)

5. What does RENFE refer to? (Spanish railroad system)

6. What are the dates of both Mexican Independence days? (September 15 and 16)

7. Was Mexico aligned with the Axis or Allied powers? (The Allied powers)

8. In what century did the Moors take over southern Spain? (8th)

9. What group of people built the mosques in Spain? (The Moors, Los Moros)

10. Who founded the Bourbon dynasty in Spain? (Felipe V, Felipe de Anjou)

11. What language spoken by Incas is still spoken in Bolivia today? (Quechua, Aimara)

12. Who was the president of Mexico during the revolution of 1910? (Porfirio Díaz)

13. Who painted El Entierro del Conde Orgaz? (El Greco)

14. What artist is famous for his painting of Toledo? (El Greco)

15. What place in the city is a ruedo? (The bullring )

16. What famous painter lived in Toledo, Spain?(El Greco)

17. Tikal is the ancient city built by what group of people? (The Mayans)

18. What would you beat with a molinillo? (Hot chocolate)

19. When is turrón eaten? (Christmas)

20. What is the main ingredient in the drink atole? (Corn)

21. What is English for “Salsa picante”? (Hot sauce)

22. Near what Mexican town was the film Night of the Iguana filmed? (Puerto Vallarta)

23. What is the national emblem of Guatemala? (Quetzal bird)

24. What is the Spanish word for a spoken compliment to women? (piropo)

25. In what city was Antonio López de Santa Anna born? (Veracruz)

26. What is the Mexican religious holiday celebrated the day after All Saints’ Day? (Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead)

27. What is depicted in Diego Rivera’s mural in the National Palace? (Mexican history)

28. Who had Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes built? (Porfirio Díaz)

29. What was the profession of Miguel Angel Asturias? (Writer)

30. What was the profession of the woman who invented mole poblano? (Nun)

31. From whom do Mexico’s Zapatistas take their name? (Emiliano Zapata)

32. Who was the Mexican artist who also painted murals in Detroit, New York, and San Francisco? (Diego Rivera)

33. What does a Guatemalan refer to with the word patojo? (A boy, un muchacho)

34. What is a charro in Mexico? (a horseman)

35. What is a zócalo in a Mexican city? (a central plaza)

36. What is the role of a curandera? (To heal people with herbs and plants)

37. What nun is colonial Mexico’s best-remembered poet? (Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz)

38. For what style of painting is Dalí famous? (Surrealism, surrealismo)

39. Pancho Torres and Susana García marry and have a child, Roberto. What is the son’s full name? (Roberto Torres García)

40. Who were the Olmecs? (An indigenous group in Mexico)

41. Near what large Mexican city is Lake Chapala located? (Guadalajara)

42. What are tapas in Spain? (Appetizers)

43. What would one drink through a bombilla? (Mate)

44. What is an empanada? (A pastry filled with meat or a sweet filling)

45. What do Hispanic children call “Hide and Seek”? (Escondidas or escondidillas)

46. What is the significance of kilómetro cero? (All distances in many Spain and Latin American countries are measured from here)

47. What nationality are Ticos? (Costa Rican)

48. In what year did Panama assume total control of the Canal Zone? (1999)

49. What did Juan Diego take to the bishop to prove he had seen the Virgin? (Roses)

50. At what age do Mexican children generally make their first communion? (Seven years old)

51. What part of the pumpkin has been used since Pre-Columbian times as a base for sauces? (The seeds)

52. In which country would you find the Atacama Desert? (Chile)

53. What is El Rastro? (A flea market in Madrid)

54. How did Pancho Villa die? (In an ambush)

55. What famous Argentine writer who was almost blind for most of his life? (Jorge Luis Borges)

56. Who was the last ruler of the Aztecs?(Cuauhtémoc)

57. What is the main ingredient in pozole? (Corn)

58. From whom do Nicaragua’s Sandinistas take their name? (César Augusto Sandino)

59. At what time do Spaniards eat supper? (9:00 or 10:00 P.M.)

60. Who was proclaimed the Queen of Castilla and León in 1474? (Queen Isabel I, Queen Isabel la Católica)

61. What Mexican president was a Zapotec Indian? (Benito Juárez)

62. What surrounded the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán? (A lake, Lago Texcoco)

63. Who was the first president of the revolutionary era in Mexico? (Francisco Madero)

64. Hispanic couples usually have two wedding ceremonies. Name them. (Civil and religious)

65. Who was the court painter for Felipe IV? (Diego Velázquez)

66. Who is the spirit of the river who is always mourning the death of her children?(La Llorona)

67. Who is the patron saint of Madrid? (San Isidro—Saint Isidore)

68. If you enter a Spanish building and go up one flight of stairs, what floor are you on? (First floor)

69. Which region in Spain is known as the City of flowers? (Valencia)

70. Which is farther north, Mazatlán or Puerto Vallarta?(Mazatlán)

71. How long is a member of the Spanish Congress in office? (4 years)

72. How many days do the Posadas last? (nine)

73. Near what U.S. city does Ciudad Juárez lie? (El Paso, Texas)

74. What was the profession of José Clemente Orozco? (Painter and Muralist)

75. Who may wear a rebozo? (Mexican women)

76. What is the religious affiliation of most Hispanic people? (Roman Catholic)

77. From what South American country is Gabriela Mistral? (Chile)

78. What was the profession of Joan Miró? (Painter/Sculptor)

79. Who is the Mexican city of Morelia named after? (José María Morelos y Pavón, José Morelos)

80. What art form do Orozco, Siqueiros, and Rivera have in common? (Mural)

81. El Día de los Inocentes is equivalent to what American day? (April Fool’s Day)

82. The “Soccer War” was the 1969 conflict between which two countries? (El Salvador & Honduras)

83. Many Spanish words beginning with “al” are of what origin? (Arabic)

84. What are the main colors of the Spanish flag? (Red and gold)

85. In what year were the Olympics held in Mexico City? (1968)

86. When was the Golden Age of Spanish literature or “El Siglo de Oro”? (16th and 17th Centuries)

87. What main avenue in Mexico City was built by Maximilian? (Paseo de la Reforma)

88. How did Maximilian die? (Executed by firing squad)

89. What ancient indigenous group of Mexico carved large stone heads? (The Olmecs)

90. Who appeared to Juan Diego? (The Virgin of Guadalupe)

91. What was Don Quijote’s name for Aldonza? (Dulcinea)

92. The Costa del Sol lies on which body of water? (Mediterranean Sea)

93. What is the flavor of alioli sauce? (Garlic)

94. Who wrote the novel Cien Años de Soledad? (Gabriel García Márquez)

95. What is a merendero? (A place where refreshments or light meals are served)

96. What is the general name of a store where fish is sold? (La pescadería)

97. What is an edible cactus used in salads and as a hot vegetable? (nopal)

98. What is the Popul Vuh? (Religious Mayan Text)

99. What is the Flor de Nochebuena or Flor de Pascua? (The Poinsettia, la poinsetia)

100. From which Mexican town did Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla issue his Grito de Dolores? (Dolores)

101. Where is the most famous Roman aqueduct in Spain? (Segovia)

102. Who were the earliest known inhabitants of Andalucía? (The Iberians)

103. What temporary ruler of Mexico lived in the castle in Chapultepec Park?(Maximilian)

104. Who painted Las Meninas? (Diego Velázquez)

105. What famous Argentine general fought for independence in South America?(José de San Martín)

106. What treaty was signed by the United States and Mexico after the Mexican-American War? (The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo)

107. What revolutionary leader promoted the Mexican silk industry? (Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla)

108. For what is Quinceañera celebrated? (A girl’s 15th birthday, coming out party)

109. What is the most southern city in the world? (Punta Arenas, Chile)

110. What is an abrazo? (A hug)

111. When do Mexicans celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla? (El Cinco de Mayo)

112. When is Holy Week? (The week before Easter)

113. What hand instrument accompanies many Spanish dances? (Castanets, castañuelas)

114. What is Bachata? (A rhythm, a dance)

115. What is the Spanish word for the concept of male dominance in Hispanic culture?(Machismo)

116. Who was Lucille Ball’s husband? (Desi Arnaz)

117. On what day are most bullfights held? (Sunday)

118. Who were the monarchs who financed Columbus’ voyage? (Fernando and Isabel)

119. What child from Badajoz grew up to be a conqueror of Mexico? (Hernán Cortés)

120. For which king did Columbus claim the New World? (Fernando el Católico, Ferdinand)

121. Who was the Mexican dictator during the Mexican-American War? (López de Santa Anna)

122. What spice is used in Spanish hot chocolate?(Cinnamon, la canela)

123. What is a rice dish with chicken and shellfish? (paella)

124. What is the most common type of oil used in Spanish salads? (Olive Oil)

125. What meat product is a major export commodity of Argentina? (Beef)

126. When is the main meal of the day, “la comida” served in Spain? (Early afternoon)

127. What is the main ingredient of guacamole? (Avocado)

128. What does one may do before purchasing an item in a Mexican market?(Bargain for a price)

129. What is the most popular sport in Mexico? (El Fútbol, Soccer)

130. What is the color of the famous pottery from Oaxaca? (Black)

131. What beast of burden did the Spaniards introduce to the Americas? (The horse)

132. What was Juan Domingo Perón’s second wife’s name? (Evita, Eva)

133. What is the name of the highway that runs through North and South America?(The Pan American Highway)

134. Name Columbus’ three ships. (La Niña, La Pinta, La Santa María)

135. What is the capital of Costa Rica? (San José)

136. What are the grasslands of Argentina called? (The Pampas)

137. In what sea is Cuba located? (Caribbean Sea, el Mar Caribe)

138. What is the driest desert in the world? (Atacama Desert, el desierto de Atacama)

139. What Mexican resort town is famous for spectacular cliff divers? (Acapulco)

140. In which Mexican state is Chichén Itzá located? (Yucatán)

141. What four states of the U.S. border Mexico? (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California)

142. What is Belize’s former name? (British Honduras)

143. What is sold in a zapatería? (Shoes)

144. What is celebrated in Spain on January 6th? (King’s Day / Día de los Reyes Magos / La Epifanía)

145. What happens in July in Pamplona, Spain? (La Fiesta de San Fermín)

146. What is El Escorial in Spain? (A palace and monastery / a municipality of Madrid)

147. What do you add to the end of a Spanish noun to show friendliness or affection?(-ito or –ita / -cito or -cita)

148. What do children leave out for the Three Kings? (Shoes, los zapatos)

149. The bear and the Strawberry Tree are the symbols of what Spanish city?(Madrid)

150. What does one hire to serenade someone in Mexico? (A mariachi band)

151. What is a corrida? (A bullfight)

152. What familiar structure on the Spanish countryside did Don Quixote fight? (Windmills)

153. Who actually kills the bull, the picador or the matador? (The matador)

154. What Panamanian boxer was nicknamed “Hands of Rock”? (Roberto “Mano de piedra” Durán)

155. What Pre-Columbian relic is the most visited at the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City? (The Aztec calendar)

156. What is the name of the court on which jai alai is played? (A frontón)

157. In what year was the Soccer World Cup in Spain? (1982)

158. What is the most famous art museum in Spain? (El Prado)

159. What is the greatest event in soccer, which takes place every four years? (The World Cup)

160. About whom is the Broadway musical Evita? (Eva Perón)

161. Where did the tango originate? (Argentina)

162. Which of the following instruments would not be found in a mariachi band: violin, drum, and guitar? (Drum)

163. What animal is used for cockfighting? (Rooster, El gallo)

164. What is La Vuelta a España? (A bicycle race)

165. What country was the site of soccer’s World Cup in 1970 and 1986? `(Mexico)

166. What is a Doma? (A rodeo)

167. What sport did Manuel Santana make popular in Spain? (Tennis)

168. What’s the name of the fast-moving Basque game played on a court called a frontón? (Pelota Vasca / Jai alai)

169. During which month is the Day of the Dead celebrated? (November)

170. Huichols in Mexico make this good luck piece to protect their homes. (Ojo de Dios, God’s Eye)

171. What is Cervantes’ most famous novel? (Don Quixote de la Mancha)

172. What game of chance do many Mexicans play every week? (The national Lottery, La lotería)

173. What is the jota? (A dance)

174. In what region of Spain did the flamenco originate? (Andalucía)

175. From where is the jarabe tapatío? (Jalisco)

176. In bullfighting, what is the name of the stick hidden in a little red cape? (La muleta)

177. What is a torero? (A bullfighter)

178. With what do you play castanets? (With your hands)

179. What are Bolero, Fandango and Flamenco? (Spanish dance / music)

180. Where would one find a salida de los toros? (In a bullring)

181. What are the colors in Bolivia’s flag? (Red, yellow, and green)

182. Where do many Mexicans go on All Souls Day? (To the cemetery)

183. What is Real Madrid? (Soccer team / Sports club)

184. Many Puerto Rican players of this sport have had successful careers in the States. What is the sport? (Baseball)

185. Is it cheaper to sit in sol or sombra at a bullfight? (Sol)

186. What dance mimics the bullfight? (Pasodoble)

187. What is a teatro de marionetas? (Puppet Theater)

188. What does the red stand for in the Mexican flag? (Union)

189. What is sold and made a pastelería? (Fancy cakes, sweets and desserts)

190. When do you say “Buen provecho”? (At mealtime)

191. Chocolate is one of the many ingredients in which Oaxacan sauce? (mole poblano)

192. What are plantains or plátanos in South America? (Cooking bananas)

193. What is the national airline of Spain? (Iberia)

194. In what are tamales wrapped?(In corn or banana leaves)

195. What is distinctive about enchiladas suizas? (Their sauce is made with heavy cream)

196. What is sung on a person’s birthday in Mexico? (Las Mañanitas)

197. What would you buy at a carnicería? (Meat)

198. What is a gaseosa? (A soft drink)

199. What is menudo? (Giblets, tripe soup)

200. What is a mango? (A fruit)

201. What is the nut used for mazapán? (Almond)

202. What is a cold vegetable soup from Andalucía? (gazpacho)

203. What would you buy at a lechería? (Milk or dairy products)

204. When does one eat desayuno? (Morning)

205. What color beans are generally used in Cuba? (Black)

206. Name a famous egg custard of the Spanish-speaking world. (Flan)

207. Which part of the chile is hotter, the flesh or the seeds? (The seeds)

208. When would a Spanish person have a merienda? (In the afternoon)

209. What are chicharrones? (Fried pork skins)

210. What is chorizo? (A kind of sausage)

211. Where did paella become a specialty? (In Valencia, Spain)

212. What does the white stand for in the Mexican flag? (Religion/Roman Catholicism)

213. What drink is often served with churros? (Hot chocolate)

214. What is the shape of churros? (Long strips sometimes forming a spiral)

215. What is the main ingredient of sopa de ajo? (Garlic)

216. What is masa harina? (Flour made out of dried corn dough)

217. What is traditionally not eaten during Lent in many Hispanic countries? (meat)

218. What is ceviche? (Raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice)

219. What miniature dog originated in Mexico? (Chihuahua)

220. What is a tortilla española? (Potato omelet)

221. What are the two main staples of the Mexican diet? (Corn and beans)

222. What are the two main ingredients in arroz con pollo? (Chicken and rice)

223. From what country does saffron come? (Spain)

224. What beverage was reserved for priests and royalty among the Aztecs?(Chocolate)

225. From what kind of plant is tequila extracted?(Agave)

226. What is the largest Spanish-speaking country in South America? (Argentina)

227. Name the mountain range that divides France and Spain… (The Pyrenees, Los pirineos)

228. What is the river that forms part of the border between Mexico and the United States? (The Río Grande/ Río Bravo)

229. Asunción is the capital city of which nation? (Paraguay)

230. In which North American city is Chapultepec Park? (Mexico City)

231. The city of Granada housed which Moorish palace? (The Alhambra)

232. What is the largest country in Central America? (Nicaragua)

233. The official language of the largest South American country is not Spanish. Name the country and the language…. (Brazil, Portuguese)

234. In which city is El Prado located? (Madrid)

235. San Juan is the capital of which Caribbean island? (Puerto Rico)

236. What is the largest city in Spain? (Madrid)

237. Which peninsula did the Mayans inhabit? (Yucatán)

238. What is the largest fresh-water lake in South America? (Lake Titicaca)

239. What South American nation is a member of OPEC? (Venezuela)

240. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of which country? (The United States)

241. In what country is the lost city of Machu Picchu? (Peru)

242. What is the Spanish term for a person of mixed European and Native American?(Mestizo)

243. What would you find at Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City? (Mariachi bands)

244. What is the largest city in the western hemisphere? (Mexico City)

245. Which lake lies between Peru and Bolivia? (Lake Titicaca)

246. What is Colombia’s biggest legal export? (Manufactured goods)

247. Which country shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain? (Portugal)

248. What metal is mined near Taxco? (Silver)

249. In which country is a canal located that the U.S. completed? (Panama)

250. On which continent is Spain located? (Europe)

251. What South American country is named after Simón Bolívar? (Bolivia)

252. In which state of the U.S. is the largest concentration of Cuban-Americans?(Florida)

253. What is the body of water between Baja California and the Mexican mainland?(The Gulf of California)

254. Which South American countries have no outlet to the sea? (Bolivia and Paraguay)

255. Quito is the capital of which South American country? (Ecuador)

256. What is the capital of Peru? (Lima)

257. What is the capital of Argentina? (Buenos Aires)

258. Which three countries border Spain? (Portugal, Andorra and France)

259. What is the largest river in South America? (The Amazon, El Amazonas)

260. What country is named after the equator? (Ecuador)

261. On what continent is Uruguay? (South America)

262. What is the capital of Nicaragua? (Managua)

263. In which country does the Amazon River begin? (Peru)

264. What strait is located between Spain and Morocco? (Gibraltar)

265. What Chilean province, famed for its giant statues, is located over 2000 miles west of the South American coast? (Easter Island, La Isla de Pascua)

266. What is the capital of El Salvador? (San Salvador)

267. What is the English name that is equivalent to Pablo? (Paul)

268. What Spanish-speaking country is located on the island of Hispaniola? (The Dominican Republic)

269. Where will you usually find the primary cathedral in a town? (In the main square, in el zócalo, in la plaza )

270. What is the northernmost Latin American country? (Mexico)

271. What is another name for the Río Grande? (Río Bravo)

272. What South American country is famous for gauchos? (Argentina)

273. Which Caribbean island houses two nations, one French-speaking and one Spanish-speaking? (Hispaniola)

274. The population is greater in which country, Spain or Mexico?(Mexico)

275. What is the capital of Colombia? (Bogotá)

276. What countries border Mexico? (United States, Guatemala, Belize)

277. Where is the largest port in Spain? (Barcelona)

278. How many Spanish-speaking countries are there in South America? (9)

279. Name five of the seven independent states of Central America. (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá)

280. Which sea borders Spain to the south and east? (The Mediterranean)

281. Who was the king of Spain after Franco’s rule? (Juan Carlos de Borbón)

282. From what Spanish-speaking area is Rita Moreno? (Puerto Rico)

283. What is Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar’s nickname? (El Cid)

284. For which national league baseball team did Roberto Clemente play? (Pittsburgh Pirates)

285. What was Francisco Goya’s profession? (Painter)

286. Who is the author of Don Quijote de la Mancha? (Miguel de Cervantes)

287. What music instrument did Pablo Casals play?(Cello, el violonchelo, el chelo)

288. Who was the dictator of Spain during World War II? (Francisco Franco)

289. Who is one of the most important 20th century Spanish writers who was executed in the Spanish Civil War? (Federico García Lorca)

290. Who was Roberto Clemente? (Baseball player)

291. What is the profession of El Cordobés? (Bullfighter, torero)

292. What is a librería? (Book store)

293. Who was the Aztec emperor when Cortés conquered the empire? (Moctezuma II, Montezuma II)

294. What poems became the words to the song “Guantanamera”? (Versos Sencillos)

295. What Mexican-American led migrant workers to better conditions through the United Farm Workers? (César Chávez)

296. What 16th –17th century dramatist is considered the father of Spanish theater?(Félix Lope de Vega)

297. Which group sang with Tony Orlando? (Dawn)

298. What was the nationality of the poet José Martí? (Cuban)

299. What is the nationality of the famous 70´s group “Menudo”? (Puerto Rican)

300. What is the famous, unfinished church located in Barcelona? (La Sagrada Familia)

301. What is Enrique Iglesias’ nationality? (Spanish)

302. What Mexican general negotiated the surrender of Mexico in the Mexican-American War? (López de Santa Anna)

303. What was Julio Iglesias’ profession before he became a singer? (A soccer player)

304. How did Ricky Valens die? (In a plan crash)

305. What famous American film star made his second home in Durango, Mexico?(John Wayne)

306. Name the musical instrument that Andrés Segovia played. (Guitar)

307. Who was the first Latin American woman poet to win the Nobel Prize?(Gabriela Mistral)

308. What Spanish city is the site of García Lorca’s birth and death? (Granada)

309. Who are Gaspar, Melchor and Baltasar? (The Three Kings/Los Reyes Magos/ Three wise men)

310. What did they begin building in Mexico City in 1967 to improve the traffic situation? (The metro)

311. Name Don Quixote’s squire. (Sancho Panza)

312. La Mancha is home to what fictional character? (Don Quixote)

313. On what side of the street do Spaniards drive? (Right side)

314. What famous Puerto Rican woman played in West Side Story? (Rita Moreno)

315. What famous painter was considered French and Spanish? (Pablo Picasso)

316. Who did write Don Juan Tenorio? (José Zorrilla)

317. Why do Spanish people eat 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve? (For good luck)

318. What two animals appear on the Mexican flag? (Eagle and serpent)

319. What Spanish conquistador built a palace in Cuernavaca, Mexico? (Hernán Cortés)

320. What Spanish dictator is buried at the Valle de los Caídos Monument?(Francisco Franco)

321. How many trips did Columbus make to the new world? (Four)

322. Who is considered the national hero of Spain? (El Cid –Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar)

323. What was the name of the feathered-serpent Aztec god? (Quetzalcoatl)

324. Who were the rulers who managed to expel the Moors from Spain?(Los Reyes Católicos—Fernando and Isabel)

325. Who was the Mexican leader at the Alamo? (López de Santa Anna)

326. Where did the Moors come from? (Northern Africa)

327. Who led the northern revolutionary troops in the Mexican Civil War? (Pancho Villa)

328. When would you be able to see a Passion Play in Mexico? (During Holy Week)

329. What are the colors of the Argentine flag? (Light blue and white)

330. Many Hispanic people celebrate this day in addition to their birthday. (Saint’s Day)

331. When is La Noche Vieja? (New Year’s Eve)

332. What is Juanito the nickname for? (Juan)

333. What does it mean when Hispanics tap their elbows with their hands?(Someone is stingy.)

334. What does the green stand for in the Mexican flag? (Independence)

335. What would you buy in a panadería? (Bread)

336. This expression is used when someone sneezes. (Salud/Jesús)

337. What are the afternoon discussions held in a house or salon? (Tertulia)

338. What is depicted in “La danza de los viejitos”? (Old men)

339. What do you call a soap opera in Spanish? (Telenovelas)

340. The Oscar awarded sound track “Al Otro Lado del Río” is the sound track of which movie? (The Motorcycle Diaries)

341. Who is the director of El Laberinto del fauno or Pan’s Labyrinth? Guillermo del Toro)

342. Name the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmaker. (Pedro Almodóvar)

343. Who is the Nicaraguan writer known as the father of Modernism? (Rubén Darío)

344. Who is the Spanish actress that played the role of Raimunda in Volver? (Penélope Cruz)

345. Who was the Guatemalan women that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992? (Rigoberta Menchú)

346. The Argentinean doctor who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1970. (Luis Federico Leloir)

347. The Spanish physician considered one of the founders of modern neuroscience. (Santiago Ramón y Cajal)