1. What is the highest mountain in France? (Mont Blanc)

Here are some end of term questions which will widen students’ cultural knowledge! I sometimes do them as a team game with advanced groups, e.g. in the UK “University Challenge” style (with a starter question – first on the buzzer, followed by four extra questions where the team can confer. If the questions seem too hard for your group, why not turn them into multi-choice format? Or how about a Millionaire format? The questions can (should!) be done in French, of course, with advanced groups.

1.                   What is the highest mountain in France? (Mont Blanc)

3.                   Because of its geographical shape, to what mathematical figure is France often likened? (Hexagon)

4.                   Which is larger, a “département” or a “région”? (région)

5.                   Name two mountain ranges in France. (Alps, Pyrenees, Jura, Vosges, Massif Central)

6.                   What is usually considered France’s second largset city? (Lyons)

7.                   What is the regional capital of Brittany? (Rennes)

8.                   Which remarkable off shore island with an abbey at its summit is to be found on the border of Normandy and Brittany? (Mont St Michel)

9.                   Name two English Channel ports along the French coast. (Dunquerque, Calais, Boulogne, Le Havre, Dieppe, Cherbourg, Caen (Ouistreham), St Malo, Roscoff.

10.               Name the French port on the Atlantic coast which is the chief town of the Charente département. (La Rochelle)

11.               What is the name of the canal which links Bordeaux on the Atlantic to Narbonne on the Mediterranean? (Canal du Midi)

12.               Which region is most associated with the dairy industry and the production, for example, of Camembert cheese? (Normandy)

13.               Which mountaneous region is Grenoble associated with? (Alps)

14.               How many countries have a border with France? 5,6 or 7? (7)

15.               What is also known as the “Ile de la Beauté”? (Corsica)

16.               What is France’s largest port? (Marseille)

17.               Which area of mountains is most associated with volcanic remains? (Massif Central)

18.               Which river flows through the cities of Paris and Rouen? (Seine)

19.               Which major river flows through the city of Lyons? (Rhone)

20.               Which city is the hub of the “Ile de France”? (Paris)

 

Travel and Tourism

1. 
   Name Paris’s main international airport. (Roissy Charles de Gaulle)
   
2. 
   Which motorway links Paris with the northern city of Lille? A1, A6 or A26) (A1)
   
3. 
   What is the name of France’s high speed train? (TGV)
   
4. 
   What would one expect to visit during a tour of the Loire valley? (Chateaux – accept wineries)
   
5. 
   On which sea coast would you find the “Côte d’Azur”? (Mediterranean)
   
6. 
   On which sea coast would you find the “Côte d’Opale”? (English Channel)
   
7. 
   What is the nearest French port to the town of Dover in the UK? (Calais)
   
8. 
   What is the farthest west French channel port? (Roscoff)
   
9. 
   Why is the A6 called the “Autoroute du Soleil”? (because it goes south to the Mediterranean)
   
10. 
    Name one river famous in France for its gorges. (Tarn, Aveyron, Verdon)
    
11. 
    What is the longest suspension bridge in France? (pont de Normandie)
    
12. 
    Name a two major theme parks in France. (Disneyland Paris, Parc Astérix, Futuroscope)
    
13. 
    Ajaccio is the main city of which French offshore département? (Corsica)
    
14. 
    What is the name of the railway station in Paris from which trains depart for London? (Gare du Nord)
    
15. 
    Which area of the south of France is famous for its horses and wild bulls? (Camargue)
    
16. 
    Who built the Pont du Gard near the city of Nîmes? (the Romans)
    
17. 
    What type of theme park is Futuroscope? (based on the moving image0
    
18. 
    Near which city would you find Futuroscope? Lyon, Rouen or Poitiers? (Poitiers)
    
19. 
    In which city associated with the aerospace industry would you find the “Cité de l’Espace”? Toulon, Toulouse or Paris? (Toulouse)
    
20. 
    Which Mediterranean city has an annual film festival? (Cannes)
    

1. 
   Where is the annual 24 hour motor race held? (Le Mans)
   
2. 
   Who was Alain Prost? (world Formula 1 champion)
   
3. 
   Which famous footballer has the initials ZZ? (Zinédine Zidane)
   
4. 
   Waht is the national football team called? Les Rouges, Les Blancs or Les Bleus? (Les Bleus)
   
5. 
   What is the French national stadium called? (Stade de France)
   
6. 
   What major sporting event was held in Paris in 2003? (World Athletics Championships)
   
7. 
   What sport is played at the Stade Roland Garros? (Tennis)
   
8. 
   What is “pétanque”? (French bowls or boules)
   
9. 
   In a football game, if you were “hors jeu”, what would be your problem? (off side)
   
10. 
    For which soccer team did Thierry Henry play in 2004? (Arsenal)
    
11. 
    What is the name of the most famous Parisian soccer team? (Paris Saint Germain – PSG)
    
12. 
    Which sport was famously played by Serge Blanco? (rugby)
    
13. 
    What is the symbol of French sport? (cockerel)
    
14. 
    Where does the “Tour de France” always finish? (Paris – Champs-Elysées)
    
15. 
    Who wears the “maillot jaune”? (the race leader at the time)
    
16. 
    Which popular French sport would you most associate with the port of la Rochelle? (sailing)
    
17. 
    What is “alpinisme”? (climbing)
    
18. 
    Which sport was played by Michel Platini? (football)
    
19. 
    What is “Le jeu de 13” known as in the rest of the English-speaking world? (rugby league)
    
20. 
    Which little known sport is played in the basque area of south-western France? (pelota)
    

1. 
   Which civil airliner is assembled in Toulouse by Aérospatiale? (Airbus)
   
2. 
   What does the company Danone make? (dairy produce e.g. yogurt)
   
3. 
   Name the two major car manufacturers in France? (Peugeot-Citroën and Renault)
   
4. 
   Which company famously built the 2CV and DS cars? (Citroën)
   
5. 
   What does TGV stand for? (Train à Grande Vitesse)
   
6. 
   What is the brand name Estée Lauder associated with? (perfume)
   
7. 
   Which naturally grown product is the basis for the perfume industry? (lavender)
   
8. 
   Which industry is known in French as “couture”? (clothes, fashion)
   
9. 
   What is France’s primary source of electricity? Nuclear, coal or gas? (nuclear)
   
10. 
    What is the Mirage? (Jet fighter)
    
11. 
    Name one of France’s main naval ports. (Brest, Toulon or Lorient)
    
12. 
    What is built at St Nazaire, near Nantes? Trains, ships or cars? (Ships)
    
13. 
    The production of soap is associated with which major city? Marseille or Lyon? (Marseille)
    
14. 
    What industry are the names of Elf and Total associated with? (oil)
    
15. 
    What industry are the areas of Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone valley associated with? (wine)
    
16. 
    What is famously manufactured in Dijon? (mustard)
    
17. 
    What is famously produced in Vichy? (mineral water)
    
18. 
    What important part of a car is produced by Michelin in Clermont Ferrand? (tyres)
    
19. 
    What is the name of the rocket designed by the European Space agency, in which France has a major stake? (Ariane)
    
20. 
    Where is the recently contructed viaduct, one of the longest in the world? (Millau)
    

1.                   In which southern city would you expect to be able to eat cassoulet? (Toulouse)

3.                   What type of cheese is roquefort? (blue – ewe’s milk)

4.                   In wine making, what is the “méthode traditionnelle”? (how Champagne is made)

5.                   What type of wine is associated with Rheims and Epernay? (Champagne)

6.                   What are “bêtises de Cambrai”? Sweets, nuts or chocolates)? (Sweets)

7.                   Where does nougat come from? Montélimar or Montauban? (Montélimar)

8.                   What is bouillabaisse? (fish soup)

9.                   What is ratatouille? (mixture of cooked Mediterranean vegetables e.g. peppers, tomato, onion)

10.               What is Maximes in Paris? (restaurant)

11.               What can you see every day at Les Halles in Paris? (large market)

12.               What are moules marinière? (mussels cooked in white wine)

13.               What are cuisses de grenouille? (frogs legs)

14.               In a restaurant what is a pourboire? (tip)

15.               What do the French usually consider to be their most popular everyday dish? (steak and chips)

16.               If you order a steak “saignant”, how will it be cooked? (rare)

17.               If you order a steak “bleu”, how will it be cooked? (it won’t be – well, hardly at all)

18.               What type of seafood is “cultivated” widely in the area of Rochefort and La Rochelle? (oysters)

19.               What is an “apéritif”? (drink before meal)

20.               Calvados is a strong spirit based on which fruit? (apple)

 

Francophonie

1.                   What are DOM-TOM? (overseas territories and départements)

3.                   In which ocean would you find La Réunion island? (Indian)

4.                   Of the coast of which major country would you find St Pierre et Miquelon? (Canada)

5.                   Name two other European countries where French is widely spoken. (Belgium, Switzerland)

6.                   What is the capital of Switzerland? (Berne)

7.                   Name one North African country where French is widely understood. (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria)

8.                   With which country was France at war in the 1950s and early 1960s? (Algeria)

9.                   In which Canadian province is French the main language? (Quebec)

10.               What is the largest city in Quebec? (Montreal)

11.               In Quebec what would a “breuvage” be? (word for drink)

12.               In Quebec what is a hot dog known as? (chien chaud)

13.               Which French leader famously pronounced “Vive le Québec libre”? (General de Gaulle)

14.               What is the other language spoken in Belgium, apart from French? (Flemish)

15.               In which French-speaking country is the town of Liège? (Belgium)

16.               In Canada there is a major river called the St Laurent. What is it called in English? (St Lawrence)

17.               In Switzerland, there are three other recognized languages apart from French. Name two of them. (Italian, German, Romansch)

18.               What is the French name (and official name, indeed) of what we know in English as the Ivory Coast? (Côte d’Ivoire)

19.               Dakar is the capital of which African country? (Senegal)

20.               Which currency is used by several west and central African countries, former colonies of France? (franc)

 

History

1.                   In which year were the Normandy beaches re-taken by allied forces? (1944)

3.                   Which socialist president came to power in 1981 and served for 14 years? (François Mitterrand)

4.                   What was the Maginot Line? (defensive line against potential German invasion prior to WW2)

5.                   Who was Maréchal Pétain? (WW1 hero who became pro-German leader of unoccupied France in WW2)

6.                   In which year was the French revolution? (1789)

7.                   Where was Napoleon Bonaparte born? (Corsica)

8.                   Who was Guillaume le Conquérant? (William the Conqueror, William Duke of Normandy)

9.                   From which part of Europe had the Normans originated? (Scandinavia – they were Vikings – “norsemen”)

10.               Joan of Arc was know as the maid of which city? (Orléans)

11.               The Dordogne valley was the scene of many battles during which war? (100 years war)

12.               What agreement was signed between France and the UK in 1904? (Entente Cordiale)

13.               When did France sign the Treaty of Rome to found the Common Market (EU)? 1954, 1957, 1965? (1957)

14.               Name two other countries in the original six? (Italy, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Belgium, West Germany)

15.               Who was known as the sun king? Louis 14, 15 or 16? (14)

16.               Which famous sea battle in 1805 was lost to the British during the Napoleonic wars? (Trafalgar)

17.               What were the three famous watchwords of the revolution? (liberté, égalité, fraternité)

18.               Who allegedly said of the peasants in 18^th century France “let them eat bread”? (Marie Antoinette)

19.               Who were France’s principal two allies by the end of the First World war? (Britain and the USA)

20.               Who was Georges Pompidou? (French president in the 1970s)

 

The arts

1.                   Who had a famous garden in Giverny? (Monet)

3.                   What did Degas famously paint, for example? (ballet dancers, horses)

4.                   In what style did Sisley, Manet and Morrissot paint? (impressionist)

5.                   Which composer wrote the Symphonie Fantastique? (Hector Berlioz)

6.                   Which filmmaker directed Les 400 Coups, Jules et Jim and Le Dernier Métro? (François Truffaut)

7.                   The director Luc Besson directed two movies the titles of which refer to a means of transport. Which one? (Taxi)

8.                   What are Francis Cabrel and Jean-Jacques Goldmann? (singers)

9.                   Who sang Je ne regrette rien? (Edith Piaf)

10.               Name a flower that Monet famously painted. (poppies, waterlilies)

11.               Which artistic movement is Pablo Picasso most associated with? (cubism)

12.               Who wrote The Outsider and The Plague? (Albert Camus)

13.               Who wrote a whole series of novels based around the Rougeon-Macquart family and is often considered the father of naturalism? (Emile Zola)

14.               Which mathematician-philosopher said “I think, therefore I am”. (René Descartes)

15.               Who is MC Solar? (a rap artist)

16.               Which French writer-philosopher is most associated with existentialism? (Jean-Paul Sartre)

17.               Who was Manon des Sources? (female character from Pagnol novel and film thereof by Claude Berri)

18.               Who wrote Les Misérables? (Victor Hugo)

19.               In Voltaire’s Candide, what was it said that we should cultivate – our plants, our garden or our intellect? (garden)

20.               Who was Ingres? A painter, musician or poet? (Painter)

 

Media

1.                   What is France’s largest circulation newspaper? le Monde, Le Figaro or Ouest France? (Ouest France)

3.                   What is Paris Match? (a picture magazine about celebrities)

4.                   What is the most popular French TV channel? (TF1)

5.                   What are France Inter, France Culture and France Infos? (radio stations)

6.                   What is an “internaute”? (internet user)

7.                   In which general area of France would you buy the Dépêche du Midi? (south)

8.                   If you watched the “météo” on TV, what would you be watching? (weather forecast)

9.                   How many main terrestrial channels are there on French TV? 4, 6 or 8? (6 – in 2004)

10.               What is a parabole? (satellite dish)

11.               If you were watching a channel described as numérique, what would that mean? (digital)

12.               What political party does L’Humanité support? Communist, liberal or conservative? (Communist)

13.               For whom is the magazine l’Etudiant written?

14.               What is Wanadoo? (internet service provider)

15.               Why is the tirage of a newspaper so important to it? (circulation)

16.               What is a spot publicitaire? (commercial)

17.               What are the petites annonces in a paper? (small ads)

18.               What is Canal Plus? (popular pay TV channel)

19.               What is the name of the Europe-wide French speaking TV channel broadcast via satellite? (TV5)

20.               There is a terrestrial channel called M6. What does the M stand for? (métro)

 

False friends – these words sound like words in English, but they do not mean the same. What do they mean?

1.                   parking (car park)

3.                   pressing (dry cleaners)

4.                   inconvénient (drawback) (inconvenient = incommode or inopportun)

5.                   location (rental) (location = lieu, endroit)

6.                   comédien (actor) (comedian = acteur comique, comique )

7.                   joli (pretty) (jolly = de bonne humeur, souriant)

8.                   look (image) (look = regard, regarder)

9.                   machiniste (stagehand, roadie) (machinist = un outilleur)