Megan Moran Quizzes

France quiz

From flying Easter bells to a village that has banned UFOs, France is full of surprises. These 20 questions are a taster of the book, covering history, food, art, sport and some wonderfully odd French facts. See how many you can get right, then challenge your family and friends.

20 questions from The Great French Quiz Book by Megan Moran, coming soon.

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  1. Question 1 of 20French Geography

    Metropolitan France shares a land border with how many countries?

  2. Question 2 of 20French History

    Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in which city?

  3. Question 3 of 20French History

    Which French physician promoted the use of the guillotine as a humane method of execution?

  4. Question 4 of 20Paris

    The Musée d’Orsay is housed in which type of former building?

  5. Question 5 of 20French Culture & Traditions

    Which French Easter tradition involves church bells falling silent and flying to Rome on Maundy Thursday, returning on Easter Sunday to drop chocolate for children?

  6. Question 6 of 20French Culture & Traditions

    The tradition of the ‘galette des rois’ (King’s Cake) is associated with which French celebration?

  7. Question 7 of 20Food & Drink

    Which classic French chicken dish is named for the improbable quantity of a single ingredient it contains?

  8. Question 8 of 20Food & Drink

    Which chilled potato and leek soup, created in New York by French chef Louis Diat, is based on his mother’s soup from the Bourbonnais?

  9. Question 9 of 20Art & Artists

    The term ‘Impressionism’ was originally coined as an insult based on which Monet painting?

  10. Question 10 of 20Art & Artists

    Yves Klein is famous for developing his own shade of which colour, known as ‘IKB’?

  11. Question 11 of 20Literature & Philosophy

    The Prix Goncourt is famously symbolic rather than lucrative – how much is the monetary award?

  12. Question 12 of 20French Style & Design

    The ‘Kelly bag’, one of the world’s most sought-after handbags, was renamed after which famous wearer?

  13. Question 13 of 20French Language

    Which of these French words is a ‘false friend’ – it looks like the English word ‘library’ but means something different?

  14. Question 14 of 20French TV & Film

    Which 2011 French silent black-and-white film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the first French film to do so?

  15. Question 15 of 20Music

    Which French singer popularised the song ‘My Way’ in French (‘Comme d’habitude’) before it was adapted into English?

  16. Question 16 of 20Sport

    Jeu de paume, the French ‘game of the palm’, is the direct forerunner of which modern sport?

  17. Question 17 of 20Famous French People

    Antoine Lavoisier is often called the ‘Father of Modern Chemistry’. How did he die?

  18. Question 18 of 20Landmarks & Attractions

    The Eiffel Tower was originally intended to be a temporary structure. How long was it initially planned to stand?

  19. Question 19 of 20Curiously French

    Which French town has a bylaw, passed in 1954, forbidding flying saucers and UFOs from landing within its boundaries?

  20. Question 20 of 20Curiously French

    France has a commune with one of the shortest place names in the world — a single letter. What is it?

Answer all 20 to see your score.

These questions come from The Great French Quiz Book, coming soon with 730 more questions like them.

Can't wait? See the quiz books that are out now.

Show all the answers
  1. Metropolitan France shares a land border with how many countries? 8
  2. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in which city? Rouen
  3. Which French physician promoted the use of the guillotine as a humane method of execution? Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
  4. The Musée d’Orsay is housed in which type of former building? A railway station
  5. Which French Easter tradition involves church bells falling silent and flying to Rome on Maundy Thursday, returning on Easter Sunday to drop chocolate for children? Les cloches de Pâques (Easter bells)
  6. The tradition of the ‘galette des rois’ (King’s Cake) is associated with which French celebration? Epiphany (6 January)
  7. Which classic French chicken dish is named for the improbable quantity of a single ingredient it contains? Poulet aux quarante gousses d’ail
  8. Which chilled potato and leek soup, created in New York by French chef Louis Diat, is based on his mother’s soup from the Bourbonnais? Vichyssoise
  9. The term ‘Impressionism’ was originally coined as an insult based on which Monet painting? Impression, Sunrise
  10. Yves Klein is famous for developing his own shade of which colour, known as ‘IKB’? Blue
  11. The Prix Goncourt is famously symbolic rather than lucrative – how much is the monetary award? €10
  12. The ‘Kelly bag’, one of the world’s most sought-after handbags, was renamed after which famous wearer? Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco
  13. Which of these French words is a ‘false friend’ – it looks like the English word ‘library’ but means something different? Librairie
  14. Which 2011 French silent black-and-white film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the first French film to do so? The Artist
  15. Which French singer popularised the song ‘My Way’ in French (‘Comme d’habitude’) before it was adapted into English? Claude François
  16. Jeu de paume, the French ‘game of the palm’, is the direct forerunner of which modern sport? Tennis
  17. Antoine Lavoisier is often called the ‘Father of Modern Chemistry’. How did he die? Guillotined during the Reign of Terror
  18. The Eiffel Tower was originally intended to be a temporary structure. How long was it initially planned to stand? 20 years
  19. Which French town has a bylaw, passed in 1954, forbidding flying saucers and UFOs from landing within its boundaries? Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  20. France has a commune with one of the shortest place names in the world — a single letter. What is it? Y