Sunday quiz How well do you know these fairy tales
The original version of this fairy tale may have been inspired by the Great Famine of 1315-22.
START THE QUIZ
1 / 10 |
On December 20, 1812, two brothers had their book, Kinder-und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales), published for the first time. They were German academics who were interested in collecting and publishing folklore. The tales had long been passed down orally; stories like ‘Schneewittchen’, ‘Dornröschen’ and ‘Hänsel und Gretel’ are known to have been popular since the early 1700s. Who were these two brothers and how better do we know these stories?
2 / 10 |
‘The Tiger Grandma’ is a Taiwanese/ Chinese fairy tale dating back to the 1600s. It tells the story of a family of two children and a mother. She has to leave the house, so she tells the kids to be careful and not let any strangers in. A tiger disguises itself as their grandmother, gets into the house, and manages to eat the first child before being found out. This is the earliest version of which familiar fairy tale that features a different animal?
3 / 10 |
This story was initially published as ‘Roland and May-Bird’. In the original, a pair of siblings run away from home and enter a forest where their cruel stepmother — a witch — turns them into animals. They eventually find shelter in a house and are saved by a king. This fairy tale may have originated in the mediaeval period during the Great Famine (1315–22), which forced desperate people to abandon young children to fend for themselves. How better do we know this brother-sister pair now?
4 / 10 |
Earth is unique in the Solar System in that it supports life. This is attributed to the fact that it is in a habitable zone round a star where it is neither too hot, nor too cold. This means the planet can support liquid water, one of the most vital ingredients in life as we know it. This zone is named after a popular fairy tale where the protagonist has very specific tastes of ‘not too hot, not too cold’. What is the name given to this zone?
5 / 10 |
In the original version of this fairy tale, the prince falls in love with the protagonist after seeing her body in a coffin. He begs her helpers for the coffin and they eventually give it to him. As his servants carry it back to the palace, they trip on a tree stump and this dislodges a piece of apple that had been suffocating her. The jolt renders her alive again. What fairy tale is this that sounds more plausible than the version we know, where she is saved by his kiss?
6 / 10 |
Kleine-Levin Syndrome is a rare neurological disorder characterised by persistent episodic hypersomnia (excessive time spent sleeping) and cognitive or mood changes. The hypersomnia lasts for about 15-21 hours and leads to excessive appetite. One of the theories for its cause is circadian dysfunction. By what name is this disorder known that refers to a princess who also apparently suffered from hypersomnia?
7 / 10 |
According to a story from the Jataka Tales, there was a beautiful bird with golden feathers who decided to help a poor woman by offering her one of its feathers. One day, the woman became greedy and pulled off all the feathers against her daughter’s wishes. This caused the feathers to turn white and worthless. The same story is found in European fairy tale collections as well. What bird is this that leads to a phrase about short-sighted destruction of a valuable resource?
8 / 10 |
The value and power of using personal names and titles is well established in psychology, management, teaching and trial law. This principle is named after a fairy tale about an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a girl’s firstborn. It’s a rare story where the title refers to the villain. What is the imp’s name, which when translated from German means ‘little rattle stilt’?
9 / 10 |
The very first story traditionally in Kinder-und Hausmärchen is about a spoiled princess who befriends an animal that retrieves her ball and eventually transforms into a prince. This story has been retold many times in popular culture, including a memorable version by the Muppets. What animal is this about?
10 / 10 |
The Youth Protection Revision Act was passed by the South Korean Parliament in 2011. It forbids children under the age of 16 from playing online video games between the hours of 00:00 and 06:00. This was done to “act on preventing and solving Internet addiction, including online games”. Due to the specific time when players have to stop what they are doing, by what name is the law better known?
