Traditions Quiz 1

Starter level quiz all about Chinese traditions
1. The musical intrument called a 'pipa' is a type of what?
lute
bell
horn
music, guzheng
Guzheng is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the zither family of string instruments

2. Firecrackers are usually which color in China?
blue
yellow
red
lantern festival, festival, fujian
Lantern Festival, Daoist parade of gods (Ngi?ng-s?ng) in Luoyuan, Fuzhou. Image by LuHungnguong available under a Creative Commons License

3. The Yi Jing (I Ching) system of fortune telling has a system of how many hexagrams?
66
100
64
Yi Jing, I Ching, Song dynasty
A page from a Song Dynasty (960-1279) printed book of the I Ching (Yi Jing, Classic of Changes or Book of Changes) , 17.7x11.9cm, printed book, in the National Central Library in Taipei. Image by Song era print artist available under a Creative Commons License

4. Which astrological animal heads the sequence of twelve?
horse
tiger
rat
Hong Kong, zodiac, sculpture
The Garden of the Chinese Zodiac features twelve carved animals in the gardens of Kowloon Walled City Park, Hong Kong

5. Dowager Empress Cixi was very fond of which dog breed?
Shih tzu
Chow
Pekingese
dog, han dynasty, pottery
A pottery dog from the Chinese Han Dynasty. Image by Gary Lee Todd available under a Creative Commons License

6. An ink stone is used for what?
grinding ink
absorbing ink
paperweight
imperial inscription, vermillion,  calligraphy, Emperor Qianlong
Part of a memorandum from a high official with a vermillion ink note added by Emperor Qianlong.

7. What is Dimsum?
stuffed boiled dough
tofu blocks
steamed rice
Guangdong, Shenzhen, food, shop
A store at Shenzhen Baoan Xixiang market, Guangdong. 2014 Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

8. Where might you find a man riding a hen?
on a roof
in a Lion dance
in a Mahjong set

9. Which would you NOT expect to find in a Chinese garden?
pavilion
bridge
lawn
chinoiserie, chinese bridge, garden
Chinese bridge. Apremont Gardens, France. Image by Parc floral available under a Creative Commons License

10. Which plant is mentioned in the Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum'?
chrysanthemum
orchid
lotus
Buddhism , Mount Emei, Sichuan, elephant
Golden palace at the top of Mount Emei, Sichaun with the world's highest status of Pǔxián Púsà 賢菩薩.

11. What is an 'eye' in mahjong?
blue dragon
50 points
a pair of tiles
mahjong, game
Playing mahjong at Seattle's Chinatown-International District Night Market, Hing Hay Park, International District, Seattle, Washington. Image by Joe Mabel available under a Creative Commons License

12. Confucius and Lao Zi are both said to have lived how long ago?
1,000 years
1,500 years
2,500 years
Confucius, Beijing
Statue of Confucius at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) Beijing

13. How many types of dragon are there in mahjong?
none
1
3
teahouse, people, mahjong
Drinking tea and playing Mahjong in a park Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

14. Losing what is considered a disaster in China?
memory
face
weight
Gansu, desert, people
Walking on the Taklimakan desert sand dunes near Dunhuang, Gansu

15. The Erhu is the most common traditional stringed instrument, how many strings does it have?
8
2
4
Dunhuang, Gansu, music
Musicians in paradise, Yulin cave 25, Dunhuang, Tang Dynasty
Image available under a Creative Commons license

16. Which was traditionally NOT added to tea as a flavoring?
sugar
orange peel
jasmine
Fujian, tea plantation
Tea in flower at a plantation in Fujian Province

17. The chrysanthemum represents which season?
summer
autumn
none
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum design motif (Plate 92) available under a Creative Commons License

18. In the Dragon dance, the dragon(s) typically chase what?
pearl
chyrsanthemem
sun
dance, dragon, Foshan, people
Copyright © Dreamstime see image license

19. When is the next dragon astrological year?
2050
2042
2036
silk, dragon
Silk embroidery of Chinese dragon

20. Which color was reserved for the roof tiles of Imperial buildings?
blue
yellow
brown
Qing dynasty, Beihai Park, Beijing, roof
Beijing park pavilion roof
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