Spanish culture and history

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Sancho Panza.

Sancho Panza is Don Quixote's squire, a simple farmer riding alongside the dreamy knight. Don Juan and Doña Inés are characters from a different play, Zorrilla's “Don Juan Tenorio”.

Sancho PanzaWikipedia Photo: Gustave Doré · Public domain

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Margarita Salas.

Margarita Salas was a biochemist whose discovery in molecular biology became one of the CSIC's most profitable patents. Almudena Grandes was a novelist and Montserrat Caballé an opera singer.

Margarita SalasWikipedia Photo: Lefty4ever · Public domain

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Federico García Lorca.

“The House of Bernarda Alba” is Federico García Lorca's last play, written in 1936 shortly before he was killed. Machado was a poet, and Cervantes lived three centuries earlier.

Federico García LorcaWikipedia Photo: Public domain

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Carmen Laforet.

Carmen Laforet's novel “Nada” came out in 1945 and won the very first Nadal Prize. It tells the story of a young woman in hungry post-war Barcelona.

Carmen LaforetWikipedia Photo: Marina Romera · CC BY-SA 4.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Manuel de Falla.

“El amor brujo” (Love, the Magician) is a ballet by Manuel de Falla based on Andalusian themes. Joaquín Rodrigo is known for the “Concierto de Aranjuez” and Isaac Albéniz for the “Iberia” suite.

Manuel de Falla Listen on YouTubeWikipedia Photo: Public domain

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Encender hogueras.

On the night of 23–24 June, San Juan, people light bonfires, especially on beaches, and jump over the flames. Grapes are eaten on New Year's Eve, and books are given on 23 April.

St John's EveWikipedia Photo: Jules Breton · Public domain

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: La guitarra.

The key instrument of flamenco is the guitar, together with singing (cante), dance (baile) and handclaps (palmas). Bagpipes (gaita) are played in Galicia and Asturias.

guitar Listen on YouTubeWikipedia Photo: Jaime Mas · CC BY-SA 3.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: directora de cine.

Isabel Coixet is a film director from Barcelona. Her films “My Life Without Me” and “The Secret Life of Words” won Goya awards.

Isabel CoixetWikipedia Photo: Carlos Delgado · CC BY-SA 4.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Rosalía.

Rosalía is the best-known Spanish singer today; she mixes flamenco with pop and has won many Latin Grammys. Marisol and Lola Flores were stars of past decades.

Rosalía Listen on YouTubeWikipedia Photo: Junta de Andalucía · CC BY-SA 2.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Córdoba.

The Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba was built during the Caliphate of Córdoba, and after the Reconquista a Christian cathedral was built inside it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mosque-Cathedral of CordobaWikipedia Photo: Timor Espallargas · CC BY-SA 2.5

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: En Granada.

The Alhambra is the palace of the Nasrid sultans in Granada, the last Muslim kingdom on the peninsula. Granada fell in 1492, the year the Reconquista ended.

AlhambraWikipedia Photo: Jebulon · CC0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Pilar Miró.

Pilar Miró was a film director (“The Crime of Cuenca”) who later ran film policy at the Ministry of Culture and headed RTVE. Sara Baras is a flamenco dancer and Penélope Cruz an actress.

Pilar Mercedes Miró RomeroWikipedia Photo: Ministerio de la Presidencia. Gobierno de España (Pool Moncloa) · Attribution

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: El infinito en un junco.

Irene Vallejo wrote “El infinito en un junco” (published in English as “Papyrus”), a book about the history of books. “The Time in Between” is a novel by María Dueñas, and “The Path” is by Miguel Delibes.

Irene VallejoWikipedia Photo: Santiago Basallo · CC BY-SA 4.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Consejo Superior de investigaciones Científicas (CSIC).

The CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) is Spain's largest public research organisation. The RAE deals with the language, and the SGAE protects copyright.

Spanish National Research CouncilWikipedia Photo: Luis García (Zaqarbal) · CC BY-SA 3.0 es

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: guitarrista.

Paco de Lucía was a flamenco guitarist from Algeciras who made the genre famous worldwide. Even people who don't listen to flamenco know his “Entre dos aguas”.

Paco de Lucía Listen on YouTubeWikipedia Photo: Cornel Putan · CC BY 2.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Nochebuena.

24 December is Nochebuena, Christmas Eve. Families get together for a festive dinner; it is the main family evening of Christmas.

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: cocinero.

Juan Mari Arzak is a Basque chef from San Sebastián and one of the creators of the new Basque cuisine. His restaurant Arzak has held three Michelin stars for many years.

Juan Mari ArzakWikipedia Photo: Irekia · CC BY 2.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Una defensora de los derechos de la mujer.

Clara Campoamor was a lawyer and member of parliament who in 1931 won the vote for women in the Cortes. Spanish women first voted in a general election in 1933.

Clara CampoamorWikipedia Photo: Virgilio Muro (1891-1967) · Public domain

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Villancicos.

Christmas carols in Spain are called villancicos. The jota is a folk dance from Aragon, and flamenco has nothing to do with Christmas.

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: fútbol.

La Liga is the football league and the Copa del Rey the King's Cup. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético compete in both.

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Vicente Aleixandre.

Vicente Aleixandre, a poet of the Generation of '27, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1977. María Zambrano was a philosopher and Picasso a painter.

Vicente AleixandreWikipedia Photo: Anefo · CC0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Los sanfermines.

The Sanfermines in Pamplona run from 6 to 14 July, and the famous bull runs (encierros) start on the morning of 7 July. Las Fallas are held in Valencia in March, and the April Fair in Seville.

San FermínWikipedia Photo: JLVwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: campeones paraolímpicos.

Teresa Perales is a swimmer with more than twenty Paralympic medals. Daniel Molina competes in paratriathlon. Both are Paralympic sports stars, not musicians or actors.

Teresa Perales, 1st Marchioness of PeralesWikipedia Photo: Carlos Delgado · CC BY-SA 3.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Uvas.

On New Year's Eve people eat 12 grapes, one for each chime of the clock at midnight. The chimes are traditionally broadcast from the Puerta del Sol in Madrid.

Twelve GrapesWikipedia Photo: Carlos Delgado · CC BY-SA 3.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Maruja Mallo.

“La verbena” was painted by Maruja Mallo in 1927. She was an artist of the Generation of '27 and one of the “Las Sinsombrero” group. Carmen Maura and Clara Lago are actresses.

Maruja MalloWikipedia Photo: Public domain

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Museo Reina Sofía.

“Guernica” hangs in the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, where it was moved in 1992. The Prado holds classic art up to the 19th century and does not have “Guernica”.

GuernicaWikipedia Photo: Ciberprofe · CC BY-SA 4.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Mercè Rodoreda.

Mercè Rodoreda wrote in Catalan; her best-known novel is “La plaça del Diamant” (In Diamond Square). Grandes and Matute wrote in Spanish.

Mercè RodoredaWikipedia Photo: Vilallonga · CC BY-SA 2.5

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: La cristiana, la judía y la musulmana.

In medieval Spain, Christians, Jews and Muslims lived side by side. Toledo under Alfonso X, where translators from all three cultures worked together, is the best-known example.

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: el Día de la Constitución.

6 December is Constitution Day: on that day in 1978 the Constitution was approved by referendum. Columbus reached America on 12 October, and Book Day is 23 April.

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Córdoba.

In the time of the Caliphate, Córdoba was one of the largest cities in Europe: medicine, astronomy and mathematics were studied there, and the caliph's library was famous throughout the Muslim world.

Madinat Al-ZahraWikipedia Photo: Wwal · CC BY-SA 3.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Bilbao.

The Guggenheim Museum is in Bilbao. Its titanium building was designed by Frank Gehry and opened in 1997. It changed the city so much that people coined the term “Bilbao effect”.

Guggenheim Museum BilbaoWikipedia Photo: Naotake Murayama · CC BY 2.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: escritores.

The Cervantes Prize is the most important literary award in the Spanish-speaking world and goes to writers. The ceremony is held on 23 April in Alcalá de Henares, Cervantes's birthplace.

Miguel de Cervantes PrizeWikipedia Photo: Heralder · CC BY-SA 3.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Premio Goya.

The Goyas are Spain's national film awards, the Spanish “Oscars”. The Nobel and Cervantes prizes have nothing to do with cinema.

Goya AwardsWikipedia Photo: www.premiosgoya.com · CC BY-SA 4.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Los Premios Princesa de Asturias.

The Princess of Asturias Awards are presented every year in Oviedo for science, culture, sport and humanitarian work. The name comes from the title of the heir to the throne.

Princess of Asturias AwardsWikipedia Photo: Buho07 · CC BY-SA 4.0

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: El fútbol.

Football is the most popular sport in Spain. Skiing and golf exist too, but they are not mass sports.

CorrectWrong

Correct answer: Carlos Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz is a tennis player from Murcia who became world number one at 19. Pau Gasol played basketball, and Carlos Sainz is a racing driver.

Carlos AlcarazWikipedia Photo: Like tears in rain · CC BY-SA 4.0