Sunday, December 21, 2008

So You Think You Know Your Christmas Plants - The 2008 Christmas Quiz



Three days to go, and just like every year I´ve still got everything to do for Christmas. So before I get too tied up with making the mince pies and wrapping the parcels, here´s this year´s Christmas quiz. You´ll find the answer at the bottom - no cheating please or Father Christmas won´t come ...


1. Two of the gifts brought by the wise men were Frankincense and myrrh, which come from trees of the genera Boswellia and Commiphora respectively. But what are they exactly?

a) a resin which oozes from the bark
b) an oilpaste made by pressing the berry-like fruits
c) a tincture made by soaking the leaves in alcohol

2. Ivy was traditionally hung over the entrance to the house at Christmas time because it was thought it would...

a) bring good luck in the coming year
b) frighten away goblins
c) protect from the plague

3. Something else you may have in the house this Christmas is Euphorbia pulcherrima. What is it?

a) mistletoe
b) holly
c) poinsettia

4. The most well-known Christmas tree in Britain is the one which goes up in Trafalgar Square in London each year. It´s a gift from the people of another European capital. Which one?

a) Oslo (Norway)
b) Stockholm (Sweden)
c) Helsinki (Finland)

5. How do you get your Christmas Cactus to bloom at Christmas?

a) Keep it in low humidity and stop watering around about the beginning of November.
b) Make sure it has 13 or more hours of continuous darkness per day starting around the beginning of October with temperatures between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
c) Keep it on a windowsill and turn it three times a day to ensure it receives light on all sides.

6. Christmas pudding was traditionally called plum pudding. But why, when there are no plums in it?

a) In the 16th century plum was a generic term which referred to any type of dried fruit - including raisins, which are a basic ingredient of the dish.
b) In the 17th century, plum was used as an adjective meaning delicious.
c) In the 13th century it was actually called plumb pudding. Plumb comes from the Latin word for lead, and it was a reference to how your stomach felt after eating it...


To see how you did just scroll down. And if you weren´t around in 2007 or 2006 and want to check out the quizzes for those years too, just click on the links.


OK here are the answers : 1.a; 2.b; 3.c; 4.a; 5.b ; 6.a

What ? 6/6 ? You´re too good for me. I can see I´m going to have to make them more difficult next year.

But till then, have a lovely Christmas - and don´t bother looking for the plums in your plum pudding ...

13 comments:

VP said...

Oooh I love quizes and this one wan't an exception. Thanks Sue :)

Barbee' said...

Cute idea, Sue, and interesting questions and answers. At least I got a few correct.

Anonymous said...

Got only 2 right but I loved it! Very informative.

Jan said...

that was cute:) Merry Christmas to you. Jan

PJ said...

What a fun quiz, except that i got 0/6. Not surprising but it means i know 6 new things that i didn't know before. have a lovely Christmas!

LadyLuz said...

A good quiz, Sue, to get us in the mood.. thanks for that.

I hope the North wind has left now and you're enjoying a milder temperature, as we are - so like Spring here there's lots blooming.

Wishing you and your family Season's Greetings and all good things for 2009.
P.

Anonymous said...

Nowhere near 6/6, but it was fun and I learned something new.

Happy Christmas, Sue, and Health & Happiness for 2009.

compost in my shoe said...

Great quiz...not very good at these. Fun to have the answers immediately..had to cheat a little.

Happy Holidays from Charleston, South Carolina!!

Rock rose said...

Thank you for your Christmas quiz. I learnt a lot. we were just talking about the gifts the three wise men brought and where they came from, on Christmas Eve, when we lit our German Candle Arch.

Anonymous said...

Regretfully only 3/6 but I walk away from this with more knowledge than I had before. Great quiz. Thanks!

kompoStella said...

hullo Sue -
just wanted to stop by and wish you a fabulous new year!

AMIH said...

I know nothing!

Also - I have a Christmas Cactus. It has happily flowered every year for what seems like forever and I've never done anything in its favour except never to turn it round.

This year - no flowers.

New pot?

Have a very happy year ahead.

Lucy

Lucy Corrander said...

Bother - I just left a message which says it was left by 'Collected'.

That was me with the wrong mail-box open.

Apologies.

Lucy

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