Question 1: Name a famous French novelist:

• Victor Hugo
• Paul Cézanne
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
• Edgar Degas

Question 2: Joseph Kessel (1898 - 1979) was a naturalised French citizen of Argentinian origin. What is he best known for?

• The only writer to receive the Goncourt prize twice: the first time in 1956 under his real name for The Roots of Heaven, the second in 1975 under the pseudonym Emile Ajar for Life Ahead.
• Reporter and novelist, elected a member of the Académie Française in 1962.
• A painter - one of the founders of abstract art
• Athlete and veteran of World War II, won the marathon at the 1956 Olympic Games

Question 3: Miriam Makeba (1932 - 2008) was a naturalised French citizen of South African origin. What is she best known for?

• Discovered the atom at the start of the 20th century. Entombed at the Panthéon in Paris
• Engaged in the struggle against apartheid and the first South African singer (Pata, Pata) to win a Grammy Award
• A journalist, screenwriter, writer and politician, co-founder of the Express, and two times Secretary of State
• A French poet and writer

Question 4: When were the Three Glorious Days (les Trois Glorieuses)?

• 27th, 28th and 29th July 1830
• 23rd, 24th and 25th February 1848
• 12th, 13th and 14th July 1789
• 7th, 8th and 9th November 1799

Question 5: What is meant by the principal of "Fraternity" in France?

• Employers should always employ a native-born French person first (if available), before anyone of different ethnicity
• This principal applies specifically to discrimination on the basis of origin, religion or sex - which is forbidden
• The principal that French companies are solely responsible for funding the social security system.
• General solidarity amongst citizens - illustrated by the social security system, founded in 1945 and financed by companies and those in employment

Question 6: Which of the following relates to the end of the 18th Century AD?

• Henri IV who gave protestants leave to practice their religion via the Edict of Nantes
• Molière the most famous French playwright who lived at the time of Louis XIV (author of the Miser, l’Avare) (the modern epoch)
• The philosophers of the Enlightenment: Rousseau, Voltaire and Diderot whose works promoted tolerance and the freedom of thought
• The first French Revolution

Question 7: How many French Regions are there?

• 18
• 12
• 13
• 5

Question 8: How many French cities have more than 500,000 inhabitants?

• 12
• 6
• 17
• 10

Question 9: Andrée Chedid (1920 - 2011) was a naturalised French citizen born in Egypt, Cairo, to a Syrian mother and a Lebanese father. For what is she best known?

• The first recognised black singer/dancer. She distinguished herself in the Resistance during the Second World War
• A French poet and writer.
• A singer known for numerous popular successes including "Bambino", "Il venait d’avoir 18 ans" and Laissez-moi danser" ("just turned 18" and "let me dance")
• An actress in numerous films including "Le Prénom" and TV series such as "Avocats et Associés"

Question 10: When did the European Union's bill of rights, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, become legally binding in France?

• In 1992 via the Maastricht Treaty (the Treaty on European Union)
• In 1957 via the Treaty of Rome
• 1 January 2002
• 1 December 2009 when the Lisbon Treaty, signed 13 December 2007, came into force.

Question 11: When was the third republic formed?

• 1830
• 1848
• 1875
• 1885

Question 12: What were the estimated numbers of deaths in the First and Second World War respectively?

• 50 million, 9 million
• 8 millinon, 50 million
• 9 million, 50 million
• 8 million, 30 million

Question 13: Who was the Allies' supreme military commander present at the signing of the armistice that ended the First World War?

• Field Marshal (Maréchal) Ferdinand Foch
• Admiral Rosslyn Wemyss
• Rear-Admiral George Hope
• General Maxime Weygand,

Question 14: Who led the French resistance against the German army in World War II?

• Charles de Gaulle (1890 - 1970)
• Marshal Pétain (1856 – 1951)
• Henri Giraud (1879 - 1949)
• Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (1902 – 1947)

Question 15: What is guaranteed by the principal of "Equality" in the French Republic?

• All citizens have the same rights regardless of sex, origin, religion or sexual orientation
• All men have the same rights regardless of origin, religion or sexual orientation
• All citizens have the same rights regardless of sex, origin or religion. Some rights are limited depending on sexual orientation
• All citizens have the same rights regardless of sex, sexual orientation and origin. Some rights are limited depending on religion

Question 16: How many French Departments are there?

• 96
• 101
• 111
• 98

Question 17: Place these French personages in their correct historical order:

• Jeanne d'Arc, Clovis, Henri IV, The Sun King (Louis XIV)
• Clovis, Jeanne d'Arc, Henri IV, The Sun King (Louis XIV)
• Clovis, Jeanne d'Arc, The Sun King (Louis XIV), Henri IV
• Clovis, Henri IV, Jeanne d'Arc, The Sun King (Louis XIV)

Question 18: Who initiated the civil unrest and French general strikes of May 1968 which affected French society for decades afterwards?

• The National Student Union
• Workers at the South Aviation plant near the city of Nantes
• Students at the Nanterre campus of the University of Paris
• Workers at the Renault manufacturing complexes in the Seine Valley

Question 19: What religious symbols can be worn by students in French schools?

• The Hijab (a veil worn by some Muslim women in the presence of any male outside of their immediate family)
• The Christian cross
• The Kirpan (a sword or small dagger carried by Sikhs)
• None of the above

Question 20: When was the French law authorising abortion, prepared by Simone Veil, passed?

• 1985
• 1965
• 1995
• 1975

Question 21: Which three principals are guaranteed by the French Republic?

• Freedom, equality and secularism (liberte, égalité et laïcité - the principle of separation of civil society and religious society.)
• Freedom, equality and fraternity (liberte, égalité et fraternité)
• Freedom, fraternity and secularism
• Freedom, secularism and equality

Question 22: Place these French writters in their correct historical order:

• Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, a.k.a. Molière, François-Marie Arouet, a.k.a. Voltaire, Denis Diderot, Victor Hugo
• Victor Hugo, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, a.k.a. Molière, François-Marie Arouet, a.k.a. Voltaire, Denis Diderot
• Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, a.k.a. Molière, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Denis Diderot, François-Marie Arouet, a.k.a. Voltaire
• Victor Hugo, François-Marie Arouet, a.k.a. Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Denis Diderot

Question 23: Josephine Baker (1906 - 1975) was a naturalised French citizen of American origin. For what is she best known?

• The first recognised black singer/dancer. She distinguished herself in the Resistance during the Second World War
• A French poet and writer.
• A singer known for numerous popular successes including "Bambino", "Il venait d’avoir 18 ans" and Laissez-moi danser" ("just turned 18" and "let me dance")
• An actress in numerous films including "Le prénom" and TV series such as "Avocats et associés"

Question 24: Vassily Kandinsky (1866 - 1944) was a naturalised French citizen of Russian origin. What is he best known for?

• The only writer to receive the Goncourt prize twice: the first time in 1956 under his real name for The Roots of Heaven, the second in 1975 under the pseudonym Emile Ajar for Life Ahead.
• Reporter and novelist, elected a member of the Académie Française in 1962.
• A painter - one of the founders of abstract art
• Athlete and veteran of World War II, won the marathon at the 1956 Olympic Games

Question 25: Which of the following statements is correct?

• The President of the French Republic is elected by universal suffrage for five years. He/she appoints the Government, headed by the Prime Minister, from the party winning the majority in the legislative elections
• The Parliament, composed of the National Assembly and the Senate, votes on laws and controls the Government. Members of the National Assembly are elected every five years in legislative elections.
• Justice is exercised by the magistrates, settling disputes between individuals or companies, and between citizens and the administration. Offences against the law are punished by imprisonment or via other penalties set out in statute.
• All of the above

Question 26: What are the time intervals of local elections in France?

• Municipalities (Mayor and Municipal Councillors - every 5 years), Departmental Councillors (every 6 years), Regional Councillors (every 6 years)
• Municipalities (Mayor and Municipal Councillors - every 6 years), Departmental Councillors (every 5 years), Regional Councillors (every 5 years)
• Municipalities (Mayor and Municipal Councillors - every 5 years), Departmental Councillors (every 5 years), Regional Councillors (every 5 years)
• Municipalities (Mayor and Municipal Councillors - every 6 years), Departmental Councillors (every 6 years), Regional Councillors (every 6 years)

Question 27: Which is the longest river in France?

• The Seine
• The Garonne
• The Rhône
• The Loire

Question 28: Léon Zitrone (1914 - 1995) was a naturalised French citizen of Russian origin. What is he best known for?

• A singer in the 1960's. A French great
• The father of volcanology who made his discipline known to the general public
• A journalist famous and TV presenter famous for programs such as Intervilles and his commentaries on the Tour de France, Olympics and Eurovision Song Contest
• A painter - one of the founders of abstract art

Question 29: Name a famous French painter:

• Marcel Proust
• Albert Camus
• Simone de Beauvoir
• Auguste Renoir

Question 30: Guillaume Apollinaire (1880 - 1918) was a naturalised French citizen born to a Russian mother and Swiss father. For what is he best known?

• Famous French poet, notably writing "Alcools et Calligrammes"
• Painter of Russian origin responsible for the painting of the ceiling of the Paris Opera
• Nobel Prize winning physicist, pioneer of biomedical imaging and the detection of particles.
• Grandson of an Italian merchant and fervent republican who helped France to recover after the defeat of The Franco-Prussian War. He was one of the fathers of the Third Republic

Question 31: Name a famous French sculptor:

• Édith Piaf
• Edgar Degas
• Simone de Beauvoir
• Auguste Renoir

Question 32: Correctly identify the 5 overseas departments and regions of France (with exactly the same status as France's mainland regions)?

• Martinique (972), Guyane (973), La Réunion (974), Mayotte (975) and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (976)
• Saint-Barthélemy (977), Saint-Martin (978), Wallis-et-Futuna (986), Polynésie française (987) and Nouvelle-Calédonie (988)
• Guadeloupe (971), Martinique (972), Guyane (973), La Réunion (974) and Mayotte (975)
• La Réunion (974), Mayotte (975), Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (976), Saint-Barthélemy (977) and Saint-Martin (978)

Question 33: Which of the following relates to the end of 18th Century AD?

• The life of Napoleon I who ruled for 15 years and established the 1st Empire. He was responsible for the Civil Code
• Constitution of a vast colonial empire through wars of conquest in the West Indies, Africa and Asia
• Abolition of slavery
• Victor Hugo - one of the greatest French writers. His works argued against social inequalities and the death penalty. He wrote Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris

Question 34: Which is the highest mountain in the European Union at 4,807m?

• Mont-Blanc
• The Matterhorn
• Monte Rosa
• Dom

Question 35: Marc Chagall (1887 - 1985) was a naturalised French citizen of Russian origin. For what is he best known?

• Famous French poet, notably writing "Alcools et Calligrammes"
• Painter responsible for the painting of the ceiling of the Paris Opera
• Nobel Prize winning physicist, pioneer of biomedical imaging and the detection of particles.
• Grandson of an Italian merchant and fervent republican who helped France to recover after the defeat of The Franco-Prussian War. He was one of the fathers of the Third Republic

Question 36: Which of these are from the same 17th Century epoch?

• Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, a.k.a. Molière, the Sun King (Louis XIV)
• Clovis, Henri IV
• Clovis, Jeanne d'Arc
• Clovis, the occupation by the Romans

Question 37: When did France give up the French Franc for the Euro?

• In 1992 via the Maastricht Treaty (the Treaty on European Union)
• In 1957 via the Treaty of Rome
• 1 January 2002
• 1 December 2009 when the Lisbon Treaty, signed 13 December 2007, came into force

Question 38: Which fundamental freedoms are guaranteed by the principal of "Liberty" in the French Republic?

• Freedom of thought, belief, expression and assembly (liberté de pensée, de croyance, de s’exprimer, de se réunir)
• The freedom of expression - even to spread insults, defamation, hate-speak or deny crimes against humanity (such as the Second World War Holocaust)
• The freedom of the press and the right to a free education (guaranteed by laws in the 1880's)
• The right to a free eduction separated from religious beliefs (l'école laïque)

Question 39: Haroun Tazieff (1914 - 1998) was a naturalised French citizen of Polish origin. What is he best known for?

• A singer in the 1960's. A French great
• The father of volcanology who made his discipline known to the general public
• A journalist famous and TV presenter famous for programs such as Intervilles and his commentaries on the Tour de France, Olympics and Eurovision Song Contest
• A painter - one of the founders of abstract art

Question 40: What is the name of the current French Minister of the Interior:

• Edouard Philippe
• Christophe Castaner
• François Bayrou
• Bruno Le Maire