Test Your Aussie IQ – Quiz #2

I’m heading into the Outback later this morning, so I thought I’d give us all a second Aussie IQ test! If you were a whacka last time, this is your chance to redeem yourself!

Once again, I’ve shamelessly pilfering from Bill Bryson’s Down Under and did a little internet research on my own.

Test Your Aussie IQ (Again)

Answer each of these 10 questions and if you get them right, give yourself 1 point. At the end of the quiz, total up your points and read the corresponding assessment. Simple. Here goes:

Questions

1) How big is the Great Barrier Reef? The size of Italy, the U.K. or the West Coast of the U.S.

2) What the difference between a nautical mile and a land mile? (OK, this isn’t Aussie-specific, just interesting.) A nautical mile is 100 yard longer than a land mile, 100 yards shorter, or equal

3) Which Australian city was bombed by the Japanese during World War II? Broome, Darwin, or Cairns

4) Ayer’s Rock is 1,150 feet high, 1.5 miles long and 5.5 miles around? True or False

5) When did Ayers Rock or Uluru revert back to Aboriginal ownership? 1935, 1955, 1985

6) Which animal is not really an Australian marsupial? Potoroos, quolls, bilbies, numbats, or bettongs

7) What do you learn at an Australia School of the Air? How to fly an airplane, How to fix an airplane, How to read and write

8) Which Australian city is the most isolated? (This is easy – you get no clues!)

9) Australia suffered more casualties during World War I than any other country: True or False

10) How long is the Australian coastline? 23,000 miles, 16,000 miles, or 8,500 miles

Answers

1) All 3, although no one can agree the exact size. Experts estimates the reef spans between 1,200-1,600 square miles, comprises at least 600 islands and 3,000 coral reefs.

2) A nautical mile is roughly 100 yard longer than a land mile. Man, I love factoids.

3) Darwin was bombed repeated during WWII (although I don’t believe the Japanese actually landed – please correct me if I’m wrong.)

4) True! Boy, I can’t wait to see it! In geological terms, the rock is actually a bornhardt, which means that the rock was formed when weather wore away all other matter surrounding it.

5) 1985. The rock is thought to be 100 million years old and is sacred to Aborigines. And while you can climb it, it is greatly discouraged.

6) None – they all are! If you have a picture of one, please send it in! I have not come across any of these in the wildlife parks I’ve visited.

7) How to read and write. Schools of the Air are correspondence schools that children in the Outback attend via short-wave radio (even today). They began in 1951 and there are still more than 15 running. The largest (obviously) is Alice Springs which encompasses more than 460,000 square miles (note: this is roughly the size of France) and has an enrollment of 140 kids from kindergarten through junior high.

8) Perth, with a population of 1.5 million is about 1,700 from Adelaide and 5,000 across the sea from Africa. I hear Perth is really beautiful and I’m so bummed I won’t get a chance to visit. ^ weeks just isn’t enough for the vast country!

9) True, if measure based on proportion of population. During WWI, Australia suffered more than 210,000 casualties (dead and injured), an extremely high number for a country of less than 5 million. Australian troops casualty rate was a staggering 65%.

10) 23,000 miles. Western Australia alone has more than 7,300 miles of coastline and only 3 cities.

Scoring

Now, total up your points:

• · 7 to 10 correct: Congratulations! You’re a dinkum Aussie!
• · 3 to 6 correct: Not bad! You should be grinning like a shot fox!
• · 0 to 3 correct: Oh no! You’re a whacka!

How’d you do? Better than the last time? Let me know! Erin@GoErinGo.com

Tags: Australia, IQ Test, whacka

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 19th, 2011 and is filed under Asia Pacific.