Sports Around the World: Fun Facts Quiz: questions and answers
Study every question with its correct answer and explanation.
1. When basketball was invented in 1891, what was used as the 'hoop'?
- A. Metal rings
- B. Peach baskets
- C. Fishing nets
- D. Wooden barrels
Answer: Peach baskets
James Naismith nailed up peach baskets — and at first someone had to fetch the ball out after every basket!
2. What was volleyball originally called when it was invented in 1895?
- A. Netball
- B. Handball
- C. Mintonette
- D. Skyball
Answer: Mintonette
William G. Morgan created the game in the USA as a gentler indoor sport and named it 'Mintonette' before 'volleyball' caught on.
3. In tennis, what does the score 'love' mean?
- A. Zero
- B. Fifteen
- C. A tied score
- D. Game won
Answer: Zero
Nobody knows for sure where 'love' came from — one popular theory links it to the French 'l'œuf' (egg), because a zero looks like an egg.
4. Modern golf developed in which country?
- A. Netherlands
- B. England
- C. United States
- D. Scotland
Answer: Scotland
Golf as we know it grew up in Scotland, and the town of St Andrews is known worldwide as the 'Home of Golf'.
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5. The sport of badminton is named after what?
- A. A French king
- B. A Chinese emperor
- C. An English country house
- D. A Danish inventor
Answer: An English country house
It takes its name from Badminton House, an English country estate where the game became popular in the 1870s; an earlier version called 'Poona' was played by British officers in India.
6. What is the official distance of a marathon?
- A. 40 km
- B. 42.195 km
- C. 45 km
- D. 50 km
Answer: 42.195 km
The distance was fixed at 42.195 km in 1921, based on the course used at the 1908 London Olympics.
7. What is the hard rubber disc used in ice hockey called?
- A. Puck
- B. Stone
- C. Shuttle
- D. Pellet
Answer: Puck
Pucks are often frozen before a game so they bounce less and glide smoothly across the ice.
8. The sport of rugby gets its name from what?
- A. A Scottish king
- B. A type of leather ball
- C. A Welsh river
- D. A school in England
Answer: A school in England
The game developed at Rugby School in England in the 1800s, and the Rugby World Cup trophy is named the Webb Ellis Cup after one of its former pupils.
9. Which sport is the national game of Bangladesh?
- A. Cricket
- B. Kabaddi
- C. Football
- D. Hockey
Answer: Kabaddi
Kabaddi, known in Bangladesh as 'ha-du-du', has a raider who must keep chanting in a single breath while trying to tag opponents and get back safely.
10. What shape is a boxing 'ring'?
- A. Square
- B. Circle
- C. Octagon
- D. Hexagon
Answer: Square
Early prize fights took place inside a circle drawn on the ground — the name 'ring' stuck even after the fighting area became square.