All French Scholars Bowl Toss-Up Questions

Where would you find a couchette?

on a train

In France, which four grades does le collège include?

sixième, cinquième, quatrième, troisième

What major river runs through Paris?

Seine river

What product is the city of Alençon famous for?

Lace

What are clubs in a deck of cards called in French?

les trèfles

Name one of the two U.S. Presidents for whom a street or avenue is named in Paris.

President Kennedy / Wilson

The English word "denim" comes from the slurring of which French words?

De Nîmes

For what is Limoges famous?

Porcelain

In terms of equivalent surface area, to what American state can France be compared?

Texas

Which of the following African countries are not part of Le Maghreb: L'Algerie, Le Maroc, Le Togo, Le Tunisie.

Le Togo

Which continent has the most French speaking countries?

Africa

Who has the authority to dissolve the French Parliament?

The President

On what date do the French usually send greeting cards to their family and friends?

January 1

What is the symbol of La République Française whose statue is found in every city hall?

Marianne

What city in Provence is known for its annual summer festival of modern and classical theatre?

Avignon

What was the profession of Coco Chanel?

fashion designer

What is the last day of Carnaval called?

Mardi Gras

Which country celebrates la fête de St. Jean?

Canada

Le Parlement consists of two houses. One is the National Assembly. What is the other house?

the Senate

What service does the Bateaux Mouche company provide?

tourist boat rides on the Seine

Name the largest park in Paris.

Bois de Boulogne

What is the most important technical school in France?

L'École Polytechnique

What is the symbol for the Quebec Winter Carnival?

giant snowman

Near what kind of tree does one find truffles?

oak

Which city is the French capital for rubber and a tire manufacturing center?

Clermont-Ferrand

What is the name of the famous sidewalk along the beach in Nice?

La Promenade des Anglais

What does the last place finisher of the Tour de France receive?

red lantern

What is called the scented isle?

Corsica

What state in the United States was named for a French king?

Louisiana

Which of the following places is not Francophone: Haiti, le Niger, la Lituanie, la Martinique?

la Lituanie

What is the date of la Fête du Travail or Labor Day in France?

May 1

This unofficial holiday is on the 25th of November. It is celebrated by unmarried women age 25, who wear old-fashioned bonnets made of paper, lace, and ribbons. What is the holiday?

La Fête de Sainte-Catherine

Who is responsible for the famous statement J'accuse?

Zola

What is the custom on Labor Day in France?

the custom is to visit your friends and neighbors on May 1st and give each of them a sprig of lily of the valley for good luck, wishing them happiness.

What is the French term for the Lenten period of 40 days between Mardi Gras and Easter?

Le Carême

What do the French call New Year's Day?

La Jour de l'An

The French call it football, we call it...

soccer

What is the name of the French equivalent to Santa Claus?

Le Père Noël

In other areaa of the United States they are known as mudbugs, ditchbugs, or crawdads; in Louisiana, they are known as...

crawfish

During this time period, French church bells do not ring. Parents sometimes tell their children that the bells fly to Rome and drop the candy eggs when they returned. What is this time period?

Good Friday to Easter

What French politician said it was difficult to rule a country having 24 different cheeses?

Charles de Gaulle

What word comes from the name of the French diplomat who introduced tobacco to France?

Nicotine

In a French hotel, what is the abbreviation on the elevator button that takes you to the ground floor or lobby?

RC

Where does the French annual Festival of Cinema take place?

Cannes

In the Mardi Gras celbration in Nice, flowers and confetti are thrown from the floats. What is this activity called?

La Bataille des Fleurs

What does the phrase "passer une nuit blanche" mean in English?

to spend a sleepless night / to pull an all-nighter

What is the name of the ball game the French Basques play in southwestern France?

La pelote

What is le Tiercé?

horse race betting

What city is known for its fine porcelain and enamel?

Limoges

Un mas is a traditional house in what region?

Provence

What is needed for the traditional Normand custom called le trou normand?

Calvados

In France, which flower is associated with death and is never given as a gift?

chrysanthemum

How did Saint-Exupéry die?

plane crash

La Bourse de Paris refers to what institution in France's capital?

Paris' Stock Exchange

Where would you find the bouquinistes in Paris?

along the banks of the Seine

The Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris is also known as...

Roissy

Who founded the Collège de France?

François the First

What is the Tour de France?

bicycle race

Who is the patron saint of Paris?

Sainte Geneviève

Le Bon Marché and Le Printemps are examples of what?

department stores

What is the French name for the French Riviera?

La Côte d'Azur

Where were the 1992 Winter Olympics held?

Albertville, France

What fashion designer was noted for using extreme simplicity to create elegance?

Chanel

Who is Yannick Noah?

Tennis player who won the 1984 French Open / currently a singer

What is the basic unit of local government in France?

the Commune

Considered the perfume capital of the world, name this Provençale city.

Grasse

Name the most famous active volcano of Guadeloupe, nicknamed La Vieille Dame.

la Soufrière

One nickname for France derives from its approximate physical shape. What is the nickname?

L'Hexagone

Name one of the two houses of le Parlement.

le Sénat / L'Assemblée Nationale

What environmentally-friendly form of transportation was popular during La Belle Époque?

the bicycle

What is the French word for Easter?

Pâques

What is the name of the highway that encircles Paris?

le périphérique

What does the sign défense de fumer mean?

no smoking

What personage, found on the French eurocent, is the symbol of the French republic?

Marianne

What do the French call the cold, harsh wind which blows from the Alps to southern France and causes crop damage?

Le Mistral

This holiday originated with soldiers playing pranks on each other. What is this famous Tuesday?

Mardi Gras

Une grande surface is a term for what type of commercial site?

a shopping mall

What does the cajun idiom "Lâche pas la patate" mean figuratively not literally?

don't give up

Debates over the "sécu" have been in the news lately in France. To what does this shortened form refer?

Social Security

Translate the expression "un esprit sain dans un corps sain".

a healthy mind in a healthy body

What French acronym corresponds to the modern American term, CEO or chief executive officer?

PDG

What hit American drama is called Urgences in France?

ER

What is the U.S. game show 'The Weakest Link' known as in France?

Le Maillon Faible

The rez-de-chaussée in French is equivalent to what in english

ground floor

What is the translation of chaperon rouge?

Red Riding Hood

What is the French term for a day-care facility for children?

la crèche / la garderie

Name one of France's first four public TV channels.

France 2 / France 3 / ARTÉ / La Cinquième

What does the phrase "poser un lapin à quelqu'un" mean?

to stand-up someone

What is a billet doux?

a love letter

What famous French couple fell in love as a result of drinking a love potion?

Tristan and Yseult

Regarding love, the French use the term "le coup de foudre" to express what idea?

love at first sight

What would a young French woman be doing as she says "Il m'aime, un peu, beaucoup, passionnément, à la folie, pas du tout"?

pulling the petals from a daisy, letting chance decide her fate

What was the profession of the man who invented the guillotine?

Doctor

Who painted Le Cirque, a painting which captured spectators of different social classes?

Georges Seurat

What former Parisian stockbroker became the artist most usually associated with scenes of Tahiti?

Gauguin

What 4 French painters are the principal representatives of le classicisme?

Poussin, Watteau, David, Ingrès

Which village near Paris gave its name to a school of painting?

Barbizon

In what city with a beautiful gothic cathedral were the kings of France crowned?

Reims

Who developed the sciences of microbiology and developed vaccines against anthrax and rabies?

Pasteur

Name the supersonic plane that was the result of the joint effort of the French and British aircraft industries.

Concorde