Indian History and Culture
What religion, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, began in ancient India?
Buddhism
What famous tower in France leans slightly due to unstable ground but is a major tourist attraction?
Leaning Tower of Pisa
What theory explains how traits are passed from parents to offspring through genes?
Genetics
What Indian dessert is made by deep-frying milk solids into balls and soaking them in sugar syrup?
Gulab jamun
What month, day, and year did Texas earn their independence?
March 2, 1836
What sacred river is considered holy in Hinduism and flows through cities like Varanasi?
Ganges River
What ancient city in Jordan is famous for rock-cut architecture and is called the “Rose City?”
Petra
What organ pumps blood throughout the human body?
The heart
What Middle Eastern dessert is made of thin layers of filo pastry, nuts, and sweet syrup or honey?
Baklava
What 1919 treaty formally ended World War I and placed heavy reparations on Germany?
Treaty of Versailles
What Sanskrit epic is one of the two major ancient Indian epics and centers on the struggle between the Pandavas and Kauravas?
Mahabharata
What massive waterfall system on the border of Argentina and Brazil is one of the widest in the world?
Iguazu Falls
What disease, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium..., primarily affects the lungs?
(Cannot say the rest of the bacterium or it will give away the answer)
Tuberculosis
What French dessert is made of choux pastry filled with cream and topped with chocolate icing?
éclair
What 1494 treaty divided newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal?
Treaty of Tordesillas
What emperor converted to Buddhism after the bloody Battle of Kalinga?
Ashoka
What Spanish city is home to the famous Moorish palace complex known as the Alhambra?
Granada
What law states that the pressure of a gas is inversely proportional to its volume at constant temperature?
Boyle’s Law
What French technique involves cooking food slowly in fat at a low temperature, often used for meats like duck?
Confit
What ancient city’s decline is often linked to the collapse of a Bronze Age civilization in the eastern Mediterranean around 1200 BCE?
Mycenae
Compiled around the 2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE, what Sanskrit text by Patañjali systematized yoga philosophy into aphorisms?
Yoga Sutras
What mineral-rich rock formations in Oaxaca, Mexico are often called “petrified waterfalls?”
Hierve el Agua
What process in molecular biology uses an enzyme to create a complementary DNA strand from an RNA template?
Reverse transcription
What West African dish often uses ground peanuts to create a rich, savory stew served with rice or fufu?
Groundnut stew
What 1648 agreement ended a major European religious conflict and helped establish the modern system of state sovereignty?
Peace of Westphalia