Food
What iconic Georgian boat-shaped bread is filled with melted cheese, butter, and a raw egg in the center?
A) Lobiani
B) Adjaruli Khachapuri
C) Banitsa
D) Chebureki
B) Adjaruli Khachapuri
Which major metropolis is uniquely situated across both Europe and Asia, divided by the Bosphorus Strait?
A) Baku
B) Tbilisi
C) Istanbul
D) Batumi
C) Istanbul
What high-energy folk dance across the Caucasus features men dancing on the tips of their toes without padded shoes, paired with swift swordplay?
A) Lezginka
B) Hopak
C) Kolo
D) Horon
A) Lezginka
The fall of which barrier in November 1989 catalyzed the collapse of communist governments across Eastern Europe?
A) Iron Curtain Gate
B) Berlin Wall
C) Warsaw Rampart
D) Danube Barrier
B) Berlin Wall
Celebrated across Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Central Asia during the March Equinox, what ancient spring holiday marks the arrival of the New Year?
A) Novruz
B) Martisor
C) Maslenitsa
D) Koliada
A) Novruz
Known as Sarma in the Balkans and Turkey and Tolma in the Caucasus, what wrapper is most traditional for the spiced meat and rice filling?
A) Phyllo dough sheets
B) Eggplant ribbons
C) Cabbage or Grape leaves
D) Roasted bell pepper skins
C) Cabbage or Grape leaves
Which body of water receives fresh discharge from major rivers like the Danube and Dnieper, bordering Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria?
A) Caspian Sea
B) Black Sea
C) Sea of Azov
D) Aegean Sea
B) Black Sea
Made from double-reed apricot wood, what ancient wind instrument produces the soulful, evocative sound central to traditional Armenian music?
A) Zurna
B) Tar
C) Kaval
D) Duduk
D) Duduk
What 15th-century Wallachian ruler, famous for his brutal defense of his realm, inspired Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire novel Dracula?
A) Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III)
B) Stephen the Great
C) Ivan the Terrible
D) Alexander Nevsky
A) Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III)
In Slavic folklore, what legendary forest figure flies in a mortar, wields a pestle, and lives in a house supported by giant chicken legs?
A) Kikimora
B) Baba Yaga
C) Rusalka
D) Leshy
B) Baba Yaga
What fermented dairy beverage, historically produced in Caucasus mountain skin bags using grain-like cultures, is famous for its probiotic content?
A) Ayran
B) Ryazhenka
C) Kefir
D) Tarkhuna
C) Kefir
Carved into the side of the Erusheti Mountain in southern Georgia, what medieval cave monastery complex was expanded by Queen Tamar in the 12th century?
A) Vardzia
B) Uplistsikhe
C) Sumela Monastery
D) David Gareja
A) Vardzia
Which Ukrainian electro-folk group gained international acclaim at Eurovision 2021 by incorporating ancient white voice folk singing techniques into their song "Shum"?
A) Kalush Orchestra
B) Go_A
C) DakhaBrakha
D) ONUKA
B) Go_A
Formed by the Union of Lublin in 1569, what massive bi-confederal state spanned much of Central and Eastern Europe until the late 18th century?
A) Grand Duchy of Lithuania
B) Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
C) Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
D) Tsardom of Rus
B) Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
In Romanian and broader Balkan folklore, what storm-controlling, dragon-like creature is said to guard mountain lakes and kidnap maidens?
A) Zmeu
B) Strigoi
C) Karkadann
D) Simurgh
A) Zmeu
In 2014, UNESCO added the traditional preparation of what paper-thin, soft Armenian flatbread baked against the hot walls of a underground clay oven (tonir) to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list?
A) Lavash
B) Matnakash
C) Puri
D) Sangak
A) Lavash
Standing at 5,642 meters (18,510 ft) in the Caucasus Range, which dormant volcano is officially recognized as Europe’s highest peak?
A) Mount Kazbek
B) Mount Ararat
C) Shkhara
D) Mount Elbrus
D) Mount Elbrus
What long-necked, 7-stringed lute is considered the national instrument of Türkiye and an emblem of Anatolian folk poetry?
A) Oud
B) Kanun
C) Baglama/Saz
D) Dombra
C) Baglama/Saz
Prior to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, which historic city in European Thrace served as the capital of the Ottoman Empire?
A) Bursa
B) Iznik
C) Edirne
D) Trabzon
C) Edirne
What UNESCO-listed traditional Turkish shadow theater art form relies on camel-hide puppets to depict the comedic spats of two lead characters?
A) Karagöz and Hacivat
B) Meddah
C) Kukla
D) Ortaoyunu
A) Karagöz and Hacivat
What traditional Polish soup—often served inside a hollowed-out bread bowl during Easter—gets its distinct sour flavor from fermented rye flour starter (zakwas)?
A) Barszcz
B) Kapuśniak
C) Żurek
D) Rosół
C) Żurek
Plunging over 2,190 meters (7,200 ft) into the Arabika Massif in the Western Caucasus, which natural subterranean chasm holds the record as one of the deepest known cave systems on Earth?
A) Veryovkina Cave
B) Krubera/Voronya Cave
C) Eisriesenwelt
D) Postojna Cave
B) Krubera/Voronya Cave
Recognized by UNESCO, what complex classical art music tradition of Azerbaijan combines intricate modal vocal improvisation with poetic classical verses, accompanied by the tar and kamancheh?
A) Meykhana
B) Mugham
C) Ashik
D) Shashmaqam
B) Mugham
In 65 BCE, which famous Roman general marched his legions deep into the South Caucasus, defeating both King Artag of Iberia (modern Georgia) and the forces of Albania (modern Azerbaijan) near the Kura River?
A) Julius Caesar
B) Lucius Licinius Lucullus
C) Mark Antony
D) Pompey the Great
D) Pompey the Great
In traditional Georgian Christmas customs, what shaved hazelnut-branch ornament resembling a white-bearded tree is burned after the holidays to sweep away bad luck?
A) Badnjak
B) Chichilaki
C) Didube
D) Wheat Sheaf (Didoli)
B) Chichilaki