Category: Bing Homapage Quiz

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: Crocus flowers are the source of which coveted spice?

A Saffron
B Turmeric
C Paprika

Saffron threads are harvested from the style and the stigma of the saffron crocus. The style and stigma are part of the flower’s reproductive system. The crimson-colored spice is considered the most expensive, by weight, in the world. Fortunately, when used in cooking, only a tiny amount is needed. Saffron has been harvested and traded for thousands of years. Most of the world’s current supply comes from Iran.

The correct answer to this quiz is Saffron.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: The crocus is the subject of a story in…

A Russian folklore
B An American fable
C Greek mythology

In Greek mythology, Crocus was a mortal youth turned into the crocus plant by the gods, who were unhappy with his love affair with a nymph named Smilax. In another telling of the myth, Crocus was accidentally killed when he was struck by a discus thrown by the god Hermes. Grief-stricken, Hermes turned Crocus into the flower that bears his name.

The correct answer to this quiz is Greek mythology.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: Which WWI battle did Tolkien fight in?

A Battle of Verdun
B Battle of Tannenberg
C Battle of the Somme

Reluctant to join the Great War at first, Tolkien was thrust into the brutal Somme offensive of 1916, which, at its bloodiest, saw 60,000 British casualties in a single day. A bout of trench fever sent Tolkien home from the front, and most of the members of his battalion were subsequently killed in battle. The horrors of war he experienced at the Somme would influence many of the scenes in his ensuing works.

The correct answer is Battle of the Somme.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: Which natural features helped inspire the name of Lauterbrunnen Valley?

A Rock formations
B Waterfalls
C Mushrooms

The word ‘brunnen’ means ‘fountain’ or ‘spring’ in German—a reference to the many waterfalls that cascade down the cliffs and into the valley. Staubbach, which plunges 984 feet, is the most famous falls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

The correct answer is Waterfalls.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen Valley inspired which famous fantasy writer?

A J.R.R. Tolkien
B Anne McCaffrey
C J.K. Rowling

Our homepage photo shows the lush Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, which sparked Tolkien’s imagination when he visited in 1911. Rivendell, the Elvish city in his ‘Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ novels, was largely based on the village of Lauterbrunnen.

The correct answer is J.R.R. Tolkien.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: How much water does a typical American use when taking a shower?

A 3 gallons
B 8 gallons
C 17 gallons

The average American shower is 8.2 minutes long, with a flow rate of 2.1 gallons per minute.

The correct answer is 17 gallons.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: In which city would water boil fastest?

A New York
B Denver
C Palm Springs

Water boils faster at higher elevations. At sea level, water boils at 212 degrees F (100 C). At the top of Mount Everest, it’s only 154 F (68 C). In Denver, water boils at about 202 F (94 C), but that doesn’t necessarily mean food cooks more quickly than it does at sea level.

The correct answer is Denver.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: What percentage of Earth’s water is fresh water?

A 3%
B 12%
C 31%

Only about 3% of the water on the planet is fresh water—and most of that is locked up in glaciers and ice caps or is deep underground.
World Water Day, a UN-sponsored observance on March 22, is intended to raise awareness of this precious resource.

The correct answer is 3%.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: Who is the current poet laureate of the United States?

A Amanda Gorman
B Khalisa Rae
C Joy Harjo

Harjo is the first Native American to hold the post of US poet laureate, and she has served three terms in the role. Her signature project is called ‘Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry.’

The correct answer is Joy Harjo.

Microsoft Rewards Bing Homepage Quiz: Which of these people was not a Beat poet?

A Jack Kerouac
B Oscar Wilde
C Allen Ginsberg

While Wilde probably would have enjoyed their parties, libertine values, and outsider culture, he preceded the Beats by more than 50 years. The Beat Generation was typified by a rejection of economic materialism and its explicit portrayals of the human condition.

The correct answer is Oscar Wilde.