A former member of my German Treff has set up a 'virtual German club meeting' that takes place on Sundays via Skype. There are about four to five participants who 'video in' each week. Generally, we catch up with each other on how our week has been and one of us each week is asked to put together a '20 Questions' quiz of sorts (it's really only ten questions) to be given to the other 'Skypers'. So far, it's been fun, if, however, fairly challenging. During the last Skype session the person whose turn it was to provide questions asked the group to name the German cities where two major rivers meet (we failed, readers, we failed) and then asked what two languages besides German and its variants are recognized as official languages in the region in which they are spoken in Germany. One of us guessed both languages & one of us guessed one. I'll leave it at that. The 'winner' of the question round is then tasked with posing questions to the group the following week. No one was 'winner' this past week (quelle surprise!), so I offered to put together a list of questions for next time.
Here are a handful of sample questions for you to take a stab at, if you're so inclined:
1. Which actors and/or directors left Germany for Hollywood after the rise of the Third Reich?
a) Leni Riefenstahl
b) Marlene Dietrich
c) Peter Lorre
d) Edward G. Robinson
e) Billy Wilder
2. What is the variant of croissant found in German Switzerland called?
__________
3. Can you name one film in which the brilliant Bruno Ganz acted?
__________
4. Although Franz Kafka wrote his works in German, he did not hail from a German-speaking country. What country/region/area was Kafka from?
5. In what country could one find 'Rösti' on the menu?
In the immortal words of Porky Pig, 'Th-th-that's all folks!'
Rosti is (I think) Swiss in origin, though variations appear world wide.
ReplyDeleteI think Kafka came from Prague.
The actors and directors leave me clueless. Which I suppose is an indication that books and food are more to my taste.
I will be interested to learn how wrong I am, and how many other people are MUCH more knowledgeable than I am.
I recall your mentioning that you were not a big 'movie person', so it entirely makes sense that the film questions don't work for you. :) You are, however, on the nose with the food and author questions. Well done you!
DeleteI only know one but I couldn't answer in German.
ReplyDeleteWhich one? You may share with the class auf Englisch. :)
DeleteKafka
Delete1: Peter Lorre. 2: Don't know, even though I have eaten it. 3: Downfall, Wings of Desire. 4: Alsace? 5: Almost anywhere Germanic countries.
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating, Tom! 1. Lorre, Dietrich and Wilder fled Europe for Hollywood; 2. Gipfeli; 3. Yes and yes; 4) Prague/CZ when it was a part of Bohemia; 5) Rösti is Swiss-German, but that doesn't mean others don't do a version.
DeleteSounds like a fun game. It's hard to come up with questions. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I've nine good-ish ones. :)
DeleteMan, your questions are HARD. Here goes nuttin --
ReplyDelete1. I know Marlene Dietrich left Germany for sure and Leni Riefenstahl did NOT. I think Peter Lorre left too and maybe Billy Wilder? But I thought Edward G. Robinson was already American.
2. My Swiss forebears will disown me but . . . I don't know!
3. "All Quiet on the Western Front" ???
4. Wasn't he from Czechoslovakia or somewhere?
5. Switzerland! (a desperate shot in the dark).
Debra, you strike me as someone who knows about the Golden Age of Hollywood. Good on ya. 1. Dietrich, Lorre and Wilder left Europe for Los Angeles. I tossed in Riefenstahl just because of her, ahem, history with the Führer. Edward G. was a Jew born in NYC. His family escaped persecution early on & left for the states at the turn of the last century, I believe. 2. It's a Gipfeli. 3. Wings of Desire, Downfall, The American Friend, Bread and Tulips (I heart Bruno Ganz.) 4. Yes! He was from Prague. 5. Ja wohl, meine Liebe!
DeleteYes, I am a fan of the Golden Age of Hollywood! And as for #3 -- forgive me, Bruno! I saw "Wings of Desire" when it was released and liked it. I even saw the sequel.
DeleteI would only be guessing.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's certainly all right! Our group is a little niche (read: nuts about German language stuff).
DeleteSounds like a fun idea for those who are good at quizzes. Sadly I'm not.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think the German fans might like it. I need to think of some questions regarding Austria for the one member who lived and worked in Vienna. -something to do with Mozart, perhaps.
DeleteI would get a big fat F on your quiz, Bea. Looking forward to hearing how your group enjoys your questions. Take care.
ReplyDeleteYou, too!
DeleteDear Bea, I love quizzes because when I don't know answers, I find that I want to know and so I begin a new area of research! It's clear that I know nothing about Germany except for its role in WWI and WWII and its leaders at that time, etc.
ReplyDeleteI do know though part of an answer, I suspect, to the first question and that's all! I'm pretty sure that Marlene Dietrich and Peter Lorre left Germany. Not sure about the others. I sort of think that Robinson was an American citizen. And I know nothing about all the other questions. I'm really ignorant about Germany. So thanks for helping me become aware that I need to do some geography work--not just on Europe, but on our whole global community! Take care; stay safe and know that you are thought of here in Missouri whenever I watch the news coming from California! Peace.
There is so much to know. One of the interesting things about Dietrich is that of those on the list who left for Hollywood, she was the only non-Jew. She left a promising career behind out of principle.
DeleteThanks for the well-wishes from Missouri! x
What a cleaver idea, I only knew Marlene Dietrich. Probably the only reason I knew that was a Doctor back during my hospital days used to tell me I looked like her, lol. Hope you're staying well.
ReplyDeleteSandy's Space
My Dad's side of the family is German, I should have done better. A place I would love to travel to, but who knows whether international travel will ever be as popular again.
To be compared to Marlene Dietrich...what a compliment! It's a lovely country. I do hope you'll be able to visit someday.
DeleteInteresting as I recall reading through the years about all of those people in relation to their lives and Germany but would be guessing now as to who went where or when except for that one controversial German filmmaker. Genealogy tracked my husband’s family back to Germany, but not surprising with the name Mann.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the surname 'Mann', I think that writer Thomas Mann left Germany at the rise of Hitler for Los Angeles as well.
Delete-hope you're keeping safe down south. x