Pub Quiz

Today’s quiz is about international abbreviations. Google not and see how you do on this one. Please post your score and any comments/corrections. Answers and scoring key after the jump.

1. During the Eurozone crisis, what five countries were referred to as the PIIGS?

2. What three nations signed the ANZUS treaty?

3. What four countries are referred to in the acronym BRIC?

4. Sometimes a fifth nation is added to make the above BRICS. What is this country?

5. What four developing nations are shorthanded as MINT?

6. For what does the acronym SEATO stand?

7. Three of the world’s busiest airports are abbreviated DXB, HND and LHR respectively. What are their full names?

8. The above are termed IATA codes, which stands for what?

9. What nations’ currencies are abbreviated BMD, ILS, NOK and TND, respectively?

10. If you were a librarian, you would often have occasion to look up an ISSN or the LTWA. For what do these acronyms stand?

ANSWERS (TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE = 33)

1. One point for each for Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain. One bonus point if you got all five.
2. One point each for Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
3. One point each for Brazil, Russia, India and China. One bonus point if you got all four.
4. One point for South Africa.
5. One point each for Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey. One bonus point if you got all four.
6. One point for Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.
7. One point each for Dubai International, Tokyo Haneda and London Heathrow. One bonus point if you got all three.
8. One point for International Air Transport Association
9. One point each for Bermuda, Israel, Norway and Tunisia. One bonus point if you got all four.
10. One point each for International Standard Serial Number and List of Title Word Abbreviations.

Author: Keith Humphreys

Keith Humphreys is the Esther Ting Memorial Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University and an Honorary Professor of Psychiatry at Kings College London. His research, teaching and writing have focused on addictive disorders, self-help organizations (e.g., breast cancer support groups, Alcoholics Anonymous), evaluation research methods, and public policy related to health care, mental illness, veterans, drugs, crime and correctional systems. Professor Humphreys' over 300 scholarly articles, monographs and books have been cited over thirteen thousand times by scientific colleagues. He is a regular contributor to Washington Post and has also written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian (UK), The Telegraph (UK), Times Higher Education (UK), Crossbow (UK) and other media outlets.

8 thoughts on “Pub Quiz”

  1. Score of 19, give or take. Got 1-4 and 6, not much else. I aced BRICS, which I think qualifies me as more internationalist than your average bear, but had never heard of MINT, which I therefore dub highly esoteric.

  3. Got everything in questions 1 to 4, for 15 points. Like others, I had never encountered MINT, and also find it esoteric. Got 6, as would probably most people who lived through the Vietnam War era, for 16. Got Heathrow for 17. I got the IA but not the TA. I got Bermuda and Norway, although Bermuda was a guess, for 19. I got ISSN, but never heard of LTWA, for 20.

    I’m wondering if it’s merely coincidental that there was nothing related to Kenya in this quiz. Or are you trying to hide something?

    1. I'm wondering if it's merely coincidental that there was nothing related to Kenya in this quiz. Or are you trying to hide something?

      On the advice of my anti-American Baptist pastor, who is Muslim by faith, I decline to answer this question.

  4. 24. I know nothing about airports, but LHR is (comparatively) local; I have to fly out of it if I can't find an alternative (which I try to do assiduously). Never heard of LTWA, must be since my time working in the BL.

    toby52, MINT is supposed to be the next coming batch after the BRICS, but I admit I thought the T was Thailand.

  5. 22 (of I think a possible 31?), missing most of the points near the end - I only knew one of the currencies, for example.

    1. Very good score Warren. I should have said that I made them harder toward the end. I did recount the points after I saw your comment and still got 33 — are you sure you counted all the possible bonus points?

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