Cultural Case Studies

Question 1

What is the capital of Germany?

Answer 1

Berlin

Question 2

What is the population of Germany?

Answer 2

82 million

Question 3

Bundeskanzlerin (German chancellor)

Answer 3

Angela Merkel

Question 4

Bunespräsident (German president)

Answer 4

Joachim Gauck

Question 5

Joachim Guack is…

Answer 5

a German politician, Lutheran pastor, and former anti-communist civil rights activist in East Germany

Question 6

How many federal states does German have?

Answer 6

16

Question 7

Welche drei Bundesländer haben am meisten Einwohner?

Answer 7

Nordrhein-Westfalen (17.8 million), Bayern (12.5 million), Baden-Württemberg (10.8 million)

Question 8

Welche drei Bundesländer haben am wenigsten Einwohner?

Answer 8

Bremen (0.7 million), Saarland (1 million), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (1.6 million)

Question 9

Welche drei Bundesländer sind am größten?

Answer 9

Bayern, Niedersachsen, Baden-Württemberg

Question 10

Welche drei Bundesländer sind am kleinsten?

Answer 10

Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin

Question 11

Welche drei Bundesländer haben am meisten Einwohner pro Fläche?

Answer 11

Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen

Question 12

Welche drei Bundesländer haben am wenigsten Einwohner pro Fläche?

Answer 12

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt

Question 13

Ruhrpott/Ruhrgebiet

Answer 13

The industrial region in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Consists of Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg and Bochum.

Question 14

Saarland

Answer 14

Frontier area between Germany and France

Question 15

Hansestädte (Hanseatic Cities)

Answer 15

The Hanseatic League was an economical alliance of trading cities from the 13th to the 17th century and dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe, stretching from the Baltic to the North Sea. Traditionally Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck carry the title Hansestadt in their name.

Question 16

Norddeutschland

Answer 16

The Hanseatic Cities with their harbous and seafaring traditions are the heartland of Norddeutschland. Refers to Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen and Schleswig-Holstein Shaped from protestant values and traditions.

Question 17

Neue Bundersländer

Answer 17

Used to belong to the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) and joined Germany in 1990 after the fall of the wall: Berlin (east), Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen.

Question 18

Schwarzwald

Answer 18

Black Forest: wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg. It is Germany’s highest continuous low mountain range. Famous for its ham and cake, and also many hiking paths.

Question 19

Süddeutschland

Answer 19

Divided from the North by the Weißwurstäquator. Includes Bayern and Baden-Württemberg, and the southern part of Hessen. Saarland and Rheinland-Pfalz are also often included. Culturally shaped from Catholic values and traditions.

Question 20

Austria

Answer 20

Österreich

Question 21

When did Austria become its own country?

Answer 21

1945

Question 22

What is the population of Austria?

Answer 22

8 million

Question 23

How many federal states does Austria have?

Answer 23

9

Question 24

What is the capital of Austria?

Answer 24

Wien (Vienna)

Question 25

What are the states of Austria?

Answer 25

Kärnten, Niederösterreich, Wein, Oerösterreich, Burgenland, Salzburg, Tirol, Steiermark and Vorarlberg

Question 26

Austria: music

Answer 26

Vienna Classic (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert) Romantic period (Brahms, Wolf, Bruckner, Haler) Operetta (Strauss, Lehár)

Question 27

Austria: literature

Answer 27

Grillparzer, Raimund, Nestroy, Stifter, Jelinek (Nobel Prize for Literature 2004)

Question 28

Austria: visual arts

Answer 28

"Art Nouveau" - Gustav Klimt Schiele and Kokschka are Klimt's comtempories

Question 29

Austria: cuisine

Answer 29

Very mulit-national derived cuisine: apfelstrudel, Wiener Schnitzel, Palatschinken (crêpes), Gulasch, Frittatensuppe, Speckknödel, Salzburger Nockerln

Question 30

Switzerland

Answer 30

Die Schweiz

Question 31

How many official languages does Switzerland have and what are they?

Answer 31

4 German, French, Italian, and Romansh

Question 32

What is the population of Switzerland?

Answer 32

7.8 milllion

Question 33

What is the Swiss dialect of German?

Answer 33

Schweizerdeutsch

Question 34

True or false In Switzerland, High German is used as a written language?

Answer 34

True

Question 35

Which Swiss German dialect is most popular?

Answer 35

Bernese (27%)

Question 36

How many states does Switzerland have and what are they called?

Answer 36

23 - cantons (three of which are subdivided into half-cantons)

Question 37

Is Switzerland a republic or a democracy?

Answer 37

Republic

Question 38

Who is allowed to vote in Switzerland?

Answer 38

All those over the age of 18 (woman gained the ability to vote in 1971)

Question 39

Where in Switzerland is french mainly spoken?

Answer 39

West

Question 40

What is PDI?

Answer 40

Power distance index - the extent to which the less powerful members of organisations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. A high score reflects the a high level of societal inequality.

Question 41

What is IDV?

Answer 41

Individualism - the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. A high score reflects that individuals are expected to look after themselves and their immediate family.

Question 42

What is MAS?

Answer 42

Masculinity - distribution of roles between sexes

Question 43

What is UAI?

Answer 43

Uncertainty avoidance index - a society's tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity

Question 44

What is LTO?

Answer 44

Long-term orientation - associated values are thrift and perseverance

Question 45

True or false Gender plays a less important role in Europe than in the rest of the world

Answer 45

False

Question 46

True or false Europeans have a higher sense of injustice than the rest of the world

Answer 46

True

Question 47

True or false In Europe individualism is less pronounced than in the rest of the world

Answer 47

False

Question 48

True or false Europeans deal lightly (compared to the rest of the world) with changes

Answer 48

False

Question 49

Wie viele Sprachen spricht man in der Welt?

Answer 49

6500

Question 50

Wie viele Menschen wohnen in Berlin?

Answer 50

3,5 Millionen

Question 51

Wie viele Buchstaben hat das deutsche Alphabet (ohne besondere Buchstaben)?

Answer 51

26

Question 52

Wie viele Millionenstädte hat Deutschland?

Answer 52

4 (Berlin, Hamburg, München und Köln)

Question 53

True or false Spoken and written forms of german are the same?

Answer 53

False

Question 54

Variations of German language are divided into three main categories. These categories are:

Answer 54

Dialekt (dialect), Umgangssprache (colloquial language), and Hochsprache (standard German)

Question 55

What are the main German dialects?

Answer 55

Friesisch (Frisian - spoken in the north of Germany), Mitteldeutsch (Middle German - spoken in the middle of Germany), Niederdeutsch (Lower German - spoken in the north of Germany), Fränkisch (Frankish - spoken in Germany's centre), Bairisch-Österreichisch (Bavarian-Austrian - spoken in Bayern and Austria), and Alemannisch (Alemannic - spoken in North Switzerland)

Question 56

Where is the spoken version of High German spoken?

Answer 56

Centrally, especially in Hannover

Question 57

Until when was Latin the prominent written language in Germany?

Answer 57

The 15th Century

Question 58

Who first translated the Latin Bible into German?

Answer 58

Martin Luther