This document contains a 25 question flags quiz with multiple choice answers. The questions cover flags from real and fictional places and events, and topics include the origins of flag designs, symbolism within flags, and flags used to represent other concepts or ideas. The quiz tests knowledge of vexillology and history.
3. 1.
_______ didn’t always look as they look today, with their colourations ranging from a
wide spectrum. These were selectively bred in gardens to produce required
characteristics, like reducing the wooden stalks in the center to edible proportions. The
first ______ in the colour as we know them today appeared in the Netherlands, probably
grown selectively as they complemented the Dutch flag quite nicely.
What is being talked about here?
6. 2.
In 1804, the British East India Company granted Faiz Talab Khan, the first Nawab of ______, 40
villages as reward for aiding the Company against the Maratha Empire during the Second Anglo-
Maratha War.
The 8th Nawab, Iftikhar Ali Khan _____, played cricket for both England and India and captained
the latter. His son, the last Nawab, also captained the Indian cricket team. We know his son as
well, although not for cricket.
The above flag is of the state of _____. FITB
9. 3.
This flag, found in the book X, is a not too subtle dig at the Soviet Union, a common
theme for majority of X. The flag itself was created after a successful revolution within
the book, and is said to be bright green (made out of an old tablecloth) with a white
hoof and horn in the corner, parody of the hammer and sickle insignia of the Soviets.
Identify X.
12. 4.
Only used during a brief period in 1956, 1960, and 1964, which country might have used
this to compete at the Olympics?
Hint - Out of place by at least 20 years
15. 5.
This fictional flag depicts a meme from a very popular video game, as it combines the
flag of the Isle of Man with the main component of the meme.
Identify the game.
18. 6.
In the past, without the use of modern communication devices, a ship's appearance
upon the immediate return to the port could communicate how the crew fared at sea.
Ships that were victorious in their endeavors, for example, an encounter with an enemy
ship, would sail into port with flags waving from the mastheads, that is, with “ _____
______”. On the other hand, a ship that had been defeated, if still afloat, would be
forced to "strike their ______", or to take them down, signifying their defeat.
This practice led to the evolution of a popular idiom. What?
21. 7.
The earliest usage of the term was made referring to the preparations made by ships
before entering battle, which included flying a _______, to frighten and warn the enemy.
Current definition of this often used term would be that of an early warning, and is
sometimes used in programming during debugging and in times of disaster.
What term?
24. 8.
Its original message was to convey the pain and suffering of the people of Somalia and
their aspirations for freedom. Later, it was remade to be used for a fund-raiser for the
Haiti earthquake in 2010.
The version that we know of was described as being "inspired by the joyous dance
celebrations familiar to Africa” and didn’t have the darker themes of the previous
versions, to keep it in line with its name, the “Celebration Mix”
What?
27. 9.
It is uncertain who manufactured the flag that was deployed by the Apollo 11 crew on
the Moon. According to NASA, "the Stars and Stripes to be deployed on the Moon was
purchased along with several others made by different manufacturers at stores in the
area around the Manned Spacecraft Center near Houston. In order to attach the flag
properly to its aluminum staff it was necessary to remove the binding and labels. For
this reason the name of the manufacturer cannot be determined.”.
The reason allegedly given by NASA for not wanting to reveal the manufacturer is that
they didn't "want another _____“.
FITB
30. 10.
This is a redesign of the flag of X made in the style of the flag of Wales i.e. national
animal shown in a heraldic pose on two bands of nationalistic colours.
Which country does it depict?
33. 11.
The Battle of ________ was an important battle/independence struggle against the
Dutch fought by the Xians, just days after the Japanese surrender in WW2.
The reason for the start of the hostilities was the raising of the flag of the Dutch outside
Hotel Yamato which enraged the locals. Angry nationalists tore the blue part of the
flag, creating X’s flag in the process to spurn the locals further,
Which country’s flag was created in the start of the uprising?
36. 12.
X is an American musician from Berkeley, California. He got his name from the second
part of Y & Z, with X being the no-vowels version of Z. He even had a song named Y,
and to complete the whole connection, his symbol(?) is derived from the flag of Y & Z.
X,Y, and Z?
39. 13.
Cyprus is one of the only countries (other being Kosovo) to have an outline of their
territory on their flag. As a joke, somebody created a flag of another country with a
similar design, showcasing the territory of the selected country (according to their
beliefs. )
A very politically charged flag, which “country” was this flag a satire of? (two possible
answers)
40. Cypriot flag for reference (The yellow coloured part is the territory)
43. 14.
This is the flag of one of the few states of India to have had a flag, with the only current
one being Kashmir. The flag itself consists of a Buddhist khorlo prayer wheel with the
gankyil as the central element.
Which state am I talking about?
46. 15.
The 23 white stars in the canton of the flag represent the 23 islands of _______, a member of the Marshall
Islands. The three black stars in the upper right represent the three islands that were disfigured in 1954, due to
certain reasons, while the two black stars represent the new home of the island’s former population. These two
stars are symbolically far away from white stars on the flag as the islands are in real life (both in distance and
quality of life). The words on the flag are in the Marshallese language, reportedly represent the words spoken by
the leader when asked to give up the island for the “good of all humankind” in 1946, and translate to
“Everything is in the hands of God.“
The obvious connections to the United States flag represent the islanders' belief that a great debt is still owed by
the United States to them.
Which territory is this?
49. 16.
This is the flag of a punnily named nation combining an adjective associated with one
state and the name of the other. The flag itself borrows the colour scheme and aspect
ratio of the adjective nation and the design of the other.
Name this fictitious nation.
52. 17.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organization that advocates unilateral
nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter
international arms regulation
The symbol adopted by CND, designed for them in 1958 by Gerald Holtom. It is based on the
semaphore symbols for "N" (two flags held 45 degrees down on both sides, forming the triangle
at the bottom) and "D" (two flags, one above the head and one at the feet, forming the vertical
line) (for Nuclear Disarmament) within a circle. Holtom later said that it also represented "an
individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of
Goya's peasant before the firing squad“.
This symbol has since evolved to be known worldwide. Which symbol?
55. 18.
In the wake of Brexit, there were several disgruntled residents of an area in the United
Kingdom who wished to remain in the European Union and had majorly voted for the
same. An absurd idea which was proposed to facilitate this was the secession of this
area from the Kingdom as a separate country. With this idea came a proposed flag,
showcasing major elements of the area.
Which area in the U.K. is this?
58. 19.
Following the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the United States in 2003, the Iraqi government was
overthrown, and the Ba'ath Party was outlawed. Strong speculation followed that the U.S. government would
press for a change in the Iraqi flag to remove its pan-Arab symbolism, and to make a definitive break with the
period of Ba'athist rule.
On 26 April 2004 the U.S. appointed Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) announced a new flag for post-Saddam Iraq.
The proposed flag had several meanings, with the white background symbolizing purity, the two blue bands
representing the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers and the yellow band showing the Kurdish minority. The blue
crescent represented Islam.
The proposed change was heavily criticized by many in Iraq, as well as in the Arab world.
What was the reason for these protests, apart from the fact that it stripped them of their Pan-Arabic culture?
62. 20.
“A map of the world representing an azimuthal equidistant projection centred on the
North Pole, inscribed in a wreath consisting of crossed conventionalized branches of the
olive tree, . . . The projection of the map extends to 60 degrees south latitude, and
includes five concentric circles.”
The thing described here prominently features white and blue as well as olive branches
as a peace symbol. Tweaked versions of it are used by its constituents.
What is being talked about here?
65. 21.
The State of X, also known as the X Republic is a state located in the southwestern United States
of America. Nicknamed "The Golden State“, the area of X consists of two counties: Los Santos
County and Blaine County. It is the center of culture in America and gave birth to the famous
Vinewood film culture, resulting in classics like Vinewood Zombie. It is also stated that Los Santos
experienced riots in the 1990s, probably due to large African-American and Hispanic communities
found there.
In alternate takes on the state, it also features the military experimentation base, Area 69
X?
71. 23.
Except for a brief period of occupation by Italy, Ethiopia is considered to be one of only
two currently existing African countries which escaped colonialism. As a result, the
country drew the admiration of many newly independent states in Africa.
How have these states, as well as groups with ties to Africa (Example – Rastafari),
honoured Ethiopia?
73. Answer
The flag’s colours have been adopted by many of these countries as well as being
modified into the Pan-African flag.
74. 24.
As one might expect of Pakistan, they committed a serious gaffe as they displayed a
slightly different flag due to the pronunciation of a country’s name, when its Prime
Minister was supposed to visit Pakistan.
Identify the country.
77. 25.
This fictitious flag of an extremely important international event contains the elements
of the flag of Zheleznogorsk, Russia, a town which was devoted to the extraction of
plutonium, explaining its weird bear splitting atom symbol. The other, more prominent
feature of this flag is the flag of a country which was at the center of this event.
Which event am I talking of?