World Folk Tales

About World Folk Tales

Give your memory a workout with World Folk Tales: 15 multiple-choice questions with a mix of 7 easy, 6 medium, 2 hard questions, free to play right in your browser. Explore beloved folk tales and fairy tales from cultures around the world! Expect to spend about 7 minutes; every question comes with an explanation, so you learn something even when you miss.

A few sample questions

1. 1. The Brothers Grimm, who collected famous fairy tales, were from which country?

   Answer: Germany

   Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were German academics who published their collection of fairy tales ('Grimms' Fairy Tales') in 1812. It included stories like 'Cinderella,' 'Snow White,' and 'Hansel and Gretel.'

2. 2. Hans Christian Andersen, author of 'The Little Mermaid' and 'The Ugly Duckling,' was from which country?

   Answer: Denmark

   Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author whose fairy tales have been translated into over 125 languages. Unlike the Grimms, Andersen created original stories rather than collecting folk tales.

3. 3. 'One Thousand and One Nights' (Arabian Nights) is framed by the story of which storyteller?

   Answer: Scheherazade

   Scheherazade tells stories to King Shahryar each night, always leaving a cliffhanger so he will spare her life to hear the ending. This frame story connects tales like 'Aladdin,' 'Ali Baba,' and 'Sinbad.'

4. 4. In the Aesop's fable 'The Tortoise and the Hare,' what lesson does the story teach?

   Answer: Slow and steady wins the race

   In this famous fable, the overconfident hare takes a nap during the race, allowing the persistent tortoise to win. Aesop's fables, dating to ancient Greece, use animals to teach moral lessons.

5. 5. In the African folk tale tradition, what animal is often the clever trickster?

   Answer: Anansi the spider

   Anansi the spider is a beloved trickster figure in West African and Caribbean folklore, originally from the Ashanti people of Ghana. He uses his wits to outsmart much larger and stronger animals.

Things you'll learn along the way

• ✓'The Three Little Pigs' features a wolf who blows down houses of straw and sticks but cannot destroy the brick house. The story, with versions across many cultures, teaches the value of hard work and planning.
• ✓Momotarō ('Peach Boy') is one of Japan's most beloved folk tales. An elderly couple finds a giant peach floating down a river, and inside is a boy who grows up to defeat the demons (oni) of Onigashima island.
• ✓Coyote is a central trickster figure in the folklore of many Native American nations. He is both foolish and clever, and his adventures often explain the origins of natural features or cultural practices.