These France trivia questions come in six rounds: regions, rivers and the map, history from Gaul to the Fifth Republic, symbols of the Republic, Paris and landmarks, food and French words in English, and science, inventions and firsts.
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Six rounds, from the Hexagon to the Jacquard loom
Regions, rivers and the map starts with the Hexagon and ends in French Guiana. History from Gaul to the Fifth Republic runs from Vercingetorix to de Gaulle. Symbols of the Republic covers Marianne, the motto and the 14 juillet. Paris and landmarks climbs Montmartre and crosses the Pont du Gard. Food and French words in English has Camembert, the tarte Tatin and cul-de-sac. Science, inventions and firsts meets Niépce, Jacquard and Champollion.
For a French class or a quiz on the national day
Tap a choice to see the right answer, a short reason and the page it was read on. The card asks ten at a time; Scored round asks 20 and marks them at the end.
Questions and answers
What are some easy France trivia questions?
Mainland France is known by the name of which shape? On which island was Napoleon born? Which nut meal goes into a French macaron? The answers are the Hexagon, Corsica and almond.
What is the national motto of France?
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. The French presidency dates its place on the pediments of public buildings to July 14, 1880, and it appears in the constitutions of 1946 and 1958.
Who is Marianne?
The figure of a woman in a Phrygian cap who stands for the French Republic. The French presidency traces her to the Revolution, and her name to one of the most common first names of the 18th century.
How were the answers checked?
Each was read on October 3, 2026 on the page linked under it: the French presidency's own pages for 7 questions on Marianne and the motto, and Wikipedia for the rest. Visitor numbers, population ranks and living office-holders are left out.
Alsace lies on the west bank of which river?Answer: The Rhine. Source: Wikipedia: Alsace
At which port does the Seine reach the English Channel?Answer: Le Havre. Source: Wikipedia: Seine
The Camargue lies between the two arms of the delta of which river?Answer: The Rhône. Source: Wikipedia: Camargue
The Dune of Pilat in France holds which European record?Answer: It is the tallest sand dune. Source: Wikipedia: Dune of Pilat
Europe's Spaceport stands near Kourou, in which overseas region of France?Answer: French Guiana. Source: Wikipedia: Guiana Space Centre
How many departments does France have?Answer: 101. Source: Wikipedia: Departments of France
How many regions does France have, counting those overseas?Answer: 18. Source: Wikipedia: Regions of France
Mainland France is popularly known by the name of which shape?Answer: The Hexagon. Source: Wikipedia: Metropolitan France
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio. On which island is it?Answer: Corsica. Source: Wikipedia: Corsica
Normandy takes its name from which people, who settled it from the 9th century?Answer: The Vikings, or Northmen. Source: Wikipedia: Normandy
Which neighbor of France is the second-smallest country in the world?Answer: Monaco. Source: Wikipedia: Monaco
Which region of France, homeland of the Breton people, is one of the six Celtic nations?Answer: Brittany. Source: Wikipedia: Brittany
History from Gaul to the Fifth Republic 15
The battlefield of Waterloo, fought over on June 18, 1815, lies in which present-day country?Answer: Belgium. Source: Wikipedia: Battle of Waterloo
Before the palace existed, what did Louis XIII build at Versailles in 1623?Answer: A hunting lodge. Source: Wikipedia: Palace of Versailles
The Fifth Republic splits executive power between a president and whom?Answer: A prime minister. Source: Wikipedia: French Fifth Republic
From which country did Charles de Gaulle make his Appeal of 18 June?Answer: Britain. Source: Wikipedia: Charles de Gaulle
In which year did the National Constituent Assembly set out the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?Answer: 1789. Source: Wikipedia: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The Treaty of Verdun of 843 divided the Carolingian Empire among how many surviving sons of Louis I?Answer: Three. Source: Wikipedia: Treaty of Verdun
What did the Romans call the region that took in present-day France, Belgium and Luxembourg?Answer: Gaul. Source: Wikipedia: Gaul
When the Estates General met in May 1789, in which year had it last met?Answer: 1614. Source: Wikipedia: Estates General of 1789
Which chieftain of the Arverni united the Gauls in a revolt against Rome?Answer: Vercingetorix. Source: Wikipedia: Vercingetorix
Which king of France is also known as Saint Louis?Answer: Louis IX. Source: Wikipedia: Louis IX of France
Which republic governed France from September 1870 until July 1940?Answer: The Third Republic. Source: Wikipedia: French Third Republic
Which Roman commander won at Alesia in 52 BCE?Answer: Julius Caesar. Source: Wikipedia: Battle of Alesia
Which ruler put the baccalauréat, the school-leaving examination, into its present form in 1808?Answer: Napoleon. Source: Wikipedia: Baccalauréat
Which title did Napoleon hold from December 1799 until he became emperor in May 1804?Answer: First Consul. Source: Wikipedia: Napoleon
Who was the first king to unite the Franks?Answer: Clovis I. Source: Wikipedia: Clovis I
Symbols of the Republic 12
Besides the events of 1789, the national day recalls which festival of unity held on July 14, 1790?Answer: The Fête de la Fédération. Source: Wikipedia: Bastille Day
Blue and red, two colors of the French flag, were the traditional colors of what?Answer: The city of Paris. Source: Wikipedia: Flag of France
The motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" appears in the constitution of 1946 and in which later one?Answer: The constitution of 1958. Source: Élysée, Presidency of the French Republic: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
On which date was the motto of the Republic added to the pediments of public buildings?Answer: July 14, 1880. Source: Élysée, Presidency of the French Republic: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
The rooster became a sign of France through a Latin play on words. The word gallus meant a rooster and what else?Answer: An inhabitant of Gaul. Source: Wikipedia: Gallic rooster
Under the Third Republic, statues and busts of Marianne began to multiply in which buildings in particular?Answer: Town halls. Source: Élysée, Presidency of the French Republic: Marianne
What do the French commonly call the national day known in English as Bastille Day?Answer: Le 14 juillet. Source: Wikipedia: Bastille Day
Which cap does Marianne, the figure of the French Republic, wear?Answer: The Phrygian cap. Source: Élysée, Presidency of the French Republic: Marianne
Who proposed in December 1790 that the words "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" be put on uniforms and flags?Answer: Robespierre. Source: Élysée, Presidency of the French Republic: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
Who wrote La Marseillaise in 1792?Answer: Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. Source: Wikipedia: La Marseillaise
Why did some busts of Marianne under the Third Republic leave off her cap?Answer: The cap was deemed too rebellious. Source: Élysée, Presidency of the French Republic: Marianne
Why was the name Marianne used to stand for the people of France?Answer: It was one of the most common first names of the 18th century. Source: Élysée, Presidency of the French Republic: Marianne
Paris and landmarks 14
The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned in 1806, after which victory of Napoleon?Answer: Austerlitz. Source: Wikipedia: Arc de Triomphe
The Château de Chenonceau is built across which river?Answer: The Cher. Source: Wikipedia: Château de Chenonceau
In which cathedral were the kings of France traditionally crowned?Answer: Reims. Source: Wikipedia: Reims Cathedral
In which Paris monument is the tomb of Napoleon?Answer: Les Invalides. Source: Wikipedia: Les Invalides
Notre-Dame de Paris was closed by a fire in April 2019. When did it reopen?Answer: December 2024. Source: Wikipedia: Notre-Dame de Paris
The obelisk on the Place de la Concorde was carved for a temple in which Egyptian city?Answer: Luxor. Source: Wikipedia: Luxor Obelisks
On which field in Paris does the Eiffel Tower stand?Answer: The Champ de Mars. Source: Wikipedia: Eiffel Tower
On which hill of Paris does the basilica of Sacré-Cœur stand?Answer: Montmartre. Source: Wikipedia: Sacré-Cœur, Paris
The Panthéon stands in which quarter of Paris?Answer: The Latin Quarter. Source: Wikipedia: Panthéon
The Pont du Gard was built by the Romans to carry what?Answer: Water, to the colony at Nîmes. Source: Wikipedia: Pont du Gard
Which chapel in Paris has one of the most extensive collections of 13th-century stained glass anywhere in the world?Answer: The Sainte-Chapelle. Source: Wikipedia: Sainte-Chapelle
Which château did Francis I commission, built between 1519 and 1547?Answer: Chambord. Source: Wikipedia: Château de Chambord
Which French bridge, 343 meters in structural height, was the tallest in the world for more than two decades?Answer: The Millau Viaduct. Source: Wikipedia: Millau Viaduct
Why, mainly, is Paris nicknamed the City of Light?Answer: For its leading role in the Age of Enlightenment. Source: Wikipedia: Paris
Food and French words in English 9
A well-known variant of quiche carries the name of which region?Answer: Lorraine. Source: Wikipedia: Quiche
Camembert, a soft cow's milk cheese, takes its name from a village in which region?Answer: Normandy. Source: Wikipedia: Camembert
French is often called the language of which playwright?Answer: Molière. Source: Wikipedia: Molière
In French the expression cul-de-sac first meant what?Answer: Bottom of a sack. Source: Wikipedia: Dead-end street
Ratatouille, a vegetable stew, comes from which part of France?Answer: Provence. Source: Wikipedia: Ratatouille
The tarte Tatin is named after whom?Answer: Two sisters named Tatin. Source: Wikipedia: Tarte Tatin
What are the 40 members of the Académie Française known as?Answer: The immortals. Source: Wikipedia: Académie Française
Which nut meal goes into a French macaron?Answer: Almond. Source: Wikipedia: Macaron
Who founded the Académie Française in 1635?Answer: Cardinal Richelieu. Source: Wikipedia: Académie Française
Science, inventions and firsts 12
The 24-hour race at Le Mans was first run in which year?Answer: 1923. Source: Wikipedia: 24 Hours of Le Mans
André-Jacques Garnerin, a balloonist, invented which kind of parachute?Answer: The frameless parachute. Source: Wikipedia: André-Jacques Garnerin
Barthélemy Thimonnier is credited with the first machine of which kind?Answer: A sewing machine. Source: Wikipedia: Barthélemy Thimonnier
In which year did the metric system first come into practical use, during the French Revolution?Answer: 1799. Source: Wikipedia: History of the metric system
Jean-François Champollion is known for deciphering what?Answer: Egyptian hieroglyphs. Source: Wikipedia: Jean-François Champollion
Joseph Marie Jacquard of Lyon invented a programmable machine for which trade?Answer: Weaving. Source: Wikipedia: Joseph Marie Jacquard
Marie Curie did her work in France. In which city was she born?Answer: Warsaw. Source: Wikipedia: Marie Curie
Nicéphore Niépce used which technique to make the oldest surviving products of a photographic process?Answer: Heliography. Source: Wikipedia: Nicéphore Niépce
Nicolas-Jacques Conté, a painter and chemist, invented the modern form of which everyday tool?Answer: The pencil. Source: Wikipedia: Nicolas-Jacques Conté
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first full-size, working vehicle of which kind?Answer: A self-propelled land vehicle. Source: Wikipedia: Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot
Which French diplomat formed the company that was to build the Suez Canal, in 1858?Answer: Ferdinand de Lesseps. Source: Wikipedia: Suez Canal
Which kind of lighting did Georges Claude present at the Paris Motor Show in December 1910?Answer: Neon tube lighting. Source: Wikipedia: Neon lighting
How this list was compiled
Written for this site; nothing was copied from another list. Questions and wrong choices are our own. Each explanation restates, in our own sentences, facts from the page named and linked beside it. Each answer was checked on 2026-10-03 against that page, fetched that day: the English pages of the Élysée, the presidency of the French Republic, on Marianne and on the motto (https://www.elysee.fr) for 7 questions, and the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org, text under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license) for the rest. This site is not affiliated with the French presidency. This is a pack of dated facts. It holds no list of a people's customs, no visitor numbers, no population figures or ranks and no living office-holder. A record that has since passed to another bridge is asked in the past tense. Not repeated here, because other quizzes on this site already ask them: the longest river, the storming of the Bastille, Joan of Arc, the first balloon flight, pasteurization, braille, the first film show, the Channel Tunnel, the tower of 1889, the first flight across the Channel, the stethoscope, the Edict of Nantes, the king who invited Leonardo, the Métro's opening, and what déjà vu, RSVP and many French food words mean. Levels are our estimate: easy is fair for any table, medium suits people who know France a little, hard will stump most of them. Each round is stored easiest first, and each question carries the date its page was read. Licence: own work