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Any Questions? #77

WAMC's Ian Pickus and resident quizzer Mike Nothnagel run their latest quiz right up the flagpole.

Last week's challenge
Start with the one-word name of a famous queen. Add an F, then rearrange the result to spell two places that are usually guarded. Who is the queen and what are the places?
Answer: The queen is CLEOPATRA, and the places are a FORT and a PALACE.

THIS WEEK'S CATEGORY: NATIONAL FLAGS
On-air questions: On February 15, 1965, the familiar red-and-white maple leaf design was officially inaugurated as the national flag of Canada. (There was a huge debate in Parliament and a special flag committee formed. More than 3,500 suggestions were submitted; about 2,100 had maple leaves and about 400 had beavers). In honor of the mighty maple leaf, this week our quiz is about national flags.
1. The flag of what South American country is comprised of a blue disc inside a yellow rhombus on a green background, and also features the country’s motto – “Order and Progress” – written in Portuguese?
2. One of only two square national flags, the flag of what western European country depicts a white cross centered on a red background?
3. There are five countries whose flags depict differently-colored versions of what is often called the Nordic Cross (a horizontal bar running across the middle of the flag and a vertical bar left of center). Name any three of these five countries.
4. The flag of what African country bears a strong resemblance to the U.S. flag, reflecting the emigration of the country's original settlers from the United States in 1820?
5. The three colors on Italy’s flag are (from left to right) green, white, and red. Replace the red band with an orange one, and you'll get the flag of what other country whose name starts with I?

Extra credit
1. The flags of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Northern Cyprus, Pakistan, and Turkey all feature a single five-pointed star and what other shape?
2. The flag of the island nation of Tuvalu features nine stars, specifically arranged to represent what?

This week's challenge
Think of a four-word phrase famously used on a flag during wartime in the U.S. Use each letter in the phrase once, and rearrange them to spell a two-word phrase that might describe someone unprepared for war. What are the phrases?

ANSWERS
On-air questions

1. Brazil
2. Switzerland
3. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
4. Liberia
5. Ireland

Extra credit
1. Crescent
2. The geographical positions of the nine islands that comprise the country
 

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in late 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and various newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.
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