The Paris Quiz

Paris Quiz: How Well Do You Know Paris? -- This fun book is a perfect stocking stuffer, the perfect book to take to Paris to use for a scavenger hunt, and perfect for the armchair traveler who loves trivia. There are more than 400 multiple-choice questions, by arrondissement, ranging from obscure lore to facts about well-known buildings, streets, and statues with fascinating and often humorous histories.

Here’s a sample:

What color are all the illuminated signs on the Champs-Elysees?

A) Blue
B) Green
C) White

C: They are required to be white. Advertisers and merchants must conform to the decision of uniformity taken in the interest of aesthetics. Even McDonald’s had to swap its yellow M for a white one, making it the only exception in the world. Only pharmacies are allowed to break the rule.

In 1836 the Eglise Saint-Cosme was demolished to make room on the boulevard Saint-Michel. The construction unearthed remains from an old cemetery adjoining the church. What was peculiar about it?

A) It was an animal cemetery
B) It was a cemetery for clergy
C) It was a cemetery for hunchbacks

C: The church and its cemetery were located between the rue Racine and the rue des Ecoles, on the current site of the Gibert bookstore. Using the shape of the remains (most of the exhumed spinal columns were curved and presented malformations), it was deduced that it was a cemetery for hunchbacks.