Geography is something that people are generally expected to know, unless it's local geography (i.e., that hill is called Cannibal Hill because they found half-eaten human remains there).
And yet, many do not. My best friend went to college for elementary ed, and in one of her classes, the professor asked them to name the first country south of Mexico. Guess how many knew. Go ahead, take a good guess. I'll wait.
VIRTUALLY EVERYONE knows Tolstoy. War and Peace is called "internationally acclaimed" for a reason. Some appear to call him "Leon" but the last name is ubiquitous.
That isn't true either. I think you need -> "interested in reading literature," after VIRTUALLY EVERYONE for that to be a true statement. Most have probably heard of the book, but there are tons of people who pay no attention to authors' names unless it's a personal interest.
As for Lech Walesa, he made international headlines as part of the Solidarity movement that challenged communism.
And right, that's so easy to remember if one simply heard it on the news once or twice.
However, rugby is something that easily 3/4 of the population of the planet does not care about. I could actually see soccer (association football) questions since most of the planet plays the game, but rugby is definitely geared to the Commonwealth, even if some Languedoc Frenchies play it too.
I do agree that rugby's not the most common sport around the world, but I think more people know about it than you assume. I've seen it in pubs here, and while I don't know much at all, I do know that the All Blacks are infamous. It's not such an odd topic for a gen knowledge quiz.
General knowledge!
08/07/2011 02:04:51 PM
- 841 Views
I prefer pot luck
08/07/2011 02:25:22 PM
- 408 Views

I'm docking you for spelling!
08/07/2011 02:34:25 PM
- 653 Views
Bad joke, very bad joke!
08/07/2011 02:36:09 PM
- 403 Views
I missed Question 4. I think that's hardly general knowledge.
08/07/2011 03:13:22 PM
- 555 Views
I knew it.
08/07/2011 03:18:20 PM
- 575 Views
Let's not get ridiculous here.
08/07/2011 11:04:14 PM
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Me? Get ridiculous?
08/07/2011 11:43:16 PM
- 597 Views
Yes, but the way certain Kiwis around here gush over them we should all know the All Blacks.
08/07/2011 04:56:21 PM
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Or it's 94 of the world's countries.
08/07/2011 05:52:54 PM
- 531 Views
I don't know about Italy, but it's interesting in France...
08/07/2011 07:07:16 PM
- 530 Views
Don't make me laugh at your silly sport even more.
08/07/2011 11:11:55 PM
- 522 Views
Not quite
08/07/2011 11:45:08 PM
- 580 Views
Asking a non-Rugby fan about the All Blacks ...
09/07/2011 12:15:24 AM
- 452 Views
Bad analogy.
09/07/2011 03:21:23 AM
- 664 Views
Actually, it's a pretty good analogy...
09/07/2011 09:44:50 AM
- 547 Views
So you're saying NZ culture is as relentlessly projected as American?
09/07/2011 03:00:33 PM
- 632 Views
Obviously not, but then American culture is projected in so many ways.
09/07/2011 04:37:27 PM
- 653 Views
7/10, missed 2, 3 and 4. Number 6 was a lucky guess and I've no idea how I knew Motown *NM*
08/07/2011 04:56:14 PM
- 266 Views
All of them. Although Motown was a guess and I tossed a coin for souvlaki.
*NM*
08/07/2011 05:54:30 PM
- 277 Views

10, although I didn't actually expect my guess for #2 to be correct... *NM*
08/07/2011 07:52:27 PM
- 226 Views