1) Take a wild guess. What is going on here?
Answer: b) Process for producing saffron, a condiment used in a lot of Mediterranean and Eastern cooking. This is a completely manual process from picking the purple "saffron rose" to separating and drying the stamens and boxing the delicate threads
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2) What was unusual about Spain's weather in November 2008?
Answer: c) Relatively early and heavy snowfalls - in most of the mountainous areas and some lowlands, just in time for the early-December holidays. Ski stations were thrilled to open that early, and most likely lighting candles to the snow gods to ensure that the snow lasts and increases for the Christmas holidays
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3) Not too long ago Madrid region woman governor ....
Answer: a) Was caught in the upheaval in India. She got out immediately, prompting a comment by a politician of a different political leaning that he himself would stay until all Spaniards had been evacuated.
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4) Which part of Spain is a major cork-producing region?
Answer: c) Southwest, mainly along the Portuguese border from the Tagus river south almost to the coast. Cork is the bark of the cork tree, a member of the quercus / oak family, and also grows in Portugal
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5) What is Spain's fastest-growing immigrant group in recent years?
Answer: b) Romanians (eastern Europe). Romania joined the European Union in 2007, and though Romanians still do not have full rights for employment in Spain, they're here and taking many of the jobs that Spaniards no longer want to do, and in some cases doing things better than locals (ie, service with a smile in bars and restaurants).
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6) What color is the "niscalo", a wild mushroom that grows in pine forests?
Answer: a) Orange, with what looks like dark green mold. Delicious sauteed with garlic, or roasted in the oven with potatoes. As alway, wild mushrooms ("setas" in Spanish) should only be harvested using correct techniques and with the help of an expert.
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7) Galician architect Antonio Palacios did a lot of emblematic buildings in Madrid. The best-known is the central Post Office in Cibeles. What is another?
Answer: c) Bellas Artes building on calle Alcala near corner Gran Via. Palacios also helped with initial design of Madrid's subway, trying to alleviate the claustrophobia people might feel by being underground by using blue and white tiles.
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8) The towns of Almagro in south-central Spain and Cambados in northwest Spain are both known for:
Answer: a) Hand-made lace.
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9) What is the significance of January 17?
Answer: a) San Anton day, blessing of the animals. This is a lot of fun to see, happens even in so-urban Madrid where dogs and some cranky cats get sprinkled with holy water. See it happen at San Anton church, calle Hortaleza 63. The other two saints days and celebrations do exist, but both are two weeks later, early in February.
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10) What is the meaning of this sentence? No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano (Getting up very early doesn't make the sun come up earlier)
Answer: c) Both of above - take it easy and there are some things you just can't change. This saying is a very Spanish philosophy!
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