Quiz on Dragons

In European folklore, what do dragons most famously breathe?

• Fire ✓ (Correct answer)
• Ice
• Lightning
• Smoke rings

Source: The fire-breathing dragon is a Western staple, but many Eastern dragons control water and rain instead.

In Chinese culture, dragons are mainly associated with which element?

• Water ✓ (Correct answer)
• Fire
• Stone
• Wind

Source: Chinese dragons rule rivers, rain and seas, so emperors prayed to them during droughts.

In 'How to Train Your Dragon', what species is Toothless?

• Night Fury ✓ (Correct answer)
• Monstrous Nightmare
• Deadly Nadder
• Gronckle

Source: Toothless is the rare Night Fury, voiced by no one: he only growls, purrs and roars.

A creature with a dragon's wings but only two legs is properly called what?

• Wyvern ✓ (Correct answer)
• Hydra
• Basilisk
• Drake

Source: A true wyvern has two legs and two wings; classic four-legged 'dragons' are the heraldic exception.

Which saint is most famous for slaying a dragon?

• Saint George ✓ (Correct answer)
• Saint Patrick
• Saint Michael
• Saint Nicholas

Source: Saint George's dragon-slaying made him patron of England, yet the legend was originally set in Libya.

Which real animal is named after dragons and is the world's largest lizard?

• Komodo dragon ✓ (Correct answer)
• Gila monster
• Frilled lizard
• Iguana

Source: The Komodo dragon can take down a water buffalo, partly thanks to venom glands discovered only in 2009.

In 'The Hobbit', what is the name of the dragon guarding the treasure?

• Smaug ✓ (Correct answer)
• Glaurung
• Fafnir
• Ancalagon

Source: Tolkien's Smaug has one bare patch on his belly, the weak spot that ultimately kills him.

Which flower is commonly nicknamed 'snapdragon'?

• Antirrhinum ✓ (Correct answer)
• Foxglove
• Orchid
• Hydrangea

Source: Squeeze a snapdragon bloom and it 'snaps' open like a dragon's jaws, hence the name Antirrhinum.

In Norse and Germanic legend, what is the dragon Fafnir guarding?

• A cursed hoard of gold ✓ (Correct answer)
• A sacred spring
• A magic sword
• An imprisoned god

Source: Fafnir was a dwarf who turned into a dragon out of greed for gold, a tale that inspired Tolkien.

In Welsh national symbolism, what colour is the dragon on the flag?

• Red ✓ (Correct answer)
• Green
• Gold
• Black

Source: Wales is one of the only nations with a mythical beast on its flag: Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon.

In 'Game of Thrones', what is the name of Daenerys's largest dragon?

• Drogon ✓ (Correct answer)
• Rhaegal
• Viserion
• Balerion

Source: Drogon is named after Khal Drogo; Rhaegal and Viserion honour Daenerys's dead brothers.

Sea dragons, the famous reef fish, are most closely related to which animal?

• Seahorses ✓ (Correct answer)
• Eels
• Jellyfish
• Stingrays

Source: Leafy sea dragons are cousins of seahorses, and like them the males carry the eggs.

The Aztec feathered serpent deity, often linked to dragons, is named what?

• Quetzalcoatl ✓ (Correct answer)
• Tezcatlipoca
• Huitzilopochtli
• Tlaloc

Source: Quetzalcoatl blended serpent and quetzal bird, a Mesoamerican echo of the dragon archetype.

During Chinese New Year, the dragon dance is performed mainly to bring what?

• Good luck and prosperity ✓ (Correct answer)
• Rain for the crops
• Victory in battle
• A bigger harvest moon

Source: The longer the dragon in the dance, the more good luck it is said to bring to the community.

Which gemstone-colored dragons are the evil rulers in Dungeons & Dragons?

• Chromatic dragons ✓ (Correct answer)
• Metallic dragons
• Gem dragons
• Shadow dragons

Source: In D&D, chromatic dragons (red, blue, green) are evil; the metallic gold and silver ones are good.

The 'dragon' in the constellation Draco winds between which two famous bears?

• Ursa Major and Ursa Minor ✓ (Correct answer)
• Leo and Lynx
• Cepheus and Cygnus
• Hercules and Lyra

Source: Draco coils around the north celestial pole, between the two Bears, and once held the pole star Thuban.

The ouroboros, a dragon eating its own tail, symbolises what?

• Eternal cycles ✓ (Correct answer)
• Hidden treasure
• War and death
• Royal power

Source: The tail-eating ouroboros once appeared to chemist Kekulé in a dream, hinting at the ring shape of benzene.

In Greek myth, the dragon with 100 heads defeated by Zeus was named what?

• Typhon ✓ (Correct answer)
• Ladon
• Python
• Cetus

Source: Typhon was so monstrous that Zeus pinned him under Mount Etna, blamed for its eruptions ever since.

Which town in southern France holds a centuries-old festival featuring a legendary river dragon?

• Tarascon ✓ (Correct answer)
• Carcassonne
• Annecy
• Colmar

Source: The Tarasque, the dragon of Tarascon, is so iconic that UNESCO listed its procession as cultural heritage.

Which giant Indonesian lizard can reproduce by virgin birth when no males are present?

• Komodo dragon ✓ (Correct answer)
• Tuatara
• Nile monitor
• Bearded dragon

Source: Female Komodo dragons can fertilise their own eggs through parthenogenesis, producing all-male offspring.