Holland on the Hill Pub Quiz with Answers
Geography
1. With how many countries does the Kingdom of the Netherlands share land borders?
a.
b.
c.
None, because of Schengen there are no land borders
2: Germany and Belgium
3: Germany, Belgium, France
Answer: 3 – Germany, Belgium, France. The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four
countries: the Netherlands; and three Caribbean countries, Aruba, Curacao, and St. Martin.
The island of St. Martin is half Dutch, half French.
2. How many seas and oceans touch the Kingdom’s coast line?
a.
b.
c.
1
2
3
Answer: 3 – North Sea (NL), Caribbean Sea (all), Atlantic Ocean (St. Martin)
3. How high is the highest elevation in the Netherlands?
a.
b.
c.
d.
There is no elevation, because the Netherlands is below sea level
1,057 feet
2,877 feet
19,685 feet
Answer: 2,877 feet (Mt. Scenery at Saba); 1,057 feet is Vaalserberg and as such the highest
hill in the Kingdom on European soil; and 19,685 feet is Mount McKinley in Alaska, the highest
peak in the US. (These facts help explain why “Holland” wants to conquer “the Hill”).
4. What percentage of the Netherlands is below the sea level?
a.
b.
c.
d.
11%
26%
59%
100%
Answer: Without dunes and dikes, 26% of the Netherlands would be under water. As much as
59% of the Netherlands is sensitive to flooding. Kind of explains why the Dutch on an average
are the tallest people on Earth.
5. How does the size of the Netherlands compare to US states?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Half the size of Maine
Twice the size of Massachusetts
Three Netherlands make one New Netherland, aka New York
All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above
Economy
6. Which legendary Dutch soccer star will build a community soccer field in Anacostia together with
DC United, Philips and Ten Cate?
a.
b.
c.
Marco van Basten
Ruud Gullit
Johan Cruyff
Answer: Johan Cruyff
7. How many days after Prohibition ended did the first Heineken shipment arrive in New York?
a.
b.
c.
Three days
Three weeks
Three months
Answer: Three days, on April 11, 1933, and into the port of Hoboken, NJ, to be exact. It
wasn’t the first Heineken to arrive in the US though. That was 1880.
8. In which state is Unilever constructing the biggest ice cream factory to make its famous Ben &
Jerry’s ice cream?
a.
b.
c.
Burlington, Vermont
Covington, Tennessee
Holland, Michigan
Answer: Burlington is where it all began in 1978 with two guys, Ben & Jerry. Holland, Michigan,
has enough snow and ice as is. Covington, Tennessee, is where Unilever is expanding its
current factory and creating 428 full-time jobs.
9. Being the 134st largest country of the world in size, which rank does the Netherlands have as an
investor in the US?
a.
b.
c.
Second, after China
Third, after the UK and Japan
Fourth, after China, the UK, and Japan
Answer: Third, after the UK and Japan
10. At $160 billion, the US is largest exporter of agricultural goods in the world. The Netherlands
ranks second. What is the total Dutch export value of agricultural goods worldwide?
a.
b.
c.
$159 billion, so you better watch out
$100 billion
$59 billion
Answer: $100 billion, proving that size does not matter!
Culture
11. Which Dutch painter died in the USA?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Vincent van Gogh
Johannes Vermeer
Rembrandt van Rijn
Piet Mondriaan
Answer: President Obama enjoyed them all last week in Amsterdam and The Hague, but only
Mondriaan died and was buried in the US.
12. What do DJs Hardwell, Afrojack, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and Nicky Romero have in common?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They’re all Top 10 DJs of the World.
They all make millions.
They’re all Dutch
All of the above.
Answer: All of the above: Dutch dance and trance DJs rule!
13. Prior to the Nuclear Security Summit last week, Obama visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
How many people are portrayed on “De Nachtwacht” by Rembrandt, one of the paintings Obama
admired while visiting the Netherlands?
a.
b.
c.
9
18
27
Answer: 18 people, and everyone with a New York Times subscription could have known. The
Times printed portrait of POTUS in front of this famous painting on its front page.
14. Who wrote the story of Hansje Brinker?
a.
b.
c.
Herman Koch
Mary Mapes Dodge
Arnon Grunberg
Answer: Dutch author Herman Koch’s “The Dinner” is a New York Times bestseller, and Cate
Blanchett will debut as film director with an adaptation of this book. Dutch author Arnon
Grunberg lives in New York. However, the story of Hansje Brinker was not written in the
Netherlands nor by any Dutch writer. It was Mary Mapes Dodge who came up with this little
guy who is more famous in the US than he is in the Netherlands.
15. What is John de Mol famous for?
a.
b.
c.
Showgirls, RoboCop, Total Recall, and Basic Instinct
Big Brother, Fear Factor, and The Voice
Speed, Twister, and Lara Croft Tomb Raider
Answer: Paul Verhoeven directed Showgirls, RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct. Jan de Bont
directed Speed, Twister, and Lara Croft Tomb Raider. That makes John de Mol famous for
developing and producing television programs Big Brother, Fear Factor, and The Voice.
Shared history
16. In 1776, the Dutch were the first to recognize the American flag. In which part of the Dutch
Caribbean did this happen?
a.
b.
c.
Aruba
Curacao
St. Eustasius
Answer: St. Eustasius: On Nov. 16, 1776, the American Navy ship the USS Andrew Doria, with
the American Declaration of Independence on board, was saluted with 11 gun shots, and thus
the US was recognized as a nation for the first time.
17. Which of the following six neighborhoods in New York City do not have names derived from
Dutch cities?
a.
b.
c.
Brooklyn and Harlem
Staten Island and the Bronx
Flushing and Hempstead
Answer: b. Staten Island and the Bronx. While they have Dutch roots, they do not refer to
Dutch cities. “Staten” is Dutch for “states” and the Bronx refers to the estate of the Bronk
family. All the others refer to Dutch cities: Brooklyn (Breukelen), Harlem (Haarlem),
Hempstead (Heemstede) and Flushing (Vlissingen). You may have thrown out New Amsterdam,
but at least you kept these names.
18. Thomas Jefferson, who was inspired in his writing of the Declaration of Independence by its
Dutch counterpart, lived in Monticello, which is depicted on the nickel. The name of which US
currency is derived from Dutch currency?
a.
b.
c.
nickel
dollar
dime
Answer: “Dollar” is derived from the Dutch word “daalder,” which has been used in the
Netherlands since the 1500s.
19. The US has had five presidents with Dutch ancestry, but only one had Dutch as his mother
tongue. Which one?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Teddy Roosevelt
George W. Bush
Martin van Buren
FDR
George H.W. Bush
Answer: While (obviously) Martin van Buren was America-born, he was born and raised in
Dutch-speaking community of Hoboken, New Jersey. While the Roosevelts and Van Buren
have truly Dutch last names, the Bushes’ claim to Dutch fame derives from the fact that their
ancestors were among the Pilgrim fathers who stayed in Leiden, the Netherlands, for 11 years
before sailing to America.
20. How many towns called Holland can be found in the United States?
a.
b.
c.
There is only one Holland, and that is in Michigan
4
5
Answer: Although, we could easily settle on answer a; answer b is actually closer to the truth.
In addition to Holland, Michigan, there is also a Holland in New York, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Five
would have been a good answer if you were to equate “Nederland” to “Holland,” since there is
a town called Nederland in Colorado.